Brock Lesnar made a shocking return to WWE after a two-year absence by attacking John Cena at the end of SummerSlam 2025. Shortly after Cena lost the Undisputed WWE Championship to Cody Rhodes in the main event, Lesnar’s music hit and 'The Beast' launched a brutal assault on the veteran to reignite their famous rivalry. Interestingly, Lesnar's last appearance on WWE programming was at the same event in 2023, where he competed in a match against Cody Rhodes.
While the New Jersey crowd was excited about the former UFC Heavyweight champion's comeback, many questions remained unanswered. The last time Brock Lesnar's name was discussed within the company was during talks of permanently deleting him from the history books. While this did not happen, most were almost certain that the 48-year-old's return to the WWE was impossible.
Why WWE tried to bury Brock Lesner?
In 2024, Janel Grant, a former WWE employee, accused longtime WWE chairman and CEO Vince McMahon of sexual assault and sex trafficking. The lawsuit, filed on January 25 in Connecticut, reportedly accused McMahon of trafficking her to members of the WWE industry.
Grant claimed she was sexually assaulted by Vince multiple times. The evidence presented against the 78-year-old included multiple screenshots. Grant mentioned in the lawsuit that McMahon had her "create personalized sexual content for a WWE superstar that he was trying to re-sign." While the wrestler was not named in the initial lawsuit, he was described as both a UFC fighter and WWE talent. In February 2025, Grant amended the original lawsuit and named the superstar as Brock Lesnar. She added that Lesnar arrived for a "business dinner" that was supposed to turn sexual between them. However, they did not get intimate as he was "too intoxicated" after the dinner.
When Brock Lesnar signed a new contract with WWE, Grant alleged that McMahon texted her, stating, "that part of the deal was f*****g U." According to her, Vince McMahon shared her nude photos with Lesnar and many other men.
She had also claimed that McMahon allegedly gave Lesnar Grant's contact number. The superstar allegedly asked her to send a video of herself urinating before asking to "set a play date" in December 2021.
On damage control, WWE decided to erase Brock Lesnar from the company's opening intro video, hinting that "The Beast Incarnate" was unlikely to return to the industry.
So, what changed?
The reason for Brock Lesnar's return to the ring was explained by Triple H, Chief Content Officer (CCO) of WWE. The icon named one influential figure as the reason for the South Dakota star's return to the company: John Cena. According to reports, Triple H revealed that John Cena wanted Lesnar to be part of his retirement tour along with Randy Orton and CM Punk. In Triple H's words, Cena is writing the last chapter of his book, and a reunion with Lesnar ahead of December was on his wishlist.