Oba Femi and Brock Lesnar during Sunday’s clash
Wrestling great Brock Lesnar has hinted at retirement after losing to Nigerian-born star Oba Femi in the opening match of WrestleMania 42 Night 2 on Sunday, April 19.
Lesnar, one of WWE’s most dominant performers in recent history, lost to the 27-year-old Femi in a brief, one-sided heavyweight clash at Allegiant Stadium in Nevada.
Known as “The Beast Incarnate”, Lesnar and Femi locked up in a collar-and-elbow tie-up before exchanging power moves.
The 48-year-old briefly sent his younger opponent to “Suplex City” and hit an F-5. Still, Femi no-sold the signature move, fired back with a series of European uppercuts, and finished Lesnar with a chokeslam followed by his Fall From Grace finisher for the pinfall.
After the bell, the atmosphere in the stadium shifted, with Lesnar remaining seated in the centre of the ring as the crowd began chanting, “Thank you, Brock.”
He slowly removed his gloves and boots — a longstanding symbolic gesture in professional wrestling signalling retirement — and left the gear behind.
His long-time advocate, Paul Heyman, then entered the ring; the two men shared an emotional embrace as Lesnar waved to the fans before walking out.
WWE has not officially confirmed Lesnar’s retirement.
However, the visual of the discarded gear, the embrace with Heyman, and the crowd’s reaction were widely interpreted by fans globally as a farewell.
Lesnar debuted in WWE in 2002 and quickly became a multiple world champion.
He is a 10-time WWE Champion, a two-time Royal Rumble winner, and the only person to win both the WWE Championship and the UFC Heavyweight Championship.
He headlined numerous WrestleMania events and feuded with legends including Kurt Angle, The Undertaker, John Cena, Roman Reigns, and Cody Rhodes.
Femi, whose real name is Isaac Odugbesan, was born in Lagos, Nigeria, on April 22, 1998.
A former standout shot-putter at the University of Alabama, he signed with WWE through its NIL programme in 2021, debuted on NXT in 2022, and became the youngest NXT North American Champion and the first NIL athlete to win a WWE title.
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