Jason Burgos
A new report claims Brock Lesnar has signed a new deal with WWE following a little-known stint in wrestling free agency.
After being named in an ugly lawsuit filed against WWE co-founder Vince McMahon, Lesnar has been sidelined since SummerSlam 2023. However, last month, “The Beast” made his stunning return to the company when he attacked John Cena at the close of this year’s two-night SummerSlam event.
Following his return, it was reported that he was being paid the entire time he was away from the company. However, an update from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter claims the multi-time WWE champion was actually a free agent during his two-year sabbatical from the company.
“Lesnar actually just signed a new contract to return. He was getting paid on his prior contract long after they stopped using him, but that deal did expire, and he actually was a free agent for months until the new deal was signed. They couldn’t extend the prior deal due to injury like with others because he wasn’t injured and it was their choice not to use him.”
Dave Meltzer
Did AEW blow a chance to sign Brock Lesnar?
That is pretty big news. While he is 48 years old, Lesnar remains a freak athlete and can do a lot more than your average wrestling veteran closing in on 50. So if he was available, why wouldn’t AEW have jumped at the chance to throw a boatload of money to sign the WWE icon?
The most likely answer is AEW boss Tony Khan didn’t know, because Lesnar didn’t want him to. The former UFC champion would not be against a huge payday. Plus, Vince McMahon has long been a close ally, so with him out of the company, it wouldn’t be surprising if he were no longer loyal to the WWE brand.
However, while he is an elite athlete and competitor, he is a very underrated entertainer. If he is going to put in the work and deal with the violence of professional wrestling at his age, he probably only wants to do it on the biggest stage possible. And there is just one promotion that can offer that. AEW would have pitched him a massive deal with limited dates, but the idea of Lesnar in AEW just feels odd.
