Brock Edward Lesnar ( ; born July 12, 1977) is an American professional wrestler, former mixed martial artist, amateur wrestler and professional American football player. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on a part-time basis. Lesnar had two previous tenures with the company from 2000 to 2004 and 2012 to 2020. Lesnar is the only person to have won the primary heavyweight championships of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), the Inoki Genome Federation (IGF), and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
Lesnar competed in collegiate wrestling for the University of Minnesota, winning the NCAA Division I national championship in 2000. He soon signed with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, renamed WWE in 2002), rising to industry prominence in mid-2002 by winning the WWE Championship at age 25, setting the record for the youngest performer to win the championship. In 2004, Lesnar departed WWE to join the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL), but was cut from the team during pre-season. He returned to wrestling and signed with NJPW in 2005 where he won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. Lesnar later departed NJPW and continued to be promoted as the IWGP Heavyweight Champion in the IGF before taking a hiatus from wrestling to pursue a career in mixed martial arts (MMA). Years later in 2012, he re-signed with WWE; his 504-day first reign with the WWE Universal Championship is the seventh-longest world championship reign in the promotion's history and he holds the record for most reigns as Universal Champion at three. He also won the Royal Rumble match twice (2003 and 2022), the Money in the Bank ladder match (2019), the King of the Ring tournament (2002), and ended The Undertaker's undefeated WrestleMania streak in 2014.
Lesnar began his MMA career for Hero's in 2007, and signed with the UFC in 2008. He quickly won the UFC Heavyweight Championship, but was sidelined with diverticulitis in 2009. On his return in 2010, Lesnar defeated Interim UFC Heavyweight Champion Shane Carwin to unify the heavyweight championships and become the undisputed UFC Heavyweight Champion. After a couple of losses and further struggles with diverticulitis, Lesnar retired from MMA in 2011. He returned at UFC 200 in 2016 to defeat Mark Hunt, but his victory was overturned to a no-contest after he tested positive for a banned substance on UFC's anti-doping policy. He then retired from MMA for the second time in 2017. A box office sensation, he competed in some of the bestselling pay-per-view events in promotion history, including headlining UFC 91, UFC 100, UFC 116 and UFC 121. He also co-headlined UFC 200, briefly being the main headliner before that spot was given to Amanda Nunes vs. Miesha Tate.
Early life
Brock Edward Lesnar was born in Webster, South Dakota, on July 12, 1977, the son of Stephanie and Richard Lesnar. and grew up on his parents' dairy farm in Webster. He has two older brothers named Troy and Chad, and a younger sister named Brandi. He was discharged after failing a computer typing test and later worked for a construction company. He then went to Bismarck State College where in 1997, his freshman year, he placed 5th in the 275 lb. division of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). In 1998, his sophomore year, he won the 275 lb championship. After two years at Bismarck State College, Lesnar transferred to the University of Minnesota on a wrestling scholarship, where he was roommates with future WWE colleague Shelton Benjamin, who was also his assistant coach.
Professional wrestling career
World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Entertainment (2000–2004)
Ohio Valley Wrestling (2000–2002)
In 2000, Lesnar signed a developmental contract with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and was assigned to its Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) territory. There, Lesnar met Paul Heyman, who would later become his on-screen manager. Under the direction of OVW booker Jim Cornette, Lesnar was paired with his former University of Minnesota teammate Shelton Benjamin. Competing as the Minnesota Stretching Crew, the duo held the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship three times. Heyman began referring to Lesnar as "The Next Big Thing," a nickname that would be integrated into Lesnar's character presentation. During the WWF's 2002 brand extension, Lesnar was initially assigned to the Raw roster.
