Dave Meltzer Says He Was Told Last Year That Brock Lesnar Would Retire at Summerslam 2026

Meltzer says the plan was always for Lesnar to retire this August.

At WrestleMania 42, following his defeat to Oba Femi, Brock Lesnar removed his boots and left them in the middle of the ring. This, alongside a teary embrace with long-time associate Paul Heyman, led many fans to assume Brock Lesnar was retiring from wrestling. However, the continuation of his feud with Femi made it clear that “The Beast” wasn’t quite done with active competition just yet. The pair would go on to have two further matches, and, in the aftermath of their Summerslam clash, Lesnar appeared on the Pat McAfee Show to seemingly confirm his retirement from the ring. Dave Meltzer has now commented on the history of these plans.

Writing in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Meltzer said he had heard that Summerslam was long set to be the site of Lesnar’s retirement.

“Last year I was told that Brock Lesnar was retiring on this show (SummerSlam) and when he did the retirement the first time (WrestleMania 42) we were told he was doing a multi-match series with Femi. It’s a pro wrestler retirement, so even if he is sincere on the day, it’s still a pro wrestler retirement”

-Dave Meltzer

As Meltzer notes, pro wrestling retirements aren’t always absolute. To that point, WrestleVotes Radio on Fightful Select recently reported that some WWE officials believe Lesnar could have some involvement in WrestleMania 43, particularly given that it’ll emanate from Saudi Arabia. For now, whether that happens remains to be seen.

Should this be it, Lesnar retires from wrestling having been a 10-time world champion in the WWE, as well as a reign as IWGP Heavyweight Champion in NJPW. He has also won the Royal Rumble, Money in the Bank, and the King of the Ring tournament.

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As always, we’ll aim to provide any further updates on Brock Lesnar’s in-ring future as soon as we hear more.