Brock Lesnar‘s retirement following SummerSlam was reportedly part of WWE’s long-term plans.
According to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, WWE had been planning for Brock Lesnar to end his in-ring career after SummerSlam 2026, where he was defeated by Oba Femi in the Hell in a Cell main event of night one.
“That was always the plan, for him to retire after SummerSlam this year.”
Despite Lesnar’s emotional farewell on WWE television, Meltzer believes the company intentionally left the door open for a future return.
“It’s a pro wrestler retiring. The way they did everything on TV on Monday, I thought, ‘Oh, they’re going to retire him and he’ll come back at some point.’ They left the door open.”
Speculation surrounding Lesnar’s retirement has been building for several months. Last December, John Cena suggested that Minneapolis, Lesnar’s adopted home state, would be the ideal location for his farewell, with subsequent reports indicating WWE was targeting a retirement match in 2026.
Brock Lesnar Seemingly Retired At WrestleMania 42
Brock Lesnar first hinted that the end of his career was approaching after losing to Oba Femi at WrestleMania 42, when he left his boots and gloves in the ring. However, he returned to the ring at Clash in Italy before receiving an official send-off following his SummerSlam defeat.
After overcoming Lesnar inside Hell in a Cell, Femi was endorsed by the former WWE Champion, who raised his opponent’s arm and declared him to be the future of WWE before announcing his retirement.
