Brock Lesnar Surprises with His WWE Return at SummerSlam
The wrestling world was shaken on Sunday night at SummerSlam with the unexpected return of Brock Lesnar to WWE. This return marks a significant milestone, occurring just six months after his name was mentioned in a lawsuit filed against the company and former executive Vince McMahon. Lesnar, known as “The Beast Incarnate”, made his last appearance at SummerSlam 2023, where he was defeated by Cody Rhodes at Ford Field in Detroit. His return on Sunday came after the main event of the second night of SummerSlam, held at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Cody Rhodes was crowned the undisputed WWE champion in a “street fight” against John Cena, who has announced his retirement as an active wrestler after this year. Cena, in the middle of the ring, received an ovation from the audience, who chanted his name. After kneeling and kissing the ground, Lesnar’s music resonated in the stadium, unleashing euphoria. Lesnar entered the ring and executed his final move, the “F-5”, on Cena, ending the event. Lesnar, with an impressive record in collegiate amateur wrestling and in the UFC (2008-2011), is recognized for his multiple world championships in WWE. The lawsuit filed by Janel Grant, a former WWE employee, in January 2024, involves Lesnar. 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. According to the lawsuit, McMahon demanded that she create “personalized sexual content” for Lesnar in July 2021, while trying to keep Lesnar under contract with WWE. It is also alleged that McMahon sent Lesnar to Connecticut in 2021 for a sexual encounter, which ultimately did not materialize. 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 maintained a low profile regarding comments on the ongoing litigation. No press conferences were held after SummerSlam, opting for the wrestlers to speak exclusively on the post-event show. Paul Levesque, WWE’s Chief Content Officer, did not address the lawsuit directly on Sunday night, but he did talk about Lesnar’s return.Levesque also commented on the accusations against McMahon on the UK podcast “The Sports Agents”, which was published on Friday.If there had been a roof on this place, I wouldn’t be here anymore. The dynamic in the room changes when the Beast is here. Anything you thought was going to happen, goes out the window. The Brock factor changes everything incredibly and makes it unpredictable. It’s incredible to have him back.
Paul Levesque
Information about Grant’s lawsuit, where Lesnar is mentioned, is available.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’s perfect. But accusations are made and that’s a complete legal matter that is totally separate and apart from what we do.
Paul Levesque
