Brock Lesnar Leaves SmackDown In Protest Following Vince McMahon Retirement Announcement
It appears Brock Lesnar has left WWE SmackDown, in what reports are calling a response to news that Vince McMahon has officially announced his retirement from WWE. Earlier on Friday, Vince posted on Twitter that at the age of 77, it was time to retire from his active duties in WWE. Stephanie McMahon and Nick Khan were named Co-CEO's of WWE and it wasn't long after that word broke Lesnar left SmackDown.
It's not clear if he walked off or is legitimately angry about the news and trying to stage some sort of protest, but Bryan Alvarez is reporting, "Brock's line was some derivative of, "If he's gone, I'm gone."
This is a massive deal for WWE if Lesnar is upset about the developments behind the scenes and as it pertains to the roles of the executives in the company. SummerSlam is just around the corner and Lesnar was set to face Roman Reigns in the main event for the Undisputed Unified WWE Universal Championship. It may be too early to speculate that this could affect the pay-per-view, but if Lesnar is not actually on SmackDown Friday night, it's not illogical to assume that WWE might have to pivot ahead of the summer's biggest WWE event.
What Happens If Lesnar Isn't Just Blowing Off Steam?
It's understandable that some talent will be upset about news related to Vince's retirement. Fans might be surprised to hear that Lesnar is among those who have a huge issue with it, but one can only hope this is just The Beast Incarnate blowing off steam and taking a minute to vent. The WWE Universe and the company can only hope this isn't related to the McMahon news and that Lesnar will be on SmackDown.
And, if this turns into something longer-term, how the company will handle this is going to a fascinating story to watch. It's not likely they treat Lesnar the same way they've allegedly treated Sasha Banks and Naomi after they left Raw and haven't returned since.
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