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Brock Lesnar’s return to World Wrestling Entertainment at the end of SummerSlam 2025 Night 2 likely wasn’t on many people’s bingo cards. Cody Rhodes had just received the ultimate rub, defeating John Cena in a 40 plus minute match that almost universally was praised. Cena got his flowers too; sharing a post match moment mid ring with Cody that had Cody on the verge of tears, followed by a moment alone in the middle of the proverbial squared circle while 60,000 plus in New Jersey said goodbye to the legend for the final time in their city. Both competitors had a happy ending here and true story telling success had been achieved.
But WWE opted for a hook instead of leaving us riding an emotional high to close the show. Music we hadn’t heard since SummerSlam 2023 blared and fans instantly knew: The Beast was back. 48 year old Brock Lesnar, once considered one of pro wrestling and MMA’s greatest stars, was on our screens again after a two year sabbatical. While this return certainly garnered a huge reaction from the live crowd, fans watching from home and all across social media have reacted much differently due to Lesnar’s association with the Janel Grant - Vince McMahon- WWE lawsuit. Let’s break down this extremely complicated story.
The Legal Side of Things
Clearly WWE and its parent company TKO are massive companies and behave in accordance to how their sponsors will feel. Vince McMahon was forced to resign when high profile sponsors such as Slim Jim pulled out in reaction to Vince’s alleged actions with Ms Grant. WWE and TKO have had Lesnar off TV and away from the company for 2 years. Whether Lesnar was held away because they were concerned that he would eventually be legally implicated, that it was a bad PR look or even if Lesnar himself wanted to step away, it’s clear that all parties involved feel like enough time has passed.
There’s clearly no way that WWE or TKO thinks that Lesnar is at risk of suffering any legal repercussions from the Janel Grant lawsuit or they wouldn’t have him back on TV. Say what you will about WWE as a company, but that’s not a gamble that they would take. Are there moral or ethical complexities at hand? Absolutely and we’ll look at those next. But purely in terms of the law, TKO’s lawyers have clearly determined that Lesnar is not in any legal jeopardy and that WWE is free to use him again, which they obviously did. To be clear, Lesnar has never been a defendant in the case and most likely, TKO’s lawyers don’t think he ever will be.
The Public Perception Side of Things
This is where things get more tricky. Most wrestling fans have seen or heard about at least some of the screenshotted evidence submitted by Janel Grant at this point. Brock Lesnar’s name has been attached to some horrendous alleged stories. While nothing has been settled in court yet, public opinion is very much a factor here. Bringing Lesnar back means that people are going to once again be thinking about the allegations made, news outlets are once again going to be talking about the allegations and questions can and will be asked by people who watch the company.
There’s an “ick factor” at play here and that’s perhaps the biggest risk for WWE here. Some fans never read about wrestling online and they might just be happy to see Lesnar back. Others, who perhaps frequent social media, might be turned off by the stories they’ve read or perhaps not let their children watch. At a time when ticket prices for WWE shows are increasing greatly, bringing back a superstar with considerable baggage attached to him during turbulent political and social times, is a questionable choice. Does WWE feel that Lesnar is that much of a draw to still be a net positive when compared to the stories he’s attached to?
The Actual Wrestling Part of the Story
Brock Lesnar is 48 years old and hasn’t wrestled in two years. While I’m sure that he’s got a few great matches left in him and certainly seems to be part of Cena’s farewell tour, what else do you do with Lesnar? Many online will want him to put over Gunther next year at WrestleMania but is Brock here to cement other stars' legacies? A major match with Cena before December, put over Gunther as wrestling’s next great monster and then what? Lesnar has never been in the habit of sticking around long so this could be a case of him wanting to earn a few big paychecks while he still can and work with Cena one last time. But if that’s all he’s here to do, then WWE must be really sure that the public perception of his return isn’t going to be a hindrance for them.
But there’s also an element of feeling like Vince McMahon’s WWE here. Vince always resorted to bringing back the big names from the past instead of making new ones. Sure, Cena vs Lesnar will sell tickets but why not put Bron Breaker in that spot instead and make him for life? If not Bron, there’s a whole roster of stars that could make good options too. WWE’s core group of stars are only getting older. While they are doing a better job of building the foundation for the future than they did under the old regime, this feels more like a missed opportunity (that comes with significant risk) more than it does a marquee matchup.
Finally, one has to wonder how the locker room feels about this. A week after WWE’s hugely successful Unreal premiered on Netflix where the women’s roster was rightfully spotlighted, Lesnar returns without any public doubt being lifted from the stories he’s allegedly attached to. It’s important not to jump to any conclusions here about how people might feel, but the question is absolutely one to ponder.
AEW
All across social media this morning, people are posting polarizing reactions to Lesnar’s return. There are happy fans and there are disgusted fans. There are WWE fans who are expressing interest in checking out the competition because bringing back Brock Lesnar does not align with their personal values or desires as a viewer. At the end of the day, fans have all the power. You make your feelings known with your wallet, your TV remote and what you click on. If there are fans who personally are bothered by WWE bringing Brock Lesnar back, then they should use the power they have to express that.
AEW has a chance to capitalize on this. Put on the best possible wrestling show Wednesday and try to appeal to new viewers. If Tony Khan gathers his trusted lieutenants in the company and asks them “How can we put on a show that will win over these fans who want good wrestling but don’t want to support WWE”, then things could get interesting quickly. It’s a golden opportunity for a company who seems to be on an upswing to begin with. Sure, AEW isn’t for everyone but for fans hungry for wrestling, they might bite. Hopefully Tony Khan’s competitive streak is showing fully this week. That’s the kind of pro wrestling drama we all enjoy. Dueling, high quality companies, vying for the hearts, minds and dollars of wrestling fans.
Andrew Grevas is the author of the upcoming book, “Horror in Haddonfield: Halloween’s Untold Stories” and can be found on Twitter and BlueSky under @AndrewGrevas