Lesnar was quickly featured in a storyline feud with the Hardy Boyz. At Backlash on April 21, he had his first televised match, defeating Jeff Hardy via referee stoppage. The following night, he secured a similar victory over Matt Hardy on Raw. Although he and Shawn Stasiak lost to the Hardy Boyz at Insurrextion on May 4, Lesnar and Heyman scored a win over them at Judgment Day on May 19, held shortly after the company transitioned from WWF to WWE. In June, Lesnar won the 2002 King of the Ring tournament, defeating Rob Van Dam in the finals at King of the Ring on June 23. As part of the tournament's stipulations, the win earned him a WWE Undisputed Championship match at SummerSlam on August 25. Leading into the event, he lost to Van Dam by disqualification at Vengeance on July 21 in a match for the Intercontinental Championship. On July 22, Lesnar was moved to the SmackDown brand, where he continued to be positioned as a dominant competitor. On the August 8 episode of SmackDown!, he became the second wrestler to defeat Hulk Hogan via submission.
At SummerSlam, Lesnar defeated The Rock to capture the WWE Undisputed Championship, becoming the youngest WWE Champion at age 25. His win also marked one of the fastest title ascensions in company history, reaching the top championship 126 days after his televised debut. Following his victory, storyline authority figures divided the championship between brands, with Lesnar declared exclusive to SmackDown and Raw introducing the World Heavyweight Championship. The WWE Undisputed Championship was subsequently renamed the WWE Championship.
Lesnar's initial title reign included rivalries with The Undertaker, and Big Show. He retained the championship against The Undertaker via double disqualification at Unforgiven on September 22, and in a Hell in a Cell match at No Mercy on October 20, but lost the title to Big Show at Survivor Series on November 17 following interference from Heyman, in a storyline betrayal that marked Lesnar's first televised pinfall loss and his transition to a fan-favorite character. At the Royal Rumble on January 19, 2003, Lesnar defeated Big Show to enter the Royal Rumble match, which he won by last eliminating The Undertaker, earning a title shot at WrestleMania XIX on March 30. He faced Big Show again on the June 12 episode of SmackDown!, during which a superplex by Lesnar caused the ring to collapse.
Angle returned later in the year, leading to a feud with Lesnar. The rivalry culminated at Vengeance on July 27, where Lesnar lost the WWE Championship to Angle in a triple threat match also involving Big Show. Lesnar turned heel shortly after, aligning himself with Vince McMahon. He failed to regain the title at SummerSlam on August 24, but defeated Angle in a 60-minute iron man match on the September 18 episode of SmackDown!, winning five falls to four to reclaim the championship.
Lesnar's third WWE Championship reign included successful title defenses against challengers such as Chris Benoit and The Undertaker, the latter in a Biker Chain match at No Mercy on October 19. At Survivor Series on November 16, Lesnar captained a team in a traditional elimination tag team match against a team led by Kurt Angle, which Lesnar's team lost. The rivalry with Goldberg escalated when Lesnar interfered in the Royal Rumble match, costing Goldberg a chance at victory.
Lesnar faced Goldberg at WrestleMania XX on March 14, with Stone Cold Steve Austin serving as special guest referee. The match was met with a hostile crowd response, as both men were widely reported to be leaving the company. Goldberg won the bout, and both he and Lesnar were given Stone Cold Stunners afterward. Lesnar used the name The Verdict for his finishing move—previously known as the F-5—as a reference to ongoing legal disputes with WWE, who unsuccessfully sought to prevent him from competing in sports and entertainment elsewhere.
Lesnar defended the IWGP title against several opponents, including Shinsuke Nakamura at the January 4, 2006 Tokyo Dome event, Akebono in March, and Giant Bernard in May. However, in July 2006, NJPW stripped Lesnar of the championship, citing visa issues that prevented him from returning to defend it. Despite this, Lesnar retained physical possession of the belt for nearly a year.
On June 29, 2007, Lesnar lost the IWGP title to TNA World Heavyweight Champion Kurt Angle at the debut event of the Inoki Genome Federation (IGF). This marked Lesnar's final professional wrestling match until his return to WWE in 2012.
Return to WWE (2012–2020)
Return and ending The Streak (2012–2014)
thumb|upright|Lesnar broke The Undertaker's undefeated WrestleMania streak in 2014.
Lesnar returned to WWE on the April 2, 2012, episode of Raw, confronting John Cena and reestablishing himself as a heel. He was presented as a destructive force brought in to "legitimize" WWE, leading to a match against Cena at Extreme Rules on April 29, where Lesnar was defeated despite dominating much of the contest.
