Brock Lesnar Signals WWE Retirement As He Emotionally Leaves Gloves And Boots After Loss To Oba Femi At WrestleMania 42
Brock Lesnar seems to have drawn the curtain on his storied WWE career.
Lesnar kicked off night two of WrestleMania 42 on Sunday at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, going head-to-head with Oba Femi. The two heavyweights had built up to this clash through multiple in-ring segments after first crossing paths at the Royal Rumble in January.
“The Beast Incarnate” was overwhelmed from the opening bell, as Femi dictated the action and left little room for Lesnar to mount any meaningful offense. The contest lasted just under five minutes, with the decisive moment coming when the “Nigerian Giant” shrugged off an iconic F5, took control, and planted him with a chokeslam before sealing it with Fall from Grace for the finish.
However, it wasn’t Brock Lesnar’s defeat that drew the most attention, but what unfolded after the match that left combat sports fans around the world stunned.
Brock Lesnar Appears To Retire After Defeat To Oba Femi In Shocking WrestleMania 42 Moment
After falling to Oba Femi, Brock Lesnar sat alone in the middle of the ring, overcome with emotion. He proceeded to remove his gloves and boots and placed them on the canvas, a symbolic act in professional wrestling often associated with retirement.
The WWE legend then embraced his longtime friend and on-screen manager, Paul Heyman, as the crowd erupted into chants of “Thank you, Lesnar,” while he made his way out of the ring, seemingly for the final time in his career.
It had been widely speculated that, at 48, Lesnar was nearing the end of his pro wrestling run, with reports suggesting his retirement bout could take place in front of his home crowd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, at this year’s SummerSlam, potentially against Gunther.
Brock Lesnar made his television debut in March 2002 on an episode of WWF RAW and went on to carve out a decorated career across multiple WWE stints. “The Beast Incarnate” captured the WWE Championship and Universal Championship, won two Royal Rumble matches, and headlined WrestleMania on five occasions.
Lesnar famously transitioned to MMA and made his Octagon debut at UFC 81 in February 2008, where he suffered a first-round submission loss to Frank Mir. Later that year, he went on to defeat Randy Couture via second-round knockout at UFC 91 to capture the heavyweight title in November.
The 48-year-old American’s final MMA appearance came at UFC 200 in July 2016 against Mark Hunt. He initially earned a unanimous decision victory, but the result was later overturned to a no-contest after he tested positive for a banned substance under the UFC’s anti-doping policy. Lesnar finished his professional MMA career with a record of 5–3.
