Brock Lesnar Reportedly Leaves 'WWE SmackDown' Following Vince McMahon's Retirement
Brock Lensar seems to be not happy with Vince McMahon's retirement. According to Bryan Alvarez of the Wrestling Observer, "The Beast" left WWE SmackDown hours before the show was scheduled to start on Friday night. Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful confirmed the news, adding Lesnar was "p— off."
Earlier this year, Lesnar appeared on The Pat McAfee Show and explained his relationship with McMahon. "Vince and I have had a love/hate relationship for the last 20 years, but it's been good. We've got a lot of water under the bridge." Lesnar said, per Bleeding Cool. "I look at Vince as more of a father figure. I've learned a lot of things from him."
McMahon announced his retirement from WWE following the company's investigation of him. He is accused of paying hush money to a former employee whom he had an affair with. "Throughout the years, it's been a privilege to help WWE bring you joy, inspire you, thrill you, surprise you, and always entertain you. I would like to thank my family for mightily contributing to our success, and I would also like to thank all of our past and present Superstars and employees for their dedication and passion for our brand," McMahon said in a statement.
"Most importantly, I would like to thank our fans for allowing us into your homes every week and being your choice of entertainment. I hold the deepest appreciation and admiration for our generations of fans all over the world who have liked, currently like, and sometimes even love our form of Sports Entertainment.
Lesnar, 45, returned to WWE in June after losing to Roman Reigns in the main event at WrestleMania 38. He is set to face Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at SummerSlam on Saturday, July 29. During his WWE career, Lesnar has won the WWE Championship seven times and the Universal Championship three times. He has also won the King of the Ring, the Money in the Bank ladder match, the Elimination Chamber and the Royal Rumble match twice. Lesnar also spent time in UFC where he won the UFC Heavyweight Championship in 2008. He also competed in New Japan Pro Wrestling and won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship in 2005.