Brock Lesnar Shocks with Impactful Return at SummerSlam
The wrestling world was shaken on Sunday night at SummerSlam, when Brock Lesnar made an unexpected return to WWE, just six months after being mentioned in a legal claim against the company and former executive Vince McMahon. Lesnar, 48 years old, last competed at SummerSlam 2023, where he suffered a defeat against Cody Rhodes at Ford Field in Detroit. His return came after the main event of the second night of SummerSlam, held at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. 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, in the middle of the ring, was cheered by the fans who chanted “Thank you, Cena!”. After kneeling and kissing his hand, he placed it on the mat, at which point Lesnar’s entrance music resonated, unleashing the euphoria of the public. Lesnar, finally, entered the ring and executed his final move, the “F-5”, on Cena, marking the end of the event. Lesnar, known as “The Beast Incarnate”, is recognized for his multiple achievements, including being an amateur wrestling champion at the University of Minnesota and his time in the UFC between 2008 and 2011. However, his fame was consolidated with his multiple championships in the WWE, where he was crowned seven-time world champion. Former WWE employee Janel Grant officially identified Lesnar in a filing on January 31st in the United States District Court, related to her lawsuit filed against WWE and McMahon in January 2024. Lesnar is not a defendant in the lawsuit. In a statement issued by McMahon’s attorney at the time, 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. 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. In addition, she 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, after Grant’s lawsuit was filed. WWE has attempted to avoid commenting 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. WWE’s Chief Content Officer, Paul Levesque, was not questioned about the lawsuit on Sunday night, but he did address Lesnar’s return.As expected, the proposed amended complaint 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 discussed the accusations against McMahon on the UK-based podcast “The Sports Agents”, which launched 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. 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 place 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’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
