When the lawsuit regarding Vince McMahon's alleged sexual abuse and trafficking was first made public, 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 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 (or whether the former UFC star was as serious as McMahon appeared to be).
Before the scandal, The Beast was set to be eliminated from the 2024 Royal Rumble by Dominik Mysterio. He'd have faced The Judgement Day member at Elimination Chamber before facing 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, including during Friday's SmackDown courtesy of Cody Rhodes, 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.
The American Nightmare's reference to Lesnar has sent speculation into overdrive, especially with WrestleMania set to take place a few days from now. Today, Fightful Select reports, "Despite the Brock Lesnar name drop, we were told there had not been consideration or conversations regarding bringing him back."
So, nothing has changed then.
"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."
For what it's worth, Lesnar seems quite content just getting on with his life and has been spotted out and about by fans (including at a comedy show earlier this month). A surprise return on the RAW after WrestleMania would be welcomed by many, but don't bank on it.
As always, keep checking back here for updates as we have them.