AJ Lee made a successful in-ring return after a nearly 10-year absence at WWE Wrestlepalooza on Saturday, submitting Becky Lynch to win a mixed tag team match alongside her husband, CM Punk.
The duo defeated Lynch and her husband, Seth Rollins, in the night’s semi-main event.
The match marked Lee’s first time competing in a WWE ring since 2015, and she received a massive ovation from the vocal Indianapolis crowd.
The bout was a chaotic and fun affair that featured an unusual amount of direct intergender physicality for a modern WWE match. The contest saw Lynch apply her Dis-Arm-Her submission to CM Punk, and Lee later locked her Black Widow submission on Seth Rollins.
The two teams also used their opponents’ signature moves against each other, with Punk hitting Rollins with a Pedigree and a Curb Stomp, and Lee delivering a Bexploder suplex to Lynch.
After a long back-and-forth segment where Rollins and Lynch isolated Punk, Lee received the hot tag and ran through her signature offense on Lynch. The action broke down again, culminating in a brawl around the announce tables.
The finish came when the action returned to the ring. Lynch attempted to hit her Manhandle Slam finisher, but AJ countered directly into the Black Widow submission, forcing Lynch to tap out for the victory.
