AJ Styles believes Brock Lesnar‘s retirement following WWE SummerSlam 2026 is legitimate, pointing towards the significance of ending his career in Minnesota rather than at WrestleMania.
Brock Lesnar announced his retirement after losing to Oba Femi at SummerSlam night one, which took place in Minneapolis on August 1. However, some fans have questioned whether the former WWE Champion is genuinely finished with in-ring competition.
Speaking on The AJ Styles Show, Styles, who also retired from wrestling earlier this year, discussed Lesnar’s decision to finish his career close to home rather than waiting for WrestleMania 43.
“I think he knew that he was coming back to Mini [Minneapolis, the home of SummerSlam 2026 and Lesnar’s hometown]. I think he was like, this is where I’d like to end it. And everybody expects it at WrestleMania because that’s mostly where everybody does it.”
Styles joked that Lesnar had followed his example by choosing not to have his final match at WrestleMania. He added that, if placed in the same position, he would understand wanting to end his career in his home state.
“Brock copied me because I didn’t do it at WrestleMania. I think that they knew what was going on. I could be wrong about this, but if it were me, I would definitely want to take the opportunity to be done in my home state. So, I get that.”
Brock Lesnar’s Retirement Came After A Three-Match Feud With Oba Femi
Brock Lesnar’s retirement came after he was defeated by Oba Femi inside Hell in a Cell in the SummerSlam night one main event. Following the match, Lesnar returned to the ring and raised Femi’s hand, telling the crowd that the younger star represented the future while he was the past.
Nevertheless, some scepticism has surrounded Lesnar’s announcement because of his previous retirement tease.
After losing to Femi at WrestleMania 42 Night Two on April 19, Lesnar left his gloves and boots in the ring in what was widely interpreted as a retirement gesture. He ultimately returned the following month, attacking Femi on Raw before continuing their rivalry.
When formally announcing his retirement following SummerSlam, Lesnar acknowledged that he had initially believed WrestleMania could be the end of his career. However, he said he ultimately felt he still had some gas left in the tank before deciding it was time to step away.
Styles cannot say definitively whether Lesnar will remain retired, but he believes the opportunity to finish his career in Minnesota gives SummerSlam a logical reason to be his final WWE match.
