WWE Star Brock Lesnar Seemingly Retires, Leaves Boots in the Ring at WrestleMania

WWE star Brock Lesnar has seemingly hung up his boots.

On the second night of WrestleMania, staged in Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium, on Sunday, April 19, Lesnar, 48, appeared to retire from the sport following his clash against Oba Femi which ended in under five minutes, per reporting by TMZ.

In a video shared by the official WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) Instagram account after the match, Lesnar was seen sitting inside the ring on his own as he removed his boots and gloves before symbolically placing them in the ring’s center. (Wrestlers “often signal their retirement by leaving their shoes on the mat following their final bout,” per NBC reporting.)

The video was captioned by the WWE, “What are you doing, Brock?!”

Us Weekly has reached out to the WWE for comment.

As Lesnar stood up to face the roaring crowd, he held his hands in the air, sparking an even louder cheer. The pro wrestler’s manager, Paul Heyman, was then seen stepping into the ring as Lesnar walked around, soaking up the stadium atmosphere.

Heyman, who shared the clip via his own social media account, then approached his client before the pair embraced and Heyman whispered audible words into Lesnar’s ear, kissed his cheek and affectionately patted his head.

Their embrace, which appeared to spring tears from Lesnar, was followed by Heyman raising Lesnar’s arm high into the air to encourage further applause before Lesnar took a bow.

Fans were quick to comment on the video, with one fan writing, “Retired already? 🤯 Still the greatest combat athlete ever. No one can match that fear and aura. There will only ever be one Beast Incarnate — Brock Lesnar 💪🏽.”

Another WWE fan wrote, “Seriously, I was not ready for this 💔Nobody will ever have the same level of dominance and aura in professional wrestling as you did.”

On day 1 of WrestleMania, an annual two-night event that serves as the sport’s flagship event, fellow wrestling legend John Cena resurfaced following his own recent retirement.

Just five months after hanging up his boots at the end of 2025, losing his final match to rising star Gunther, Cena, 48, appeared as a host at WrestleMania, switching his former costume for a slick suit and tie. “Wow, I didn’t expect that. Thank you so much,” said the 17-time WWE world champion. “Sorry, long-time fan, long-time performer, first-time host. How am I doing so far?”

Lesnar boasts his own pro wrestling achievements, serving as a former three-time universal champion and UFC heavyweight champion among other prestigious titles.

Lesnar also attracted headlines in January 2024 when he was named in a sexual misconduct lawsuit filed by former WWE employee Janel Grant, who alleged that former WWE executive Vince McMahon requested that she make “personalized sexual content” for Lesnar among other allegations.

Lesnar was, however, not listed as a defendant in the lawsuit and did not publicly address the filing. McMahon has repeatedly denied all allegations of wrongdoing against him, and according to an April report by the U.K.’s Independent, is fighting the suit while reportedly attempting to return to WWE.