Could World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) icon Brock Lesnar (49) still be in the ring? His gesture that seemed to hint at retirement turned out to be an unscripted action.
British outlet Sports Bible reported on the 22nd (Korea time) that Lesnar dropped a retirement bombshell. It seemed he declared his WWE retirement in a shocking way at Sunday's WrestleMania, but an insider provided a new update.
Lesnar faced 'The Ruler' OBA Femi (28) in the opening match at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, on the 20th. The match, held before a packed crowd, ended in just 4 minutes 42 seconds.
After being pushed out of the ring, Lesnar countered with three consecutive German suplexes and landed an F5 inside the ring. But Femi soon recovered and scored the biggest win of his career with a chokeslam and his finisher, 'Fall From Grace.'
An unexpected scene followed. The defeated Lesnar could not hold back tears and stayed in the ring for a while. He slowly rose to a seated position, placed his gloves and boots in the center of the ring, a moment that signified the end of his career.
Lesnar then embraced longtime friend and on-screen partner Paul Heyman warmly, turned, waved to the crowd and bid farewell. On the broadcast, fans could be heard shouting "Thank you, Lesnar" as he left the ring for what seemed to be the last time. Moreover, Lesnar did not appear on the Monday Night Raw scheduled for the next day.
Heyman also made remarks that seemed to confirm Lesnar's retirement. He said, "The so-called best production team put my beast in 'Now' while making 'Then, Now, Forever' and still won't accept the reality of what happened yesterday. So take him out of 'Now' and move him to 'Forever.' He is no longer 'Now' and will remain forever as the greatest presence to have stood in a WWE ring. That name is Brock Lesnar!"
Thus, Lesnar, who also competed as a heavyweight UFC fighter, appeared to be leaving as a 10-time WWE champion, two-time Royal Rumble winner and a true legend. He left an astonishing college wrestling record of two NJCAA All-America selections and 106 wins and 5 losses over four years, and it seemed he was closing the chapter on the WWE career he began in 2002.
However, WWE did not officially announce Lesnar's retirement. It was reported that Lesnar had not planned to retire at that event.
WWE chief content officer Triple H said the scene was completely unscripted. Lesnar's announcement was unexpected even within WWE, and he had originally been expected to retire at August's SummerSlam.
But Lesnar made an unscripted retirement declaration after making an X gesture following the match. Triple H suggested it was unlikely Lesnar would return to the ring, saying, "Lesnar is not the type to come backstage and have long conversations. He goes back very angry, heads to the bus, and that's it."
Of course, not everyone is convinced Lesnar is fully retired. Some fans later argued that Lesnar will have a real retirement ceremony at SummerSlam, which will be held in his hometown of Minneapolis later this year.
According to veteran reporter Dave Meltzer, there are those inside WWE who believe Lesnar has not yet fully retired. He said, "People inside WWE believe he hasn't retired yet, but there is a strong possibility he will retire sometime this year," and added, "Like the Seth Rollins case, everything could be proceeding secretly. Some people see it that way."
[Photo] ⓒGettyimages (unauthorized reproduction and redistribution prohibited), Give Me Sports.
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