Truth Behind Divisive Brock Lesnar WWE Win
A famous Brock Lesnar return was kept a secret.
At WrestleMania 35, Brock Lesnar lost the Universal Championship to Seth Rollins and promptly went on hiatus.
The star then made a surprise return at Money In The Bank, appearing at the end of the men’s Ladder Match to claim victory, snatching glory from Mustafa Ali who was about to land the biggest win of his career.
During a new interview with Chris Van Vliet, looked back on his Money In The Bank near-miss, breaking down how he found out he was winning, and subsequently missing out on the briefcase.
“I show up to Money in the Bank, and they’re like, ‘Hey, you’re winning it.’ I go, ‘What? Okay, cool.’ So, this is so funny because, you know, I’m one of the shorter guys in the match. They actually had me climb up the ladder so they could adjust the briefcase to make sure it was within grabbing distance…
So, the match is about to start. Entrances have begun, and I want to say Baron Corbin is making his entrance—I don’t know why, I just have his music in my head.
Here’s a funny visual for you: I’m wearing this light-up mask, a light-up jacket, and a glove that all pulsate with lights. Jamie Noble comes up to me and says, ‘Hey, boss man wants to talk to you.’”
Ali explained that when he caught up with Vince McMahon he was told Lesnar would be appearing at the end of the match to throw him from the ladder before claiming victory.
The star revealed that no one else, including the other wrestlers in the match, knew the finish had been changed.
“I go to talk to Vince. Gorilla is completely dark. So, the only thing lighting him up is the red lights flashing from my gear. He’s wearing his little cheaters, looking up, and I approach him.
He says, ‘Change of plans. Do the match, everything you called. When the time’s right, I want you to climb the ladder and grab the briefcase. Someone’s going to come out, tip the ladder over, and you stay down. Do you understand?’”
“And again, my lights are just flashing on his face, alternating black and red, so I’m taking this in, like, ‘Copy that, sir.’ Then I walk away, thinking, ‘It’s Brock. Who else could it be?’ I’m walking and walking, and then my music hits. He literally told me right before the match started.”
“None of the other guys in the match knew. Finn didn’t know. Randy didn’t know. Baron Corbin, Drew McIntyre, Andrade—none of them knew. I was the only one. As I’m walking down, I’m not saying anything to anyone. I’m just focused on the match.
The match happens, and I’m climbing up the ladder, and man, I know people are like, ‘Why didn’t you just grab the briefcase and win?’ It’s because my boss told me not to!”
Ali went on to describe Lesnar as a “total pro” for making sure he didn’t get hurt during the match’s closing sequence.
After claiming the Money In The Bank briefcase, Lesnar cashed in on Seth Rollins at Extreme Rules to win the Universal Championship before losing the title back to his rival at SummerSlam.
By the end of the year, Lesnar was again World Champion after beating Kofi Kingston for the WWE Title in controversial circumstances on SmackDown.
Brock Lesnar Still Missing From WWE
Shortly before the 2024 Royal Rumble, former WWE employee Janel Grant filed a lawsuit against Vince McMahon, John Laurinaitis, and WWE.
The lawsuit contained allegations of sexual assault and sex trafficking, and although he wasn’t named directly, Lesnar was also implicated. It was reported that the “former UFC Champion and WWE Superstar” named in the filing was Lesnar.
Following the lawsuit, Lesnar’s planned comeback at the Rumble was scrapped and he hasn’t featured for the company since. As a result, the star hasn’t wrestled since losing out to Cody Rhodes at SummerSlam 2023.
H/t to WrestleZone