Shortly afterward, Lesnar entered a storyline dispute with WWE COO Triple H over contractual demands, leading to a physical altercation that resulted in a kayfabe arm injury to Triple H. Paul Heyman returned as Lesnar's legal representative, escalating the angle with a lawsuit and Lesnar's declared departure. The feud culminated at SummerSlam on August 19, where Lesnar defeated Triple H by submission. The following night on Raw, it was announced that Lesnar had seemingly quit WWE.
He returned on the January 28, 2013, episode of Raw, attacking WWE chairman Vince McMahon, resulting in a scripted pelvic injury. A confrontation with Triple H reignited their rivalry, leading to a match at WrestleMania 29 on April 7, where Lesnar was defeated in a No Holds Barred match with Triple H's career at stake. The feud concluded at Extreme Rules on May 19, where Lesnar won their final encounter inside a steel cage.
In mid-2013, Lesnar began a feud with CM Punk after attacking him on the June 17 episode of Raw, following tension between Punk and Paul Heyman. After Heyman turned on Punk at Money in the Bank on July 14, the rivalry escalated, leading to a no disqualification match at SummerSlam on August 18, where Lesnar defeated Punk.
Lesnar returned on the December 30 episode of Raw, positioning himself as a contender for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. After attacking Mark Henry and engaging in a brief feud with Big Show, which ended in a dominant win at the Royal Rumble on January 26, 2014, Lesnar was granted an open contract for a match at WrestleMania XXX on April 6. On the February 24 episode of Raw, The Undertaker returned and accepted the challenge, setting up their match for the event. At WrestleMania, Lesnar defeated The Undertaker, ending his 21–0 undefeated streak. The result received widespread media attention and is often cited as one of the most shocking moments in WWE history.
WWE World Heavyweight Champion (2014–2015)
thumb|upright|Lesnar defending his WWE World Heavyweight Championship against Cena at Night of Champions in September 2014
At SummerSlam on August 17, Lesnar defeated John Cena to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in dominant fashion, delivering sixteen suplex<nowiki/>es and two F-5s with little offense from Cena. In their rematch at Night of Champions, Lesnar retained the title after Seth Rollins interfered, causing a disqualification. Rollins later aligned with The Authority and was added to Lesnar and Cena's title match at the Royal Rumble on January 25, 2015, which Lesnar won.
Lesnar's next challenger was Roman Reigns, who won the Royal Rumble match to earn a title shot at WrestleMania 31 on March 29. During their match at the WrestleMania main event, Lesnar dominated early and famously uttered "Suplex City, bitch!", which evolved into a popular catchphrase. Midway through the bout, Rollins cashed in his Money in the Bank contract, turning it into a triple threat. Rollins pinned Reigns to win the title. The following night on Raw, Lesnar attempted to invoke his rematch clause but attacked announcers and a cameraman after being denied, leading to a storyline suspension.
Lesnar returned on the June 15 episode of Raw and was named the number one contender for Rollins's title at Battleground on July 19. On July 4, he appeared at WWE's The Beast in the East special in Tokyo, defeating Kofi Kingston. At Battleground, Lesnar appeared poised to win the title before The Undertaker interfered, resulting in a disqualification and continuing their unresolved feud.
Suplex City (2015–2016)
thumb|left|Lesnar and [[Dean Ambrose during their match at WrestleMania 32]]
The following night on Raw, The Undertaker explained that he had attacked Lesnar not for ending his WrestleMania streak, but rather for Lesnar allowing Heyman to constantly taunt him about it, which led to the two brawling throughout the arena and a WrestleMania rematch being scheduled for SummerSlam on August 23, where The Undertaker controversially defeated Lesnar. The timekeeper rang the bell as The Undertaker had supposedly submitted to Lesnar's Kimura lock, though the referee had not seen any submission. In the ensuing confusion, The Undertaker hit Lesnar with a low blow and applied his Hell's Gate submission hold, in which Lesnar passed out. The following night on Raw, Lesnar and Heyman challenged The Undertaker to an immediate rematch, only to be confronted by Bo Dallas (who mocked Lesnar about his defeat); Lesnar responded with five German suplexes and an F-5.
