The Beast Incarnate was supposed to be at the Royal Rumble to set up his match at the Elimination Chamber, but things have had to change.
Brock Lesnar is thought to have been pulled from the slate for Royal Rumble over the weekend, and his place at the upcoming Elimination Chamber next month could also be at risk as well, amid suggestions he has been implicated in the sex trafficking scandal surrounding former WWE boss Vince McMahon.
After making his wrestling debut way back in 1998, and officially joining what was then called the WWF in 2000, Lesnar went on to become one of the biggest stars in WWE and one of its most successful competitors.
Having left the world of wrestling in 2008 to join the UFC, Lesnar returned to his roots in 2012 and, until recently, benefited from a lucrative contract that saw him fight just a handful of times each year.
Lesnar was rumoured to be returning to the ring over the weekend for WWE’s Royal Rumble on Saturday night in what would have been a surprise appearance, but that never happened. And now, it seems his bout at Elimination Chamber on the 24th of February could be in doubt, too.
More allegations surround Vince McMahon
This comes after Vince McMahon, the co-founder and former executive chairman of WWE, resigned from his position in the organisation amid a lawsuit alleging that he had pressured a former employee, Lanel Grant, into sexual activity, along with other men in the business.
Details emerged thanks to a report from the Wall Street Journal, in which an accomplice of McMahon’s in the acts was described as a “world-famous athlete and former UFC heavyweight champion with whom WWE was actively trying to sign a new contract.” It is said that “people familiar with the matter” have named Lesnar as the person in question.
The allegations refer to an incident in July 2021, when McMahon had “instructed Grant to create personalised sexual content for a WWE Superstar.” It is believed McMahon shared explicit photos with the wrestler and gave the man in question Grant’s telephone number, which led to a number of troubling messages.
The suit claims McMahon then paid Grant to keep quiet on the matter as part of a $3million settlement in exchange for signing a nondisclosure agreement in 2022. Grant now claims McMahon did not uphold his end of that arrangement.
Brock Lesnar’s return to WWE scrapped for now
The Beast was meant to be at the Royal Rumble, as well as the upcoming Elimination Chamber
Lesnar’s involvement is yet to be officially confirmed, and, at the time of writing, he has yet to respond to requests for comments. Despite not officially being named, the 46-year-old’s rumoured appearance at the Royal Rumble on Saturday was seemingly scrapped.
As per POST Wrestling, Lesnar was also part of the “upcoming creative plans” for Elimination Chamber in Perth next month, where he was to go up against Dominik Mysterio. Lesnar was replaced by Bron Breakker in the men’s Royal Rumble, but it remains to be seen whether Breakker will be handed an invitation to the Premium Live Event in Perth, too.
The impact this could have on Lesnar’s career would be considerable, of course. He was recently tipped by Michael Bisping to be the headline act at UFC 300, too, for a battle with current UFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall. It would be safe to assume that any legal issues would prevent Lesnar from appearing at that event in April.
