WWE, AEW Rumors on AJ Lee's Contract, AJ Styles' Future and Will Ospreay's Surgery

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe and AEW.

AJ Lee Reportedly Agrees to Multi-Year Contract for Return

As expected, AJ Lee is back in WWE. The former Divas champion appeared on SmackDown last Friday to help level the odds for husband CM Punk in his feud with Seth Rollins.

Becky Lynch goaded Punk with escalating taunts, knowing he wouldn't retaliate. That led the Straight-Edge Superstar to tee up Lee's return.

The fan reaction inside Allstate Arena speaks for itself, and people backstage were equally excited to see the 38-year-old in a WWE ring again. According to BodySlam.net (via Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News), the enthusiasm was "quite high."

BodySlam (via WrestleZone's Matt Black) also reported Lee has signed a multiyear contract, so this isn't the case of her appearing in service of a one-off match.

It may not be long before she's coming for Lynch's Intercontinental title with aspirations beyond that.

AJ Styles Reportedly Signed Through 2026 Royal Rumble

AJ Styles left the WWE Universe a little puzzled when he posted a photo on social media of sand slowly falling to the bottom of an hourglass.

The former world champion wrote, "Time is not up yet," in the caption, but fans nonetheless wondered if he was making a cryptic hint at his retirement. The 48-year-old has said before he doesn't envision still wrestling by the time he's 50.

At the very least, Styles' contract isn't due to expire any time soon. Fightful Select (via Mukherjee) reported his deal takes him into next February, past the Royal Rumble premium live event in January.

As that's right in the middle of the Road to WrestleMania, WWE might outline its plans for The Phenomenal One well before that. The creative team can't include him in a big WrestleMania 42 feud when he's not signed for that show, and any appearance he makes at the Royal Rumble might feel anticlimactic if most fans are under the impression he's out the door.

Will Ospreay Reportedly to Have Neck Surgery Within Next Few Weeks

AEW wrote Will Ospreay off television indefinitely with his brutal beatdown at the hands of Jon Moxley and the Death Riders at the end of Forbidden Door.

The 32-year-old acknowledged he was carrying "a few herniated discs" into the Light Out Steel Cage match and would be heading toward an extended absence after he competed.

According to Fightful Select and Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (via Black), Ospreay is tentatively scheduled to have surgery within two weeks.

Any rough timeline for his recovery is unclear until he undergoes the procedure, and even then, he's almost certainly looking at multiple months on the shelf. The earliest AEW fans can expect Ospreay back is mid-2026.