Roxanne Perez still hoping for AJ Lee WWE dream match

NXT Women’s Champion Roxanne Perez still hopes to face her idol AJ Lee one day.

Perez grew up as a huge AJ Lee fan and saw her as an inspiration. In a picture that’s since resurfaced on social media, Perez got emotional when meeting Lee outside of a WWE show when she was younger. Lee now considers Perez one of her wrestling “daughters.”

Facing Lee would be a dream match for Perez. And though it’s been nearly a decade since Lee retired from the ring, Perez is still hopeful that the match could happen. Perez told Pro Wrestling Illustrated that she’s had conversations with Lee’s husband CM Punk about trying to get her back in the ring.

“Definitely, yeah. I try,” Perez said. “But [Punk] tells me that he’s doing the same thing. He’s trying to get her to, like, come back, pulling her in. But I hope one day she decides to come back and have a match with me.”

Lee (AJ Mendez) stepped away from WWE in 2015 following a neck injury. She’s since built a career as a writer and has been focused on mental health advocacy. In 2021, Lee was named as an executive producer and color commentator for Women of Wrestling. She departed the promotion in 2023.

Perez is a two-time NXT Women’s Champion and will be making her next title defense against Thea Hail.