When the lawsuit regarding Vince McMahon's alleged sexual abuse and trafficking first started making headlines, an unexpected WWE Superstar was pulled into the whole sordid affair: multi-time WWE Champion Brock Lesnar.
McMahon was said to have offered WWE employee Janel Grant—the woman he's accused of abusing—to Lesnar as a bonus, of sorts, for signing a new contract. Texts showed that Lesnar responded positively to the idea, though we've seen nothing to suggest they ever actually met (it's also not outside the realm of possibility that the former UFC star believed he and McMahon were simply sharing a joke).
Before the scandal, the plan was for The Beast to be eliminated from the 2024 Royal Rumble by Dominik Mysterio. He'd have faced The Judgement Day member at Elimination Chamber before taking on then-Intercontinental Champion Gunther at WrestleMania in a dream match for many fans.
Instead, Lesnar has been M.I.A. ever since. There has been the odd reference to him on television, but WWE is unlikely to bring him back into the fold until his name is cleared and this lawsuit is dealt with...which could take several years.
On Lesnar's part, he may not wish to return to a WWE without McMahon. Remember, he's said to have stormed out of the company when the billionaire was forced to retire after sexual misconduct allegations first started doing the rounds online.
We'll see, but a newly surfaced photo of Lesnar, alongside his wife, fellow former WWE Superstar and Playboy model Sable, shows The Beast looking borderline unrecognisable. As well as rocking a beard, Lesnar now has long hair, a first for the 47-year-old.
"You’d have to ask Brock Lesnar that," Triple H said last summer when he was asked if the former WWE Champion is likely to return. "Brock kind of does his own thing. He’s up in Canada, I’m sure, watching his kids play hockey and enjoying life. If and when he decides he would like to do something, we’d be open to the conversation. We’ll see."
That echoed comments made by The Game after WrestleMania XL when he reiterated that Lesnar was not "gone" from WWE before adding, "His status is the same as it has been before. He’s just home being Brock."
At this point, it feels an awful lot like Lesnar's in-ring career is over. While a return would be welcomed by some fans, it also runs the risk of bringing a lot of negative publicity WWE's way, particularly if it returns a spotlight to McMahon's alleged indiscretions.