ESPN distances itself from Brock Lesnar's WWE return

ESPN has distanced itself from Brock Lesnar’s controversial return to WWE at SummerSlam last month. The Beast made a shocking return to the promotion after being away for two years.

Lesnar’s absence from WWE largely had to do with him being named in the Janel Grant lawsuit filed against former WWE chairman and CEO Vince McMahon. Lesnar is now set to compete against John Cena at Wrestlepalooza, the first WWE premium live event to stream on ESPN as part of a five-year deal between the two platforms.

During the WWE-ESPN media call ahead of Wrestlepalooza at the weekend, reporter Jon Alba asked ESPN executives about Brock Lesnar’s involvement at the PLE, despite being named in active lawsuits.

Alba was told that WWE has complete creative control over who appears on its shows and that is not something that ESPN controls.

Alba shared the following post on X (Twitter):

ESPN further clarified that WWE is in charge of its storylines, and they don’t request certain talent.

Lesnar’s return to WWE raised a lot of questions and divided fans. WWE was criticized for bringing him back despite his name being in the ongoing lawsuit against Vince McMahon.

Brock Lesnar attacked John Cena on SmackDown

Two weeks ago on SmackDown, John Cena competed against Sami Zayn for the United States Championship. This was Cena’s last appearance on SmackDown as an active WWE performer.

An engaging match was interrupted by The Beast, making his first appearance since SummerSlam. Lesnar first hit an F-5 on Zayn and then turned his attention toward Cena.

The Beast Incarnate delivered a thunderous F-5 to the Unseen-17. He would deliver another F-5 on Cena before walking off.

Brock Lesnar LEVELS John Cena and Sami Zayn with F5s: SmackDown highlights, Sept. 5, 2025

Backstage, Lesnar challenged Cena to a match at Wrestlepalooza, which was soon made official. The two storied rivals are now set to clash for one last time on September 20.

About the author

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Sherjeel Malik is a writer at Sportskeeda and covers pro wrestling. He was hooked on the product from the moment he saw The Hardy Boyz jumping off ladders during the Attitude Era. While he comes from an engineering background, Sherjeel’s love for pro wrestling and content writing led him to pursue a career in sports journalism. Before assuming his current role at Sportskeeda, Sherjeel worked at other reputable organizations for five years.

While writing articles, he ensures that he only relies on credible sources for information and covers relevant subjects that do not project an agenda against a particular person or association. WWE legend Paul Heyman once shared Sherjeel’s work on his social media handle.

Sherjeel’s earliest memory of pro wrestling is watching Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Undertaker square off for the WWE Title in the main event of a pay-per-view in 1998. His favorite wrestlers are Randy Orton and Jeff Hardy. While he admires Orton for his character work as a heel, he looks up to Jeff because of his unique wrestling style and risk-taking ability.

If he could go back to the Attitude Era, Sherjeel would like to manage Ken Shamrock and be his mouthpiece. He feels Shamrock’s promo skills prevented him from becoming a main event-level act in WWE. Hence, he would like to help the UFC Hall of Famer get over with fans.

When not writing about pro wrestling, he likes to read classics and fiction books.

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