Brock Lesnar has made his return to WWE, and recent reports suggest that he remained on the company's payroll throughout his two-year absence. Initial claims indicated that WWE kept his original salary intact during this period. However, these assertions may not be entirely accurate.
According to Dave Meltzer from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Lesnar's contract remained unchanged despite facing legal challenges. Meltzer noted that Lesnar was never suspended and was under a full contract during his hiatus, which began in 2023 after his match against Cody Rhodes at Summerslam.
To clarify Lesnar's status, Billi Bhatti discussed the situation on the Dirty Sheets’ Wrestling Informer podcast, refuting the claims that WWE continued to pay him during his absence. He also criticized Meltzer's previous updates regarding the former WWE Champion.
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“Let’s say that Brock Lesnar has made half a million for no reason, so WWE could use their image, which they didn’t do anyway — it has only really cost WWE half a million dollars. He’s not received anywhere near six to ten million for sitting at home. He’s received half a million. Dave Meltzer’s wrong, and so is every f*cking moron that piggybacks off Dave Meltzer and makes their own stuff,” Bhatti stated.
According to Bhatti, Lesnar's contract post-2021 included $100,000 for each television appearance, $500,000 for pay-per-view events, $1 million for events in Saudi Arabia, and a $500,000 annual fee for image rights. From 2012 to 2020, Lesnar was under larger guaranteed contracts as WWE's top box office draw.
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Lesnar had a brief retirement in 2020, but Vince McMahon brought him back on a pay-per-appearance basis, which was the arrangement during the Janel Grant controversy that led to his removal from WWE programming in 2024. He made his comeback at Summerslam 2025, where John Cena and Cody Rhodes competed fiercely for the WWE Championship at MetLife Stadium.
Brock Lesnar's Return Highlights
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