Brock Lesnar Isn’t Truly Retired Until This Happens

Night one of WWE SummerSlam was main evented not by CM Punk vs Cody Rhodes, but the Hell in a Cell battle between Brock Lesnar and Oba Femi. Part of the intrigue was about the incredible rise of the Ruler. Much of the intrigue, though, was about seeing Lesnar compete in his home state of Minnesota for what could be the last time. On August 4, the Beast officially retired in an interview with Pat McAfee. As we all know though, few wrestlers truly stay retired. You can bet that the Saudi government will offer Brock millions to compete at WrestleMania 43 in Riyadh next year. Will he actually do it?

Brock Lesnar Had a Fitting Farewell Against Oba Femi at SummerSlam

• It looked like Brock Lesnar’s WWE career was over after the Janel Grant allegations.
• Oba Femi beat Lesnar at WrestleMania 42 before the Beast got revenge at Clash in Italy.
• At SummerSlam, Lesnar hugged Femi, calling the new star the future and himself the past.

After the Janel Grant allegations, it looked like Brock Lesnar’s WWE career was over. He disappeared from the ring for a few years and wasn’t even mentioned by the company. However, with TKO in charge, controversy doesn’t mean they won’t work with someone. Just a week ago, they had boxer Ryan Garcia on Raw. If you’re familiar with him, take a minute to look up what he’s said and done in the past.

Crowds still responded to Lesnar after his return but it wasn’t the same. Brock was as jacked as ever, yett the aura was gone. It was saved by Oba Femi. When he answered the Beast’s WrestleMania 42 challenge, the roof came off the building. Suddenly, Lesnar vs. Femi was the most anticipated match of the biggest show of the year. At WrestleMania, the Ruler slayed the Beast. Afterward, Lesnar took off his gloves and hugged Paul Heyman. It came off as a retirement, yet not a legit one. Fans knew he’d be back.

Lesnar did indeed return, getting revenge on Femi at Clash in Italy, before losing the third match at SummerSlam. Afterward, in his home state, Brock told the audience he was the past and Oba was the future before waving goodbye. That wasn’t necessarily a retirement speech though.

Brock Lesnar Retired For a Second Time on ‘The Pat McAfee Show’

• A Fightful Select report said that sources didn’t think Lesnar was retiring yet.
• Lesnar’s WWE website profile was moved to the alumni section.
• Lesnar claimed that he wanted to retire after losing to Femi at WrestleMania 42.

There have been conflicting reports recently about Brock Lesnar’s WWE future. Ahead of SummerSlam, Fightful Select reported:

Sources have told WrestleVotes Radio that the feeling within WWE is that the Hell In A Cell match against Oba Femi at SummerSlam is not expected to be the final match of Brock Lesnar’s career.

One source said that they’d be surprised if Lesnar didn’t step away from television for a while before resurfacing in time for WrestleMania 43 in Saudi Arabia.

Following SummerSlam, Brock Lesnar’s WWE website profile was moved to the alumni section for retired and former superstars. There was no need for concern there. More than once, WWE has done this with other talent for storyline purposes. Today, however, on The Pat McAfee Show, Lesnar seemed to slam the door shut on his wrestling future by bluntly saying:

“I’m here today to let the world know [that] I am retired. Saturday was a very emotional day for me. It was kind of weird. When Oba Femi slammed me at WrestleMania, I said, ‘I can’t do this anymore. I think I’m done.’ But the business [called], and I still had some fuel in the tank.

“Saturday, for Brock Lesnar, that’s it. That’s it for me in the squared circle and everything else.” (h/t ESPN)

The Beast Will Be Tempted to Return to the Ring at WrestleMania 43

• Many wrestlers have come out of retirement over the decades
• The Saudi government will be willing to pay big money to veterans like Steve Austin and The Rock.
• There is no wrestler who can match what Oba Femi meant to Lesnar in his home state.

You can’t get more clear than that. Brock Lesnar uttered the word “retired” himself. Still, many fans aren’t buying it. Are we truly to believe that he was going to retire after WrestleMania 42 but got convinced to wrestle two more times? And wrestlers retire all the time, only to come back. Sure, some do stay gone forever. We’d be shocked if John Cena or Batista ever returned to the ring, and AJ Styles said he’d only ever return for a tag team match with his son. But how many do get back in the squared circle because they can’t let go of the spotlight?

Brock Lesnar had the perfect retirement, doing so in his home state against WWE’s next big thing. He won’t be truly retired, though, until next April. That’s when WrestleMania 43 takes place in Riyadh. You can bet that the Saudis will back up a Brinks truck to the homes of veterans like The Rock and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. They’ll be eyeing Lesnar too. He could be tempted, but if he gives in, it’s a huge mistake. For one, it means Brock retires three times, making his words meaningless. More importantly, just who he could possibly face? It won’t be Oba again, who should be busy facing Roman Reigns. That leaves the OTC out as well. It can’t be Cena. So who? Does Brock take a massive paycheck for SaudiMania to face someone like Cody Rhodes again, or a newer star like Trick Williams? Maybe the Saudis will push for Rock vs. Brock one last time, 25 years after their SummerSlam main event. Whoever it is, it will be a letdown.

Maybe Brock Lesnar truly is retired. Chances are that it’s not a storyline and he does mean it. As fans, we won’t be able to let go of the possibility of a comeback until April 2027. If the Beast isn’t part of WrestleMania 43, then an all-time legend really is gone forever.