Brock Lesnar Announces Retirement Following Loss To Oba Femi At WWE SummerSlam
At WrestleMania 42, Brock Lesnar lost to Oba Femi, took off his gloves and his shoes, and waved goodbye to the WWE Universe. Lesnar then seemingly went back on the moment by returning to WWE to defeat Oba Femi at Clash In Italy. Lesnar lost the rubber match on Saturday, and once again seemed to say goodbye to WWE. On the latest edition of "The Pat McAfee Show," Lesnar confirmed that he is once-and-for-all retired from professional wrestling.
"I'm here today...to let the world and everybody know that I am retired," Lesnar said in an interview with McAfee. "I want to say a big thank you to everybody. Saturday was a very emotional day for me."
Lesnar was also quick to address his initial posturing at WrestleMania.
"When Oba Femi slammed me at WrestleMania, I was like 'I can't do this again. I think I'm done,'" Lesnar chuckled, before admitting that he found some extra "fuel in the tank" after the loss. "But Saturday, for Brock Lesnar, that's it. That's it for me in the squared circle...I just want to give a shoutout to everybody [in] this universe that's followed me...I was just a farm kid from South Dakota, with a big dream, and a big heart, and a big ass chip on my shoulder."
Lesnar went on to thank God for his success in pro wrestling and life. Lesnar joined the company as an NCAA star in 2002, before leaving in 2004 to pursue a career with the Minnesota Vikings that did not pan out. Lesnar then went on to success in UFC, where he won the Heavyweight Championship, before returning to WWE in 2012. In the 14 years since his return, he ended The Undertaker's WrestleMania winning streak, and held the WWE Universal Championship for 504 days, which stood as a record until Roman Reigns's 1,316-day reign a few years later.
The announcement comes at the end of a controversial period for the former WWE Champion. Lesnar was the subject of horrific allegations by former WWE employee Janel Grant, who named Lesnar in a lawsuit against Vince McMahon, John Laurinaitis, and others, which was recently ordered closed by a judge.