WWE legend Brock Lesnar, 49, RETIRES after stellar 26-year career following SummerSlam defeat

BROCK LESNAR has announced his retirement from the WWE. The iconic wrestler has been a star of the WWE for the past 26 years since his debut. Brock Lesnar has retired from the WWE Credit: Getty – Contributor His last fight was the defeat to Oba Femi on the weekend Credit: Getty Lesnar, 49, pulled the curtain down on his career in the business following his SummerSlam defeat to Oba Femi. He made his retirement official during an appearance on ESPN’s The Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday. Sign up for the Sport newsletter Thank you! The wrestler was on the show following his Hell in a Cell loss to Femi in Minneapolis. He had finally realised that the defeat signalled the end of his illustrious WWE career. He said: “I’m here today to let the world know that I am retired, and I wanted to say a big thank you to everybody. “Saturday was a very emotional day for me.” It is not the first time Lesnar has retired from the WWE only to make a stunning return. However, this time seems to be the final and fans will not see him back in the ring. Most read in Sport SUN VEGAS WELCOME OFFER: GET UP TO £100 BONUS Lesnar is a legend in the WWE business Credit: Getty Lesnar has insisted the Minneapolis defeat to Femi will be his last fight in the business. He added: “I still had some fuel in the tank, but Saturday for Brock Lesnar, that’s it. “That’s it for me in the squared circle and for everything else too. “So I just wanted to give a shout-out to everybody in this universe that has followed me since I was a little kid, all the way till Saturday.” Lesnar started life in the WWE in 2002 after his brilliant wrestling college career. He was a two-time NJCAA All-American champion and boasted an astonishing record of 106-5. After being signed to the WWE, Lesnar worked his way into the main roster and would go on to become one of its crown jewels. Lesnar ended his first stint in the organisation in 2004 and claimed it was due to burnout and injuries. Lesnar made his debut back in 2002 Credit: Getty He could have been an NFL star earlier in his career Credit: Getty Lesnar made his debut in 2002 Credit: Globe Photos/ZUMAPRESS.com He ended the Undertaker’s unbeaten WrestleMania streak in 2014 Credit: Alamy But he made a stunning return in 2012 to win multiple WWE championship titles. Lesnar won the Royal Rumble twice in 2003 and 2022, as well as the Money in the Bank ladder match in 2019. He was the King of the Ring in 2002 and ended the stunning undefeated WrestleMania streak of the Undertaker in 2014. He then seemed to retire after WrestleMania 36, but that was cut short as he made a comeback in 2021. Lesnar’s career could have taken a different turn in 2004 after he participated in the NFL Scouting Combine. He signed with the Minnesota Vikings in the July but was released after just one month in August. Comment now