Roxanne Perez is not hiding from the biggest possible challenge available to her in WWE’s women’s division. The former NXT Women’s Champion has said she wants a match with AJ Lee — and she does not simply want it to be a one-off dream encounter. Perez wants the opportunity to be Lee’s final opponent.
Speaking with MuscleManMalcolm, Perez was asked whether she could be the “something new” AJ Lee has indicated she would like to pursue in WWE. Perez immediately embraced the idea, then raised the stakes by stating that she would be happy to retire Lee herself.
“Yes, 100%, I would love to wrestle AJ Lee, and I would love to retire Miss AJ Lee. I would love to retire her.”
The comments place Perez squarely in the conversation for a potential marquee singles program should Lee make another WWE appearance. No Perez vs. Lee match has been announced, and there is no indication that a formal rivalry is currently planned. Still, Perez’s answer offers a direct and timely pitch for a bout that would carry obvious personal significance for her.
For more background on this topic, read Bronson Reed Targets WrestleMania After Transforming During Latest WWE Injury Layoff.
Perez sees an opening after AJ Lee’s WrestleMania 42 loss
AJ Lee’s most recent WWE in-ring appearance came at WrestleMania 42 earlier this year, where she lost to Becky Lynch. Perez questioned Lee’s absence since that defeat and suggested that, if Lee is considering one final return, she is ready to give the former Divas Champion a permanent reason to leave.
“Where is she? Where is she? Clearly she doesn’t want to be here. So if she wants to come [in] one more time, then I can actually give her a reason to not be here, okay?”
It is a pointed approach from Perez, whose on-screen work has increasingly called for confidence and confrontation. Rather than frame a potential match as a respectful meeting with one of her idols, Perez is presenting it as an opportunity to remove a major name from the landscape and claim a defining win in the process.
That distinction matters. A match with Lee would naturally have nostalgia attached to it because of Perez’s long-established admiration for both Lee and CM Punk. But Perez’s current stance is not one of a fan hoping to share a ring with a childhood favorite. It is the stance of a wrestler who believes she should be positioned as the next generation’s answer to an established star.
A full-circle match would carry major personal meaning
Perez has been open for years about her admiration for AJ Lee. Her connection to Lee is more than a passing appreciation for a wrestler from an earlier era; it has been a visible part of Perez’s story as she developed into a WWE performer. When Lee returned to WWE last year, Perez even recreated a photograph from her childhood in which she met the former Divas Champion.
That history gives the proposed matchup a ready-made emotional hook. Perez once met Lee as a young fan, later followed her path into professional wrestling, and is now talking about retiring her. It is the kind of arc WWE can present clearly without needing to manufacture a connection that does not already exist.
At the same time, Perez’s comments make clear that sentiment would not have to define the match. The personal history could establish why the bout matters, while Perez’s desire to retire Lee could fuel the rivalry itself. There is an inherent contrast between the young wrestler who openly looked up to Lee and the main-roster competitor insisting that admiration will not stop her from ending Lee’s career.
Lee’s return has so far kept her largely tied to Lynch in the ring. Perez, meanwhile, has been associated with Judgment Day during her main-roster run. Those separate paths mean Perez and Lee have not yet had an in-ring program together, despite the obvious connection between them outside the storyline setting.
Why a singles showcase could be important for Roxanne Perez
Perez has found success as a tag team wrestler since reaching WWE’s main roster, but she has yet to receive what could be viewed as her unquestioned signature singles moment at that level. A match with AJ Lee would immediately offer that kind of platform.
Lee remains one of the most recognizable figures associated with a pivotal period in WWE women’s wrestling. Her legacy, her distinct personality, and the continued interest around her appearances ensure that any major match involving her would bring heightened attention. For Perez, a victory over Lee would not just be another result. It would be a statement win over someone who influenced the path Perez took into the industry.
The retirement stipulation Perez is proposing would make the scenario even larger. Retirement matches are not ordinary contests, particularly when a performer has already stepped away from full-time competition. If Lee were to agree that a Perez match would be her last, WWE would have a built-in story about legacy, finality, and whether Perez can truly defeat someone she once idolized.
There is also room for the opposite possibility within that framework. Perez’s confidence could become the central issue: she may believe that Lee is no longer fully committed, while Lee could seek to prove that experience and instinct still matter when the stakes are highest. That is a potential direction, not an announced angle, but it illustrates why Perez’s challenge is more substantial than a simple wish-list match.
AJ Lee remains a compelling opponent for WWE’s newer generation
Lee’s stated interest in doing something new in WWE has naturally invited speculation about who could stand across the ring from her next. Perez is an especially logical candidate based on the history she has publicly shared, but WWE’s women’s roster has no shortage of possible matchups. What separates Perez is the clarity of her case: she has a personal link to Lee, a desire for a career-defining singles opportunity, and now a public challenge built around retirement.
For Lee, working with a younger talent such as Perez could also provide a different kind of program than her recent matches with Lynch. Perez represents a generation that grew up watching Lee and has since entered WWE with ambitions of becoming a leading figure herself. A rivalry between them could spotlight that generational shift directly.
It would also be notable because Perez does not appear interested in treating Lee delicately. Her comments about Lee not wanting to be around and her willingness to retire her “as soon as possible” establish the kind of edge needed for a serious television feud. Respect may be present behind the scenes, but Perez is already offering a character-based reason for the two to clash.
No match is official, but Perez has made her choice clear
For now, Perez vs. AJ Lee remains a possibility rather than a confirmed WWE plan. Lee has not announced a retirement match, and WWE has not revealed whether her next appearance will involve Perez. Her loss to Lynch at WrestleMania 42 remains the key point of reference for her latest in-ring activity.
But Perez has done everything she can to make her interest unmistakable. She wants AJ Lee back in the ring. She wants the match to be a major singles showcase. And, most importantly, she wants to be remembered as the wrestler who delivered Lee’s final WWE loss.
Should AJ Lee return looking for a fresh opponent and a meaningful final chapter, Roxanne Perez has already volunteered for the role. The former fan is now making a very different kind of promise: if Lee comes back one more time, Perez intends to make sure she does not stay.
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Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.