One of the biggest stories to come out of this weekend's WrestleMania 42 two-night card was the surprise retirement of WWE icon Brock Lesnar. After losing to Oba Femi in just four minutes, "The Beast" took off his gloves and shoes, placed them in the middle of the ring and waved goodbye to the fans.
It seemed like he gave fans a surprise retirement, or maybe not. According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer, sources told him that decision-makers in WWE are under the impression that Lesnar is not actually retired, but is expected to officially end his career in 2026, "likely."
If Brock Lesnar isn't officially retired, let's take a look at five potential opponents if he gets a great sendoff like John Cena and Goldberg.
gunther
Lesnar's final opponent is likely to be the same man who eliminated Goldberg, Cena and AJ Styles in their last match, Gunther. He is now known as the "Career Killer" and it would be fitting for him to add to his impressive hit list by putting Lesnar to sleep. However, this is very predictable and will remove a lot of excitement from a potential match. Plus, at this point, Gunther doesn't really need it.
source breaker
Another interesting choice for Lesnar's final opponent is Braun Breaker. With the career of a man named Paul Heyman in sunset, the legendary manager has made Breaker his new No. 1 client. It seems fitting for Breaker to violently send "The Beast" into retirement and would be a huge win for the second generation star.
bronson reed
If not Breaker, his The Vision faction partner, Bronson Reed, would be a more sensible choice. He has already won over Roman Reigns. Therefore, getting a win over Lesnar would be another great achievement for him. Additionally, Reed is a talented wrestler who would offer a unique opponent for the future Hall of Famer. Additionally, it would be interesting to see Lesnar take Reed to Suplex City.
cm Punk
WWE could go a completely different direction for Lesnar's final match and put him in the ring with another legend like CM Punk. There is no bigger star than Punk in the company. So a SummerSlam rematch of their "The Best vs. The Beast" showdown from over a decade ago would be an easy main event for this summer's two-night mega event.
la night
The idea of Lesnar taking one final loss in order to promote a new talent often comes with the assumption that it must be a young performer. However, a fan-favorite like LA Knight would benefit greatly from getting a win over Lesnar, especially in their last match.
It would be a unique clash of styles and personalities, and Knight was an early rumor to face Lesnar at WrestleMania this year. So the company may have already considered this idea.
