Brock Lesnar’s Removal From WWE May Have to Do With McMahon Trafficking Accusations
By Mustafa GatollariFeb. 5 2024, Published 2:55 p.m. ET
For years one of the biggest names in the WWE was Brock Lesnar. "The Beast Incarnate" has long been one of the most physically imposing figures in not just the world of sports entertainment but also mixed martial arts: the former UFC Heavyweight Champion, and pro-wrestling in-ring performer, brings eyes whenever he squares up — whether it's in the octagon or the squared circle.
So why was he booted from WrestleMania 40?
What happened to Brock Lesnar at WWE?
Fightful's Sean Ross Sapp said that word on the street was Lesnar and Gunther were going to tangle at WrestleMania 40 on the weekend of April 6–7, 2024.
Lesnar was last seen performing at SummerSlam with one of the biggest names in the business right now, the lineage performer Cody Rhodes (son of the legendary Dusty Rhodes).
Lesnar lost his match against Rhodes in a fan-favorite contest, and many fans thought they would see Brock in action again at Royal Rumble. However, this wasn't the case, which led folks to believe that the organization may have been saving Lesnar for an appearance at WrestleMania.
Brock Lesnar fighting Cody Rhodes
Many believe that Lesnar's absence may have something to do with Vince McMahon's recent sex-trafficking accusations from former WWE staff employee Janel Grant. Slate reports that Grant hit McMahon with a 67-page lawsuit accusing McMahon of raping and sexually harassing her, while also pawning her off as a sex slave of sorts to at least one popular WWE personality, in addition to sending videos and pictures of her in sexually compromising circumstances to others.
The personality in question, according to several outlets, like Marca, is purportedly Brock Lesnar, and the allegation is that Grant was being used as a sort of impetus to try and get Lesnar to end his retirement and come to the WWE. Part of his alleged deal, unofficially, involved his getting to sleep with Grant at McMahon's behest.
Sportskeeda reported that McMahon appears to have been "erased" from the WWE's website, noting that the former CEO's Superstar page has been removed. While Lesnar's remains active on the WWE website, it could be that the rumors surrounding his name's connection to McMahon's issues are being weighed by the organization, as products associated with Lesnar's name are retailing online for much less than they usually are.
WWE Shop has discounted the majority of Brock Lesnar merch pic.twitter.com/KaCoTzbC2C
— Andrew Ravens l WrestlingNews.co (@Andrew_Ravens) February 2, 2024It would appear that the WWE is attempting a fire sale of Lesnar's items, and with his lack of involvement with the Royal Rumble and now WrestleMania 40, coupled with the murmurs of his alleged involvement in Vince McMahon's scandal, lead many to believe that it's only a matter of time until the wrestling organization cuts ties with Lesnar altogether.
Either that, or, higher-ups are just biding their time to see what happens with the scandal and if there is any truth to the accusations.
Slate mentioned how the timing of the lawsuit probably couldn't be more disastrous to the WWE's current business plans: Grant's claims against McMahon came just a few days after TKO Holdings, the Endeavor owned joint venture between the UFC and WWE, announced a $5 billion deal with Netflix to air RAW.
What leads many to believe that these allegations against McMahon are more severe than previous instances, however, is the fact that he resigned from TKO holdings almost immediately following news of the lawsuit.
And although Lesnar wasn't named specifically in the lawsuit, Sportskeeda writes that a WWE heavyweight champion who was being courted for a 2021 return had Grant's number sent to him from McMahon. The outlet quoted The Wall Street Journal which wrote that the superstar in question called Grant a "b----" after she sent him a video of herself peeing.
"That December, McMahon gave Grant’s personal cellphone number to the WWE star, the lawsuit said. The wrestler asked her to send a video of herself uri***ing, the suit said, and after she did, he called her a 'b—.' That same month, the suit said, the star expressed a desire to 'set a play date,' but a snowstorm disrupted his travel plans," the WSJ writes.
Destructoid has also reported that the WWE has removed Lesnar from the 2K mobile video game, leaving fans wondering if he will be left out of the 2024 version of the console version of 2K24.
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