At Hell in a Cell on October 25, Lesnar defeated The Undertaker in a Hell in a Cell match after a low blow and F-5 onto the exposed ring floor, ending their feud. The match was later voted "Match of the Year" during the 2015 Slammy Awards.
On the January 11, 2016, episode of Raw, Lesnar returned, attacking The New Day, The League of Nations (Sheamus, King Barrett, Rusev and Alberto Del Rio) and Kevin Owens, before performing an F-5 on Roman Reigns. The following week on Raw, he brawled with Reigns until they were attacked by The Wyatt Family. At the Royal Rumble on January 24, Lesnar was the 23rd entrant, eliminating Jack Swagger and The Wyatt Family minus Bray Wyatt before being eliminated by the Wyatt Family members he had eliminated first. He later defeated Wyatt and Luke Harper in a two-on-one handicap at the Road Block pay-per-view event. At Fastlane on February 21, Lesnar lost a triple threat match for a WWE World Heavyweight Championship opportunity at WrestleMania 32, where Reigns pinned Dean Ambrose. The following night on Raw, Lesnar attacked Ambrose in the parking lot as he was arriving at the arena. A No Holds Barred Street Fight match was set between them at WrestleMania 32 on April 3, which Lesnar won.
thumb|Lesnar performing the [[Kimura lock on John Cena]]
During the 2016 WWE draft, Lesnar was drafted to the Raw brand and faced Randy Orton in an interpromotional match at SummerSlam, where Lesnar defeated Orton by technical knockout, leaving Orton with a forehead wound which required ten staples. The end made many people believe Lesnar had gone off script due to the severity of Orton's head wound, out of which Vince McMahon confirmed that the ending was planned.
On the October 10 episode of Raw, Heyman, on Lesnar's behalf, challenged Goldberg to a fight after the pair had been feuding for several months through social media and during promotional work for the WWE 2K17 video game, which featured Lesnar as the cover star and Goldberg as the pre-order bonus. Heyman stated that Goldberg was the one blemish on Lesnar's WWE career, as Goldberg had defeated Lesnar at WrestleMania XX in 2004. On the October 17 episode of Raw, Goldberg returned to WWE after a twelve-year absence and accepted Lesnar's request for a fight with their match later scheduled for Survivor Series. On the final Raw before Survivor Series, Lesnar and Goldberg had a confrontation for the first time in twelve years, resulting in a brawl with security after Heyman insulted Goldberg's family. On November 20 at Survivor Series, Lesnar quickly lost to Goldberg in 1 minute and 26 seconds, marking the first time in three years that Lesnar was pinned.
Year-long Universal Championship reign (2017–2018)
At the 2017 Royal Rumble match on January 29, Lesnar was quickly eliminated by Goldberg. Following that, he challenged Goldberg to a match at WrestleMania 33. After Goldberg won the WWE Universal Championship at Fastlane on March 5, their bout was made a title match. On April 2 at WrestleMania, Lesnar defeated Goldberg to win the Universal Championship, marking his fifth world title win in WWE.
After several weeks of feuding, Lesnar's first title defense came at the inaugural Great Balls of Fire event on July 9, 2017, where he successfully retained against Samoa Joe, before defeating him a second time for the title at a house show.
