by AJ Lee made her return to WWE after a 10-year absence during the September 5, 2025 episode of SmackDown, live from the Allstate Arena in Chicago, Illinois. Approximately 16,678 fans were in attendance to witness the grand return of the woman often credited with inspiring the Women’s Revolution in professional wrestling.
During this episode, Giulia successfully defended her United States Championship against Michin, while John Cena made his final SmackDown appearance—only to face the shocking wrath of Brock Lesnar. AJ Lee capped off the night by making her spectacular comeback during the main event segment, delivering a much-deserved beating to Becky Lynch.
WWE SmackDown 5 September 2025 Complete Results – Winners and Losers
- United States Championship Open Challenge: Sami Zayn (c) vs. John Cena ended in a no contest.
- Aleister Black def. Damian Priest via pinfall.
- Giulia def. Michin via pinfall to retain the United States Championship.
All Highlights and Major Moments From the Show
- John Cena kicked off the night’s SmackDown, marking his last appearance on the blue brand. The Chicago crowd immediately erupted into a “Thank You Cena” chant. Cena thanked the audience for their years of support and acknowledged their enthusiasm, hinting at AJ Lee’s widely anticipated return by quipping, “You bring people back to the WWE, and you know what I’m talking about.” The crowd chanted AJ Lee’s name, and Cena promised an exciting night. As Cena prepared to leave, Sami Zayn’s music hit. Zayn thanked Cena for his contributions to the business and announced a revival of the United States Championship Open Challenge, a tradition started by Cena. Zayn challenged Cena to a match on the spot, leading to an impromptu title bout.
- During the match, Cena hit Zayn with an Avalanche Attitude Adjustment, leaving both competitors down in the ring. Suddenly, Brock Lesnar’s music hit. Lesnar stormed to the ring, dragged referee out, abruptly ending the match in a no contest. Lesnar then laid out Zayn with an F5, followed by two more F5s on Cena, before leaving the ring with a menacing grin.
- In a backstage promo, Lesnar said, “Hey John, I’ll see you at Wrestlepalooza, bitch.” The official announcement followed: John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar at Wrestlepalooza 2025.
- Elsewhere backstage, Becky Lynch arrived at the Allstate Arena by car, teasing a confrontation with CM Punk in the night.
- It was also announced that Tiffany Stratton will defend her WWE Women’s Championship against Jade Cargill on the next week’s episode of SmackDown.
Biggest Highlight from the Show – AJ Lee Returns
The main event began with Seth Rollins entering through the crowd. He declared that the legend of Chicago’s hero, CM Punk, would die tonight. Rollins then introduced his wife, Becky Lynch, bragging about her accomplishments. Becky’s new theme played as she made her entrance, boasting about being called the greatest female wrestler ever by Sports Illustrated. The crowd chanted for CM Punk, prompting Punk to make his entrance. Punk grabbed the mic and accused Becky’s husband Seth of being a coward, hiding behind both his allies (Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed) and Becky herself. Punk claimed Seth lacked the courage to face him directly, which was why he chose to remain in the crowd.
Becky mocked Punk, asking how his face is feeling after she had slapped him earlier this week on RAW. She taunted him, saying, “Aren’t you embarrassed?” The crowd began chanting for AJ Lee, and Becky told them to shut up. Punk retorted that Becky brought this upon herself, and that he had plenty of “sisters” in the crowd ready to stand up for him. He asked if she thought he couldn’t call upon Bayley, to which Becky replied she had already beaten her. Punk then suggested he could ask a favour from “The Eradicator” Rhea Ripley. Becky responded dismissively, then started slapping CM Punk repeatedly, daring him to do something about it while Seth watched from the crowd, enjoying the scene. Punk eventually left the ring.
As CM Punk walked away outside the ring, Becky called him an embarrassment and pathetic for retreating in his own hometown. Punk told Becky this was the situation he had wanted to avoid because, as everyone knew, he would never put his hands on a lady. Fortunately, he has someone else who would—and with that, AJ Lee’s music, “Light It Up,” hit the arena.
AJ Lee made her entrance to a massive pop, skipping to the ring in her classic style, looking in fantastic shape—perhaps even better than ever. She entered the ring, sat on the ropes, and smiled while waving at Becky as the crowd erupted into a “Holy Shit!” chant.
AJ Lee and Becky Lynch immediately started brawling, with AJ delivering a series of hard-hitting punches, knocking Becky to the mat. Becky tried to escape, but AJ brought her back into the ring and continued her assault. Commentary noted the chaos, with Corey Graves saying AJ Lee is “going all crazy on Becky,” to which Michael Cole added, “Well, crazy is her superpower,” referencing AJ Lee’s best-selling autobiography.
AJ Lee licked her hand and delivered a stinging slap to Becky’s face, sending her tumbling out of the ring. CM Punk re-entered the ring, and AJ leaped into his arms—the two shared a kiss in the center of the ring. Seth Rollins vaulted over the barricade, carried Becky to safety on his shoulders, and took her away. AJ Lee stood atop the turnbuckle, blowing a kiss to the crowd as “Light It Up” played in the background, and the show went off the air.
