Brock Lesnar’s WWE return is absolutely disgusting

Warning: This piece contains explicit details of sexual abuse.

Brock Lesnar made his return to WWE on Sunday night, confronting John Cena to close out Summerslam in one of the most disgusting decisions the wrestling giant has made in recent years. It underscores that when it comes to Triple H, the apple doesn’t fall far from Vince McMahon’s tree.

The 48-year-old former WWE and UFC champion hadn’t appeared on programming since 2023, which began as a planned hiatus and transitioned to something completely different. Lesnar was named as a key figure in ongoing lawsuit against WWE by formed employee Janel Grant in January of 2024, but that didn’t stop fans from blowing the roof off MetLife Stadium when Lesnar returned.

This was the gross crescendo in a shameful 10 days by WWE. Leading up to Summerslam the company forced talent to celebrate the life of Hulk Hogan on live programming, regardless of their personal wishes. The realty show WWE Unreal launched, which veteran wrestling reporter Dave Meltzer saying the show is an orchestrated move to de-emphasize the performers inside WWE, and boost Triple H into a Dana White-esque figure as the focus of the company. Finally WWE ceased all post-event press conferences for independent media, instead saying they would handle their own post-event content — fundamentally pivoting away from the free press into organized propaganda.

After Lesnar appeared at Summerslam the move to cancel press conferences made perfect sense.

Lesnar isn’t just mentioned in Grant v. World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc — he’s a key figure. The initial complaint referred to him simply as a “WWE wrestler and former UFC fighter,” but was revised in January of 2025 to name Lesnar directly. This suit alleges that Grant, a WWE employee at the time, was a victim of physical abuse, sexual abuse, and sexually trafficked inside the company.

Grant alleges that she was used as a bargaining chip to try and entice Lesnar to sign a new contract with WWE, with her being objectified as a perk of a new contract. Furthermore, that McMahon organized numerous occasions where Grant was coerced into having a sexual relationship with Lesnar, and trafficked to various states to meet him during their negotiations.

The suit goes on to say that Lesnar explicitly understood that McMahon was using Grant as a bargaining chip, and that Grant was at Lesnar’s beck and call to supply him with sexually explicit photos and videos as he demanded them, in addition to being trafficked to have sex with him. The suit notes on one occasion Grant made Lesnar mad by not supplying him with video of her urinating on demand. Lesnar allegedly said he’d “lost interest with her,” and referred to Grant as a “bitch,” when she didn’t comply with his request.

Lesnar is mentioned a total of 44 times in the lawsuit. This is the man Triple H and WWE brought back on Sunday night. This is the man the company is championing. This is the man who figures into the future of their main event scene.

In the wake of the lawsuit Lesnar was removed from various WWE plans. In January of 2024 the company pivoted away from Lesnar returning at the Royal Rumble. He was removed from the WWE Supercard and WWE 2K24 video games. Finally Lesnar’s image was removed from the intro to WWE programming. It was clear the company wanted to distance itself from Lesnar, and this was before he was directly named in the lawsuit and only just referred to.

Fast forward a year and WWE is trying to make everyone forget. They want a cheap pop and another boring Lesnar vs. Cena storyline which has been run into the ground. This is the most Vince McMahon move of Triple H’s tenure in having creative control, but beyond the penchant for trotting out old stars is the absolutely reprehensible nature of pretending the lawsuit doesn’t exist. The suit alleges that Grant was a woman in a difficult financial situation, wracked by grief after her parents passed away — and that McMahon preyed on that weakness to turn her into a sex servant for himself, Lesnar, and other WWE employees.

It should be noted that Grant has supplied dozens of text messages from McMahon and others as part of her evidence against the WWE employees, and all appear to support her version of events.

Yes, the lawsuit is still ongoing and has yet to be ruled on. There are no criminal charges being pursued against Lesnar at this time. However, there is a chasm of difference between someone not being found guilty in court, and championed as a cornerstone of a wrestling company which focuses on marketing to children and boasts a TV-PG rating on Netflix — which suggests it’s suitable for children 10+, and even younger with parental guidance.

The decision to bring back Lesnar, paired with WWE ceasing independent journalism after major shows is proof positive that the company knew this was a grotesque move, but doesn’t care, and instead wants to control the message, rather than hear any criticism. WWE is banking on its broadcast partners and wider audience from not knowing about the Grant suit, Lesnar’s role, and instead accept that fans cheering justify their decision.

WWE has always moved in eras. The Golden Era, The New Generation, The Attitude Era — now they can usher in a new one: The DGAF Era, where people can be accused of the most horrific acts imaginable, and there’s no reprisal — as long as it caters to the whims of Triple H.

Any hopes of turning over a new leaf from Vince McMahon are now gone. Triple H is cut from the same cloth, and could be much worse.