One of the most decorated athletes in combat sports is hanging up his fighting gloves. During an appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show" on Tuesday, WWE superstar Brock Lesnar announced his retirement from the squared circle and beyond.
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"I am here today to let the world and everybody know that I am retired," Lesnar, 49, said. "I want to say a big thank you to everybody. Saturday [at SummerSlam 2026] was a very emotional day for me."
Lesnar feigned his retirement at WrestleMania 42 before returning for two additional matches. This time, Lesnar is riding off into the sunset for good.
"When Oba Femi slammed me at WrestleMania, I thought, 'I can't do this again. I think I'm done.' But I feel like I still had some fuel in the tank. But Saturday [at SummerSlam], that's it for Brock Lesnar. That's it for me in the squared circle, and everywhere else, too."
Lesnar added, "I want to give a shoutout to everybody in this universe that has followed me since I was a little kid all the way until [SummerSlam 2026]. I was just a farm kid from South Dakota with a big dream, a big heart and a big a** chip on my shoulder. I'm grateful."
WWE Legacy of Brock Lesnar
Affectionately known as the Beast Incarnate, Brock Lesnar will be remembered as one of the most explosive and dominating figures in WWE history.
Lesnar wasted little time establishing himself as a star in WWE. When he was 25 years old, the hulking heavyweight fighter defeated The Rock to become the youngest WWE Champion in history. Lesnar's historic world title win came just 126 days after his WWE debut. He is the second-fastest rising champion behind Ric Flair.
Throughout his storied career, Lesnar became a seven-time WWE Champion and three-time WWE Universal Champion. He is also one of just three WWE stars to win the Royal Rumble, King of the Ring and Money in the Bank.
Notably, Lesnar also snapped The Undertaker's long-standing WrestleMania streak.
Lesnar's success wasn't limited to the squared circle, either.
The generational athlete had a brief NFL stint with the Minnesota Vikings in 2004. He later joined the UFC heavyweight division in 2008. Impressively, despite his limited mixed martial arts experience, Lesnar was crowned UFC Heavyweight Champion in 2008 by defeating Randy Couture in his third career bout.
Lesnar returned to WWE in 2012 and remained a consistent figure in the sport. Given his loaded resume, Lesnar is a virtual lock for the WWE Hall of Fame.
