Wrestling legend Brock Lesnar announces retirement from WWE after 26 years
WWE legend Brock Lesnar has announced his retirement after more than a quarter of a century in the ring.
The 49-year-old took part in the SummerSlam at the weekend, where he was defeated by Oba Femi in Hell in a Cell.
During an appearance on The Pat McAfee show on Tuesday (4 August), he announced that the WWE SummerSlam would be his last match.
“I’m here today to let the world know that I am retired and I wanted to say a big thank you to everybody,” he said.
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“Saturday was a very emotional day for me.
“When Oba Femi slammed me at WrestleMania I was like ‘I can’t do this again, I think I’m done.’ But the business - I still had some fuel in the tank, but Saturday for Brock Lesnar, that’s it.
"That’s it for me in the squared-circle and for everything else too.”
Eagle-eyed fans had thought Lesnar was set to retire after losing to Femi during WrestleMania back in April after he left his boots and gloves in the ring before he exited.
However, it seems he was tempted back by the prospect of facing Femi again a few weeks later when he took him on at Clash in Italy, where he was victorious.
At the weekend, Lesnar hailed his opponent as ‘the future’ of WWE as he held up his hand in the ring following his defeat.
Lesnar began his career with the WWE back in 2022 after a successful college wrestling career, in which he earned an impressive 106-5 record over four years.
He’s stepped away from the ring a handful of times over the years but hasn’t managed to stay for too long,
However, it seems as though his latest announcement could be the real deal, with Lesnar taking time to reflect on his decades-long career.
He said: "I just want to give a shout out to everybody in this universe that has followed me since I was a little kid, all the way until Saturday,” he said.
“I was just a little farm kid from South Dakota with a big dream and a big heart and a big ass chip on my shoulder.
"I’m just grateful. Grateful to be 49 years old and to have to be able to do what I did in this lifetime. I thank God and everybody who supported me. I want to thank all my coaches.
“I want to say to the little kids, I was just a farm kid with a bunch of lint in my pocket and I had big dreams and I just worked.
"I think a lot of people nowadays with social media and platforms, athletes leave out the hard work and if kids just stay focused on work and putting the time in, good things will happen."
He will retire as a 10-time WWE champion and a two-time Royal Rumble winner.
Although best known for being part of the WWE, Lesnar branched out into MMA in 2007.
He eventually got signed up to the UFC and later became the UFC heavyweight champion after beating Randy Couture in November 2008.
Topics: WWE
Claire Reid