Is Brock Lesnar Really Retired From WWE Following WrestleMania?

Brock Lesnar left his gloves and boots in the ring at WrestleMania 42, but is this really the last we've seen of The Beast Incarnate?

Brock Lesnar | WWE

Have we really seen the last of Brock Lesnar inside a WWE ring?

Night Two of WrestleMania 42 kicked off with The Ruler versus The Beast as former NXT Champion Oba Femi took on former WWE Champion Brock Lesnar. This was the most anticipated match of the weekend in the minds of many fans, and it didn't disappoint.

Shockingly, Femi picked up a definitive victory over Lesnar, winning the match with only one Fall From Grace. However, something even more shocking took place after the match was over. The Beast Incarnate sat down in the ring and took off his gloves and boots, seemingly retiring from WWE.

But have we truly seen the last of one of WWE's biggest names?

Brock Lesnar | WWE

Dave Meltzer spoke about Brock Lesnar's apparent retirement on the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, noting that, based on some people he's spoken with in WWE, they don't believe Lesnar is retiring just yet, but that he will be calling it a career at some point this year.

Meltzer would go on to admit that no one truly knows for sure and states this could be something that WWE wants to keep quiet, much like Seth Rollins' fake injury last year heading into SummerSlam.

Later on, Meltzer revealed that early plans called for Femi and Lesnar to continue their rivalry following WrestleMania, but the decision was made to go the Goldberg direction with Femi instead.

WWE definitely has an endgame for Brock Lesnar in mind

Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar | WWE

Whether Brock Lesnar went into business for himself Sunday at WrestleMania is anybody's guess at this point. But it's abundantly clear that WWE had a plan in place for Lesnar's potential retirement later on this year.

After being off television for several weeks, Gunther returned to WWE on the road to WrestleMania 42 to set up a match with Seth Rollins that saw The Ring General save Paul Heyman from his demise at the hands of the Architect.

Gunther made it clear to Heyman backstage that he would owe him a big favor for saving him and taking care of his Seth Rollins problem at WrestleMania. With Gunther retiring Goldberg, John Cena, and AJ Styles within the last year, many saw this as the perfect opportunity to add Brock Lesnar to this list.

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Both @Gunther_AUT AND @RealLAKnight have their sights set on @WWERomanReigns and the World Heavyweight Championship... 👀#RawAfterMania pic.twitter.com/K4amxeopPo

— WWE (@WWE) April 21, 2026

While Gunther declined to reveal the favor that Paul Heyman will owe him last night on Raw, many fans still believe the plan is in place for Gunther to face Lesnar in his final match at SummerSlam in The Beast's backyard of Minneapolis. With Lesnar essentially babyfacing himself at WrestleMania, Gunther will be even more hated for ending yet another career later this year.