After it was recently insinuated that WWE legend Brock Lesnar could be heading towards retirement in 2026, a new report has surfaced and shed new light on the matter.
According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (via WrestleTalk), Lesnar's retirement could be coming next year, though the date has not been confirmed. If he does, he won't be the only one hanging it up. AJ Styles and Chris Jericho, presuming he re-signs with the company, would also be on their way out.
“There is a story going around that Lesnar will retire at SummerSlam 2026,” said Meltzer. “I can’t confirm that date but did at least a month hear that the working plans for 2026 would be the WWE retirement runs for Lesnar, (AJ) Styles and potentially (Chris) Jericho if he signs.”
However, Meltzer added that he “didn't get the impression it was locked in except for Styles.” So, perhaps plans are still up in the air.
Is Brock Lesnar going to retire from WWE in 2026?
It does appear that Lesnar could be heading into his final year of in-ring competition. Nothing sounds finalized, but it could be near the end for the “Beast Incarnate.”
Previously, John Cena seemingly indicated that Lesnar was going to compete in his final match in 2026 at SummerSlam. He said that Lesnar's last match would take place in Minnesota. WWE's next marquee event in the state is SummerSlam, which will emanate from U.S. Bank Stadium.
“You have to figure out who gets the shine that night, and if in his [Lesnar's] return, again, only my perspective, this attraction we are going to build until he goes into the sunset, which is, I think in Minnesota,” Cena said before clarifying, “or, creatively, it's very soon. To create a mountain to climb for someone, you have to build the mountain.”
Time will tell if Lesnar actually wraps up his career in August. He just returned at the 2025 SummerSlam event after a two-year hiatus, and he's fresh off a win at Survivor Series: WarGames.
