Details on shocking return of Brock Lesnar

Brock Lesnar made a surprise return to WWE at the conclusion of SummerSlam 2025, delivering an F5 to John Cena following Cody Rhodes’ Undisputed WWE Title victory over the 17-time World Champion.

Lesnar’s return, which happened after a two-year absence, was wrapped in secrecy. According to a report from Fightful Select, even WWE’s production crew, writers, and producers were not informed prior to the show. Many backstage believed that the event’s climax would involve an appearance by Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson.

Originally, Lesnar’s return was planned for the 2024 Royal Rumble. However, those plans were cancelled after Lesnar’s name was linked to the Janel Grant lawsuit against Vince McMahon and WWE. Though at first Lesnar was not explicitly named in the legal filing, Grant referenced a wrestler who was a former UFC star, a connection later confirmed by The Wall Street Journal as Lesnar.

Grant accused McMahon of using her as a bargaining chip to secure Lesnar’s re-signing, with further allegations that Lesnar sought explicit videos from her, though no deal materialized at that time.

The lawsuit, filed in the US District Court in Connecticut, remains active, with the last update dated July 1. WWE and McMahon are seeking to move the proceedings to private arbitration, as per Grant’s agreement with McMahon, while Grant’s legal team is advocating for the case to remain in public court.

Lesnar has never been named as a defendant in the suit but continues to be cited in Grant’s allegations, and no changes have been made regarding the statements about him. WWE executives have stated that Lesnar is neither being prosecuted nor sued in relation to the case, but he has not been cleared of any wrongdoing either.

Lesnar’s return sets up a storyline with John Cena, who is scheduled to appear on the August 8th, 22nd, and 29th episodes of SmackDown, as well as at Clash In Paris on August 31.

Lesnar reportedly arrived at Teterboro airport and was brought to MetLife Stadium discreetly to keep the surprise.

Following SummerSlam (Night One), WWE discontinued the post-show media Q&A segments, fueling speculation that the decision was made to avoid questions regarding Lesnar’s situation in light of his return.