Brock Lesnar Was Under Contract And Fully Paid During WWE Absence

WWE wanted to stand by Brock Lesnar.

At SummerSlam, Brock Lesnar made his first WWE appearance in two years when he attacked John Cena as the show went off the air.

There had been plans for Lesnar to return as far back as the 2024 Royal Rumble, but they were dropped after he was named in Janel Grant’s sex trafficking lawsuit against Vince McMahon, WWE, and John Laurinaitis. In the suit, it’s claimed that McMahon offered Lesnar sexual encounters with Grant in an effort to get him to sign a new contract.

It should be noted that although Lesnar is named in the suit, he isn’t a defendant.

WWE Was Determined To Bring Back Brock Lesnar

Writing in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer attempted to add some more context to the situation around Lesnar. That report revealed that WWE never suspended the star and always intended to bring him back to television as soon as the company’s legal department cleared him.

“Lesnar was still, even though not used, fully paid during that time period and was among the highest paid wrestlers in the company. He was never suspended and obviously kept under contract.

If what he did was going to end their relationship with him, he’d have been let go. That’s the reality. He was always going to return when legal cleared him. Legal cleared him about one month prior to the show, which was kept secret, and allowed for the return.”

Following his return, Janel Grant’s legal team hit out at WWE for bringing back Brock Lesnar. Grant’s representative said that the move was just another attempt by WWE to “sweep misconduct under the rug.” The statement added that Grant and her team look forward to “the full set of facts, including those about Mr. Lesnar, coming out in a court of law.”