thumb|Lesnar facing [[Roman Reigns before their Universal Championship match at WrestleMania 34]]
On the July 31 episode of Raw, Lesnar was scheduled to defend his title in a fatal four-way match at SummerSlam against Samoa Joe, Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman. Lesnar and Heyman stated that both would leave WWE should Lesnar lose the championship in the match. At SummerSlam on August 20, Lesnar retained the title by pinning Reigns. The next night on Raw, Lesnar was attacked by Strowman. The subsequent title match at No Mercy on September 24 was won by Lesnar. Lesnar then defeated WWE Champion AJ Styles in an interbrand champion vs. champion non-title match at Survivor Series on November 19. His next title defense was scheduled for the Royal Rumble on January 28, 2018, where he successfully defended the title in a triple threat match against Strowman and Kane. Lesnar then re-ignited his feud with Roman Reigns, who won the Elimination Chamber match at Elimination Chamber on February 25 to become the number one contender to Lesnar's title at WrestleMania 34. At WrestleMania on April 8, Lesnar pinned Reigns to retain the title in the main event. Rumors arose that Lesnar would leave WWE and rejoin the UFC. On April 9, Lesnar re-signed with WWE. At the Greatest Royal Rumble pay-per-view on April 27, he again defeated Reigns in a steel cage when Reigns speared Lesnar through the cage wall. As Lesnar escaped the cage first, he was declared the winner.
After the Greatest Royal Rumble, Lesnar was absent from WWE television for nearly three months. At Extreme Rules on July 15, Raw General Manager Kurt Angle threatened to strip Lesnar of the Universal Championship if he did not show up to Raw the following night. The following night on Raw, Heyman agreed that Lesnar would defend his title at SummerSlam; Reigns became the number one contender later that same night. On the July 30 episode of Raw, Lesnar was at the arena but refused to appear in the ring. Angle threatened to fire Heyman if he could not persuade Lesnar to come to the ring. Throughout the broadcast, Heyman's attempts were unsuccessful. At the end of the show, after Angle had fired him, Lesnar appeared to attack Angle and choke Heyman. Two weeks later, the dissension between Lesnar and Heyman was revealed to be just a ruse when Lesnar returning on the August 13 episode of Raw to attack Reigns. At SummerSlam on August 19, Strowman was at ringside ready to cash in his Money in the Bank contract on the winner. Lesnar incapacitated Strowman, allowing Reigns to capitalize on the distracted Lesnar and win the Universal Championship, ending Lesnar's title reign at 504 days. As of 2018, the reign was the sixth-longest world championship reign in WWE history and the longest since 1988.
World championship reigns and first retirement (2018–2020)
Lesnar returned at Hell in a Cell on September 16, interrupting the Hell in a Cell match between defending Universal Champion Reigns and Braun Strowman, kicking in the door and attacking both men, thus rendering the match a no-contest and costing Strowman his Money in the Bank cash-in match. The next night on Raw, Acting General Manager Baron Corbin scheduled Reigns to defend the Universal Championship in a triple threat match against Lesnar and Strowman at Crown Jewel on November 2. After Reigns relinquished the title due to a legitimate leukemia relapse, the match was changed to a singles match between Lesnar and Strowman for the vacant title. At Crown Jewel, Lesnar defeated Strowman in three minutes to become the first two-time Universal Champion, thanks to a pre-match attack from Corbin.
After his title win, Lesnar was scheduled to face WWE Champion AJ Styles at Survivor Series in another champion vs. champion non-title match. Five days before, Styles lost the WWE Championship to Daniel Bryan on SmackDown. At Survivor Series on November 18, Lesnar overcame a late rally from Bryan to defeat him. Lesnar then successfully defended the title against Finn Bálor via submission at the Royal Rumble on January 27, 2019. The next night on Raw, Lesnar attacked 2019 Royal Rumble match winner Seth Rollins with six F-5s, setting up a title match for WrestleMania 35. At WrestleMania on April 7, Lesnar attacked Rollins before the match. Rollins then attacked Lesnar with a low blow while the referee was down and pinned Lesnar, ending his second reign as Universal Champion at 156 days.
Lesnar won the Money in the Bank ladder match at the namesake event on May 19, which he entered as a surprise participant towards the end of the match. After failing an attempt to cash-in on Rollins at Super ShowDown on June 7, Lesnar successfully cashed in his contract to win the Universal Championship from Rollins at Extreme Rules on July 14. At SummerSlam on August 11, Lesnar lost the title back to Rollins, ending his third title reign at 28 days.
