Brock Lesnar Just Retired at WrestleMania 42. Here’s What That Means for WWE

The opening match of WWE’s WrestleMania 42 day two saw “The Beast” Brock Lesnar and “The Ruler” Oba Femi battle for dominance. WWE will be fighting an uphill battle to make up for a disappointing WrestleMania Saturday which outraged even the most diehard WWE fans.

At the Royal Rumble, Lesnar and Femi stood toe-to-toe and Femi was eliminated by Lesnar so walking into WrestleMania he was ready to prove that this is his era now. The fans have been on his side in the buildup, too, constantly chanting his name.

Femi made his way to the ring followed by Lesnar, accompanied by Paul Heyman. If you predicted this match would be anything less than a squash… you’d be mistaken. The entrances were almost longer than the match itself. They fought to knock one another off their feet but Femi got the upper hand. Lesnar threw him into the steps and the ring post changing the momentum momentarily, hitting him with several suplexes. Then, he delivered his F5 finisher. Femi bounced right back up and landed a power bomb, pinning Lesnar to the mat.

Brock Lesnar Retires at WrestleMania 42

In recent years, WWE has positioned Lesnar as un-defeatable. He’s the man that broke The Undertaker’s streak at WrestleMania, after all. However, between Lesnar being named in the Janel Grant lawsuit against WWE and Vince McMahon and his age, there’s really no need for Lesnar to be an active member of the roster. Especially with someone like Femi to pass the torch to.

What Lesnar’s Retirement means for Oba Femi

This match definitely felt like a changing of the guard, and the fact that Lesnar seemingly retired in the aftermath solidified that. He tore off his gloves followed by his boots, leaving them in the ring. The crowd chanted, “Thank you Brock,” and he soaked it in with Heyman before retreating up the ramp. Lesnar has achieved just about everything possible in WWE during his tenure, putting a rising talent over clean on the way out is the classy way to go. John Cena similarly did so in his retirement match against Gunther as did AJ Styles.

Stay tuned to VICE for news on WrestleMania 42.

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