Brock Lesnar made headlines at the conclusion of WWE SummerSlam Night 2, marking his first WWE appearance in over a year by delivering a devastating F5 to John Cena, igniting what is expected to be a major storyline heading into the fall.
On The Ariel Helwani Show, Paul Heyman discussed Lesnar’s surprise return, the criticism surrounding it, and why the move ultimately proved successful with the live crowd at MetLife Stadium.
When asked about how Lesnar’s comeback came together, Heyman revealed that even he was brought in late: “That happened real quick. A couple of weeks. Okay. I mean, at least to my knowledge, I got tagged into it after the deal was done. I’m sure there’s a new deal involved.”
Lesnar had been absent since SummerSlam 2023, with his hiatus tied in part to his being named (though not as a defendant) in Janel Grant’s ongoing lawsuit against Vince McMahon and WWE.
Heyman was blunt when addressing the criticism tied to Lesnar’s return given the lawsuit: “I don’t pay attention to that. He’s here. See, that’s a reality of the fact. He’s here. If you were in MetLife Stadium on Sunday, you would understand that return meant a lot… That audience was jacked to see Brock Lesnar.”
Heyman emphasized that fan reception speaks louder than social media discourse: “Nobody left going, ‘Oh God, they brought back Brock.’ People were just going nuts. That’s our paying audience. They’re happy to see him. I’m happy to be part of a team that presents him.”
Heyman went on a passionate rant defending Lesnar’s return in the broader context of public scrutiny: “Everyone has criticism in life… There are people that criticize Jesus. There are people that criticize Moses. There are people that criticize Muhammad. There are people that criticize God or gods.”
He continued, “There is no president that’s ever existed with 100% approval… There are people who thought Abraham Lincoln sucked. They’re wrong, but they think it.”
The veteran advocate then made it clear: Brock Lesnar is back and staying. “If there are critics of it, get over it. He’s here, and he’s going to be here, and you ain’t going to be able to cancel him.”
Ultimately, Heyman reaffirmed that the audience reaction is the bottom line for WWE: “If we brought him back and the audience rebelled against it, I wouldn’t be happy to have him back… But it works. So I’m happy about it.”
.@HeymanHustle on the controversial return of Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam:
"Whatever that decision is based on, I respect it. If there are critics of it, get over it. He's here and he's gonna be here and you ain't gonna be able to cancel him." pic.twitter.com/ivSTyELCJE
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) August 6, 2025
Lesnar’s return has already shaken the foundations of WWE’s main event scene, and with John Cena now firmly in his crosshairs, Brock Lesnar’s fall run may be one of the most anticipated yet.
Stay tuned to PWMania.com for continued coverage of Lesnar’s return, reactions from inside the locker room, and breaking updates on the Cena/Lesnar storyline.