Lesnar and Heyman returned on the September 17 episode of SmackDown to challenge Kofi Kingston for the WWE Championship. Kingston accepted and Lesnar proceeded to F-5 him. On SmackDowns 20th Anniversary on October 4, Lesnar quickly defeated Kingston in about eight seconds to win his fifth WWE Championship; this was Lesnar's first match on SmackDown in 15 years. After his victory, Lesnar was attacked by former UFC opponent Cain Velasquez, making his WWE debut. Lesnar was then scheduled to defend the WWE Championship against Velasquez at Crown Jewel on October 31. During the 2019 draft, Lesnar was drafted to SmackDown. At the Crown Jewel event, Lesnar defeated Velasquez in under five minutes via submission with the Kimura Lock. After the match, Rey Mysterio attacked Lesnar with a chair. On the November 1 episode of SmackDown, Lesnar and Heyman quit the brand in order to go after Mysterio, who had been drafted to Raw, thus transferring to Raw with the WWE Championship. This led to Mysterio challenging Lesnar for the WWE Championship at Survivor Series on November 24, which was made official as a No Holds Barred match, where Lesnar retained, despite Mysterio's son, Dominik's attempt to aid Mysterio during the match.
Lesnar returned on the January 6, 2020, episode of Raw to declare that no one deserved an opportunity at the WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble, so instead he would enter the Royal Rumble match as entrant number one. At the Royal Rumble on January 26, Lesnar eliminated the first thirteen competitors he faced, tying the record for most eliminations in a Royal Rumble match, before being eliminated by Drew McIntyre, who won the match. After retaining the championship against Ricochet at Super ShowDown on February 27, Lesnar ultimately lost the WWE Championship to McIntyre in the main event of WrestleMania 36 Part 2 (which was taped on March 25–26 and aired on April 5). This was his final appearance until 2021 – it was later reported by several sources that Lesnar was not under contract with WWE after the match. Lesnar confirmed in March 2022 that he had initially retired from professional wrestling after WrestleMania 36, until deciding to return in 2021.
Second return to WWE (2021–present)
Various feuds and world championship reigns (2021–2023)
Lesnar, now sporting a cowboy/farmer look with a beard and ponytail, returned as a face at SummerSlam and faced Reigns for the WWE Universal Championship at Crown Jewel, which Lesnar lost. On the December 3 episode of SmackDown, it was announced that Lesnar would once again face Reigns for the title, this time at the Day 1 event, but the match was canceled after Reigns contracted COVID-19, and Lesnar was instead added to Raw's WWE Championship match at the event, winning the title.
His title reign ended 29 days later at Royal Rumble, losing it to Lashley. However, Lesnar won the Royal Rumble match. Lesnar regained the WWE Championship at Elimination Chamber and challenged Reigns for the Universal Championship at WrestleMania 38 in a title unification Winner Takes All match. Lesnar lost the match at the event. On the June 17 episode of SmackDown, Lesnar once again returned, renewing his rivalry with Reigns. Lesnar faced Reigns in a Last Man Standing match for the title at SummerSlam, where Lesnar failed to beat Reigns for the title, ending their feud.
After Lesnar returned in October 2022, he feuded with Bobby Lashley. Lesnar defeated Lashley at Crown Jewel, and caused Lashley to lose his United States Championship on Raw Is XXX. At Elimination Chamber on February 18, Lesnar lost to Lashley by disqualification after he hit Lashley with a low blow and attacked both the referee and Lashley, ending their feud. At WrestleMania 39, he defeated Omos. After WrestleMania, Lesnar turned heel and feuded with Cody Rhodes. Lesnar would lose against Rhodes at Backlash, defeated Rhodes at Night of Champions by submission, and lost to Rhodes again at SummerSlam to end their feud.
