Paul Heyman had heard Brock Lesnar say he was done with pro wrestling plenty of times before. But after WWE SummerSlam, Heyman knew this time was different, and there was no talking Lesnar out of it.
Speaking on Six Feet Under with The Undertaker, released Wednesday, August 19, Heyman said Lesnar had a habit of treating every new contract like it would be his last.
“This is my last contract. This is it.”
Heyman said Lesnar genuinely believed it every time he said it, but would usually change his mind as the contract wound down. On other occasions, it didn’t take much to talk him into staying.
This time, though, Heyman could tell Lesnar wasn’t just caught up in the emotion of the moment. The decision had already been made.
“But I knew that this was it. Because he knew that this was it.”
Lesnar’s final match took place on August 1, night one of SummerSlam, at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. Oba Femi defeated him in a Hell in a Cell match, handing Lesnar his first loss inside the structure. After the match, Lesnar embraced Femi and declared him the future of WWE.
The bout capped a trilogy between the two. Femi had defeated Lesnar at WrestleMania 42 on April 19, after which Lesnar left his boots and gloves in the ring in what appeared to be a retirement moment. Lesnar returned, however, and beat Femi at Clash in Italy on May 31.
On August 4, three days after SummerSlam, Lesnar appeared on The Pat McAfee Show and officially announced his retirement. WWE subsequently confirmed the end of his 24-year career.