The WWE hoped to start the New Year with the return of three-time WWE Divas Champion AJ Lee, but her neck injury caused the company to switch up its plans.
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Wrestlingheadlines.com reports that there were plans to have Lee return on the Jan. 5 edition of Monday Night RAW as a surprise, but her neck injury led to her needing more time off.
Lee has been absent since the TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs (and stairs) event on Dec. 15 after Nikki Bella defeated her to retain the Divas Championship.
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The WWE had Bella spray Lee in the eyes with hairspray and "blinding" her to win the match. The finish was used to write Lee off so that she can heal up her injuries.
There were rumors around the Survivor Series in November and the TLC event last month that Lee was looking to get out of the company for good, but there are plans for her to return to the ring later this month.
Lee is expected to return to in-ring action on Royal Rumble weekend as she is slated for live events in New Jersey and could very well appear at the event itself on Jan. 25 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.
There have been rumors that there is heat on Lee backstage for her being by her husband CM Punk's side when he signed with UFC last month at UFC 181.
Punk walked out on the WWE last year and then blasted the organization on Colt Cabana's Art of Wrestling podcast before signing with UFC. His first fight is expected to be in about six months in late 2015.
Lee was by Punks side in Las Vegas and she also had a controversial speech at last month's Slammy Awards edition of RAW where she blasted the Divas. The acceptance speech put her in the doghouse with the company.
Though Punk left the WWE about a year ago, Lee has remained with the company despite her ties to him.
Lee took time off from April-June to move in with Punk and the two tied the knot over the summer. Lee then returned on the final RAW of June 2014 in a surprising comeback and won the Divas Championship from Paige before eventually dropping it to Bella.
Punk said on his podcast that he received his termination papers in the mail from the WWE on his wedding day.
There were rumors when Lee took time off again that she was looking to get pregnant and have a child with Punk, but she refuted the speculation on Twitter noting that she likes her abs too much and was healing an injury.
While there have been reports that some officials in the WWE are upset with her, Lee is expected to be back very soon.
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