Brock Lesnar Shocks with WWE Return at SummerSlam
In an unexpected turn of events, Brock Lesnar made his shocking return to WWE last Sunday at SummerSlam, just six months after being mentioned in a lawsuit filed against the company and former executive Vince McMahon. Lesnar’s last appearance in the ring was at SummerSlam 2023, where he suffered a defeat against Cody Rhodes at Ford Field in Detroit. The wrestler’s return occurred at the end of the main event of the second night of SummerSlam, held at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Cody Rhodes regained the Undisputed WWE Championship in a “street fight” against John Cena, who has announced his retirement as an active wrestler after this year. Cena, alone in the center of the ring, received chants of gratitude from the fans. After kneeling and kissing his hand, he placed it on the canvas. It was then that Lesnar’s entrance music resonated, unleashing the euphoria of the public. Lesnar entered the ring and executed his characteristic “F-5” on Cena, marking the end of the show. Brock Lesnar, recognized for his career in collegiate amateur wrestling and in the UFC, is widely known for his multiple championships in WWE, where he held the world title seven times, being known as “The Beast Incarnate”. Janel Grant, a former WWE employee, officially identified Lesnar in a filing on January 31st in the United States District Court, in relation to a lawsuit filed against WWE and McMahon in January 2024. Lesnar is not a defendant in this lawsuit. In a statement issued at the time by McMahon’s attorney, the amended lawsuit was called a “publicity stunt”.Grant, who worked in the company’s legal and talent departments, alleges that McMahon forced her to have a sexual relationship to keep her job. In addition, she claims that McMahon demanded she create “personalized sexual content” for Lesnar in July 2021, at a time when McMahon was trying to keep Lesnar under contract with WWE. Grant also alleges that McMahon sent Lesnar to Connecticut in 2021 for a sexual encounter, which ultimately did not happen. McMahon resigned in January 2024 as executive chairman of the board of directors of TKO Group, the parent company of WWE, following the filing of Grant’s lawsuit. WWE has chosen not to comment on the ongoing litigation. There were no press conferences after SummerSlam, as WWE opted for its wrestlers to speak exclusively on the post-event show instead of answering questions from journalists. Paul Levesque, WWE’s Chief Content Officer, was not questioned about the lawsuit on Sunday night, but he did address Lesnar’s return.As expected, the proposed amended lawsuit is nothing more than the latest publicity stunt in an ongoing smear campaign. It is filled with desperate falsehoods from a team that continues to ignore the law and the truth.
Jessica Rosenberg, McMahon’s lawyer
Levesque also spoke about the accusations against McMahon on the UK-based “The Sports Agents” podcast, which was released on Friday.If there had been a roof on this place, it wouldn’t be here anymore. The dynamic in the room changes when the Beast is here. Anything you thought was happening, it all goes out the window. The Brock factor changes everything incredibly and makes it unpredictable. It’s incredible to have him back.
Paul Levesque
“My job is to present the best creative product that WWE can make. Fortunately and happily, it has been successful. The business is in a good moment right now and continues to grow.”All we can do is move forward, for us as a company and creatively. The accusations are accusations, right? It’s a complicated relationship for anyone in life. Nobody is perfect. But accusations are made and that is something totally legal that is totally separate and apart from what we do.
Paul Levesque
