The last time we saw Brock Lesnar in a WWE ring was at SummerSlam. In the third of a series of matches with Cody Rhodes, The Beast was defeated, and despite turning heel the night after WrestleMania, he shook the American Nightmare's hand, making it clear Cody had earned his respect.
Much to the surprise of many fans, Lesnar didn't head to Saudi Arabia for Crown Jewel, and there's currently no indication we'll see him in WWE again this year.
That's now been confirmed by Dave Meltzer as the pro wrestling historian revealed on Wrestling Observer Radio that the former WWE Champion is currently scheduled to make his next appearance at the 2024 Royal Rumble.
There's no word on what role he'll play at the show or whether The Beast is going to appear on WWE programming before then. It could be that he simply enters the Royal Rumble match, setting up a rivalry which will then continue into April's WrestleMania.
He's become a mainstay at the Show of Shows, after all, and WWE will no doubt have something major planned for him.
It's also worth noting that Lesnar is a free agent in WWE, meaning he can appear on either RAW or SmackDown. Which show he goes to will depend on who he feuds with and which of them the company is looking to give a ratings boost to in the build-up to WrestleMania.
Earlier this year, Lesnar revealed that he very nearly retired from in-ring action in 2020 around the time COVID hit.
"In 2020 I retired and was gonna be just done. Cause I had my 20 years in. Covid hit, my contract was up. I had my very first wrestling match in Hamel, Minnesota, in an empty garage and there I was 20 years later, fighting Drew McIntyre in front of no people for the WWE Championship. I was like, 'You know what, it’s came full circle,' and I was truly done."
"I grew my beard out, grew my hair out, and then my birthday came around and then the phone rang. It was Vince ‘what you doin'?’ and I’m like, 'I’m just chillin'.' Then it just kinda [happened]. We didn’t even have a game plan. I think it was SummerSlam and I flew down there, I said 'If you wanna do this, let’s hash a deal out, I’d love to see it.' So I flew down to Vegas and we’re off for the races. I was like, 'I don’t want to cut my beard or cut my hair,' and he’s like, 'I love it.' So here we are."
Stay tuned for updates on Lesnar's WWE status as we have them.