Brock Lesnar has unveiled his official retirement from professional wrestling — “and for everything else, too.”
The 49-year-old Lesnar, appearing on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Tuesday, verified that his appearance at WWE SummerSlam on Saturday would be the last of his career. He admitted he felt he was done earlier this year at WrestleMania, when he removed his boots and gloves in the ring, but he ultimately opted for one final Hell in a Cell match last weekend in Minneapolis.
“I’m here today to let the world know [that] I am retired,” Lesnar stated. “Saturday was a very emotional day for me. It was kind of weird. When Oba Femi slammed me at WrestleMania, I stated, ‘I can’t do this anymore. I think I’m done.’ But the business [called], and I still had some fuel in the tank.
“Saturday, for Brock Lesnar, that’s it. That’s it for me in the squared circle and everything else.”
Brock Lesnar won an NCAA Division I national championship in wrestling at the University of Minnesota, was a 10-time WWE world champion, won the UFC heavyweight title and had a brief NFL stint with the Minnesota Vikings. AMER HILABI/AFP via Getty ImagesLesnar’s announcement brings an end to one of the most unique and successful careers in professional sports history.A two-time All-American and a two-time Big Ten champion, Lesnar won an NCAA Division I national championship in wrestling for the University of Minnesota in 2000 before going on to sign a pro wrestling contract.With his devastating “F-5” finishing move, Lesnar beat Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in 2002 — just his second year on the roster — to win the first of his 10 WWE world championship belts. Along the way, “The Beast Incarnate” emerged victorious in two Royal Rumbles (2003, 2022), won the King of the Ring tournament (2002) and won a Money in the Bank ladder match (2019). In 2014, Lesnar stunned the wrestling world by ending The Undertaker’s 21-0 streak in WrestleMania matches.Editor’s Picks
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In 2004, Lesnar sidelined his wrestling career to pursue a brief NFL stint with the Minnesota Vikings and appeared in several preseason games before he was released.
In 2007, Lesnar famously transitioned into mixed martial arts, and he won the UFC heavyweight championship in just his fourth bout against Randy Couture in 2008. He retired from MMA in 2015, but he returned for one final appearance against Mark Hunt at UFC 200 in 2016. He was later suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission for testing positive for banned substances prior to that bout at UFC 200, and he never pursued another MMA contest.
“I was just a farm kid from South Dakota with a big dream, a big heart and a big-ass chip on my shoulder,” Lesnar stated. “I’m just grateful to be 49 years old and have been able to do what I did in this lifetime. I thank God and everybody that supported me.
“I want to say to the little kids, I was a little farm kid with a bunch of lint in my pocket. I had big dreams and I just worked. I think a lot of people with social media platforms see athletes doing things and they leave out the hard work. If kids just stay focused on work and putting time in, good things will happen.”
