Dave Meltzer: The Plan Was Always For Brock Lesnar To Retire At WWE SummerSlam 2026

Following his loss to Oba Femi at WWE WrestleMania 42, Brock Lesnar seemingly signaled his retirement by leaving his gloves and shoes behind in the ring. Lesnar's actual sendoff didn't come until this past week, however, as the former WWE Champion suffered defeat from Femi once more, then formally declared himself as retired from in-ring competition in the aftermath of SummerSlam.

According to Dave Meltzer of "Wrestling Observer Radio," WWE had long penciled in Lesnar's farewell around the 2026 SummerSlam premium live event. "Well, I mean, that was always the plan, for him to retire after SummerSlam this year," Meltzer said. "Now, the idea will he never come back? It's a pro wrestler retiring. I mean, the way they did everything on TV on Monday, I thought, 'Oh, they're going to retire him and he'll come back at some point.' They left the door open."

Chatter of Lesnar's exit from the squared circle initially arose last December when his former rival John Cena suggested that Minnesota, Lesnar's adopted homestate, would be the ideal place for him to permanently hang up his boots. Follow-up reports then indicated that WWE made tentative plans for "The Beast" to do as such at some point in 2026.

Before a thunderous crowd in Minneapolis, Lesnar took on Femi in a main event Hell in a Cell Match on SummerSlam Saturday. "The Ruler" emerged victorious in the caged structure after dropping Lesnar with a Fall From Grace. As a sign of respect, Lesnar raised Femi's arm, then proclaimed him as the future of WWE.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Wrestling Observer Radio" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.