Cody Rhodes reclaimed the WWE Undisputed Championship to close out SummerSlam 2025. But that will not be the talking point coming out of the show. Before John Cena could leave the ring, Brock Lesnar’s music hit, and the former WWE and UFC Champion made his return to the ring.
Michael Cole dropped a line that “Hell froze over,” and that was quite the understatement. Brock Lesnar’s return comes nearly two years to the date since his last appearance in the company. What was he returning from? Not injury. Not a return to the UFC. His departure was due to being named in Janel Grant’s lawsuit against Vince McMahon and the WWE. This was a major moment, not only for what it means on television, but for the stance it shows WWE is taking when it comes to serious situations such as this.
Initially, Brock Lesnar was hinted at in Janel Grant’s first lawsuit filing. He was described as a former UFC Champion in the official document. That would be updated later when Lesnar was cited by name in the additional filings. When the news first broke in January 2024, Lesnar was swiftly removed from plans and not mentioned on television. WWE even went out of its way to remove him as a playable character in the upcoming WWE 2k25 video game. These steps were taken due to Lesnar being a part of the active litigation against the company and McMahon.
Brock Lesnar’s return to WWE is beyond problematic
August 3 is going to be an interesting day in the history of WWE. Is this the moment that some of the company’s biggest critics completely wash their hands of the promotion? Will the fans who fight for the company against every critique take this day as a show of “victory” against the “haters?” Both will occur, but this return shows a deeper flaw that has quickly taken over the promotion in the last few years.
Before Night One kicked off, news broke that WWE would no longer hold press conferences after PLEs and major events. The space for media members to ask questions was taken away, solely to avoid questions about this moment. WWE, Triple H, and its in-ring performers would all face questions about his return and the allegations that stand against him. Instead of facing those questions, WWE pulled the plug on press conferences, effectively killing the opportunity to face any type of immediate backlash.
There’s so much to unpack with Brock Lesnar’s return. None of it involves the possibility of big matches or viral moments. Instead, all focus should be on the serious nature of the allegations standing against him in the Janel Grant lawsuit against Vince McMahon and the WWE. That’s a matter that can’t be ignored, no matter how hard WWE tries.