WWE tied down the controversial former World Champion ahead of his return.
Following the main event of SummerSlam on August 3rd, Brock Lesnar made his shocking return to WWE by attacking the now-former WWE Champion John Cena. Lesnar had been absent from the company after being named in Janel Grant’s lawsuit against Vince McMahon and WWE, which led to legal deciding not to use him until he was later cleared.
In today’s edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer revealed that Lesnar penned a new deal with WWE prior to making his return, with the 48-year-old’s previous deal having expired during his absence.
“Lesnar actually just signed a new contract to return. He was getting paid on his prior contract long after they stopped using him, but that deal did expire and he actually was a free agent for months until the new deal was signed. They couldn’t extend the prior deal due to injury like with others because he wasn’t injured and it was their choice not to use him.”
-Dave Meltzer
According to Meltzer, WWE appeared confident that Brock Lesnar would sit tight rather than consider an AEW move. He notes that, given the lawsuit allegations, there was also a belief that Tony Khan wouldn’t make a pitch to Lesnar, nor would Lesnar make a pitch to Khan during his period as a free agent.
Meltzer adds that once WWE’s legal team decided not to use Lesnar, the company saw little reason to present him with a new contract. It was only after legal later cleared him that an offer was made, reportedly covering very limited dates.
Lesnar has yet to appear since making his return at SummerSlam, but multiple reports indicate that he’s set to face John Cena at WWE: Wrestlepalooza in Indianapolis on September 20th.
As always, we’ll aim to provide any further updates on Brock Lesnar’s return to WWE as soon as we hear more.