Vince McMahon scandal and hiatus (2024–2025)
According to several reports, Lesnar was scheduled to make his return to WWE at the 2024 Royal Rumble event as a participant in the Royal Rumble match. During the match, he would have been eliminated by Dominik Mysterio, as part of the build to a match against Mysterio at Elimination Chamber: Perth. However, a lawsuit was filed a few days before the Royal Rumble by Janel Grant, a former employee at WWE global headquarters between 2019 and 2022. Grant alleged that WWE co-founder Vince McMahon had coerced her into a sexual relationship with WWE executive John Laurinaitis and an unnamed WWE wrestler "who was also a former UFC fighter" . The unnamed talent was identified by The Wall Street Journal as Lesnar; Grant explicitly named Lesnar as the UFC/WWE talent in question when she amended her complaint in January 2025. As a result of the lawsuit, he was removed from the Royal Rumble and replaced by Bron Breakker. It was later reported that he was removed from WWE's creative plans ahead of their WrestleMania XL event, despite originally being planned to have a match against WWE Intercontinental Champion Gunther at the event. In February, he was removed from the WWE SuperCard video game. He would also be removed from the cover of WWE 2K24s "40 Years of WrestleMania" edition, as well as the playable roster, only being accessible through the game's Showcase Mode. He was also removed from the introduction video of WWE's weekly programming, with LA Knight replacing him.
Return from hiatus and feud with Oba Femi (2025–present)
After a two-year absence, on the second night of SummerSlam on August 3, 2025, and despite the Grant lawsuit remaining active, Lesnar made a surprise return after the main event, attacking John Cena with an F-5, following Cena's loss to Cody Rhodes. In his return match, he would defeat Cena at Wrestlepalooza on September 20. At Survivor Series: WarGames on November 29, he would ally himself once again with Paul Heyman, teaming with The Vision (Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed), Logan Paul and Drew McIntyre to defeat Roman Reigns, Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes, World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk and The Usos (Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso) in a WarGames match.
At the Royal Rumble on January 31, 2026, Lesnar entered the match at #22, eliminating multiple competitors before being eliminated by Rhodes and LA Knight. On the February 23 episode of Raw, Lesnar issued an open challenge for a match against him at WrestleMania 42, which was later accepted by Oba Femi. At WrestleMania 42 on April 19, Lesnar was defeated by Femi. After the match, Lesnar left his gloves and boots in the ring before embracing Paul Heyman and bidding farewell to the fans, leaving both fans and media to speculate that he had retired from professional wrestling. On May 7, 2026, Lesnar's profile was moved from the superstar section to the alumni section on WWE.com. Lesnar returned and attacked Femi on the May 18 episode of Raw, revealing his retirement to be a ruse. At Clash in Italy on May 31, Lesnar defeated Femi in a WrestleMania rematch.
Professional wrestling style and persona
thumb|Lesnar preparing the [[Facebuster#Fireman's carry facebuster|F-5 against The Undertaker]]
Since Lesnar's debut, he was portrayed as a powerhouse athlete. He is often called by his nickname "The Beast Incarnate" or simply "The Beast". During his initial run when he was consistently main-eventing, WWE was in what is labeled by the company and fans as the "Ruthless Aggression Era". His go-to finishing maneuver for his entire career has been a fireman's carry facebuster known as the F-5 (or The Verdict when he wrestled outside of WWE). After his return in 2012, Lesnar focused on an MMA-oriented gimmick, sporting MMA gloves during his matches and adding the Kimura lock as a submission hold. Lesnar is also known for performing several suplexes (especially German suplexes) on his rivals, with these often being described as the opponent being taken to "Suplex City", named after an ad-lib Lesnar delivered to Roman Reigns during their WrestleMania 31 match. Lesnar has been managed by Paul Heyman for the majority of his WWE career with Heyman being Lesnar's mouthpiece for storylines and feuds.
Throughout the second half of the 2010s, Lesnar began to receive an increasing amount of criticism for his character and performances. Many reporters thought his Suplex City character "jumped the shark" and his matches had "become formulaic". He was largely criticized due to his absences from television during his time as Universal Champion despite being on a part-time contract. It was pointed out that he had the longest world championship reign since Hulk Hogan at the time, but only defended the title 13 times, all on pay-per-views, with Tim Fiorvanti from ESPN commenting that he had "removed the top title on Monday Night Raw from circulation". The short length of his matches was also criticized by journalists and fans. Former WWE Champion Bob Backlund criticized the fact that Lesnar used mostly suplexes during his matches, saying "it gets old to do the same thing over and over and over again".