BROCK LESNAR SHOCKS WWE OFFICIALS WITH UNPLANNED WRESTLEMANIA 42 RETIREMENT SIGNAL NOW
Brock Lesnar stunned WWE at WrestleMania 42 by retiring off-script. Discover the meaning of the "X" sign and Triple H’s reaction.
A clip of Brock Lesnar making the X gesture after his Wrestlemania 42 match against Oba Femi has been spreading rapidly on social media. Many interpret the symbol as a sign that Lesnar might have deviated from the planned script.
After his emotionally charged match, Lesnar left his gloves and boots in the centre of the ring and shared a heartfelt hug with his on-screen advocate, Paul Heyman.
Viewers quickly speculated that the 48-year-old former UFC star was signalling his retirement, especially given the match’s brevity, just four minutes and 42 seconds, and the surprising nature of the move, which, according to Fightful, caught WWE officials off guard.
Reports suggest WWE hadn’t anticipated Lesnar retiring in Las Vegas. Instead, they expected the announcement to come later, likely at SummerSlam in August, which is set to take place in his hometown of Minneapolis.
After the event, WWE’s chief content officer, Triple H, told ESPN that it seemed that way when asked if Lesnar had made up his mind to retire. He added, “Brock is not a guy who walks back through the curtain to have a long conversation.”
Of course, millions witnessed Lesnar leaving his gear in the ring, while some caught the “X” signal he flashed before embracing Heyman, a gesture historically used in wrestling to signal authenticity or an unplanned moment.
Fans reacted strongly to the incident.
One wrote: During his emotional retirement, Brock Lesnar threw an 'X' sign to Paul Heyman and the cameras. In wrestling, this signal lets everyone know something real and off-script just happened. A truly LEGENDARY end to an ERA.
Another said simply, "Paul Heyman's face says it all," while a third added, "I think Brock made that decision in the ring." I don’t think it was planned or that Paul had any idea it was coming.
Comments like, "This means Heyman didn’t know?" That’s crazy, appearing alongside remarks praising Lesnar’s autonomy, such as He definitely made this decision himself and didn’t let people in on it. Good for him. Legend of the game.
In the aftermath, Triple H, whose real name is Paul Levesque, offered his thoughts on Lesnar, describing him as a unique athlete and paying tribute to his legacy.
“There was no discussion afterwards," he said. “I’ll say this: Brock is probably the most famous combat sports athlete of our generation. No one likes him. People see Brock as this hulking brute, the Beast, but what often gets overlooked is his intelligence as a fighter.
“There comes a time when someone bigger and better pushes you to a point of no return. The smart ones recognise that moment and decide to call it quits.
“I don’t think this was something planned. Brock went into the ring and ran into a wall named Oba.
“Brock faced the next big thing and hit a brick wall. His intelligence told him, ‘Maybe it’s time to call it a day.’ He took off his boots, set down his gloves, and walked away.
“That’s not Brock showing fear. It’s an intelligent man recognising something unstoppable. It speaks as much about Oba as it does about Lesnar.”
He summed up by saying, “What you witnessed was a changing of the guard at the highest level of our business.”
WHY CM PUNK SWATTED A FAN'S PHONE TO PROTECT AJ LEE'S PRIVATE MOMENT
CM Punk was filmed swatting a fan's phone in Las Vegas after WrestleMania 42. Discover the details of the incident and his title loss.
When you look into CM Punk’s eyes, what comes to mind? There’s a sense of him shutting down yet another fan who stepped over the line. We haven’t fully grasped the depth of his frustration, but it’s clear he’s been through tough moments, especially after seeing his aspirations unravel because of the OTC. Setting all the humour aside, Punk didn’t hold back when confronted with a fan filming a private moment. He was actually caught on video swatting a phone away from someone who was recording his wife, AJ Lee, sharing a hug with Bayley at a Las Vegas hotel just hours after what many call “The Super Bowl of Pro Wrestling".
TMZ Sports shared a clip capturing that exact moment when Punk knocked the phone from the fan’s hand. Security quickly moved in to create some space, and Punk’s mentor, Ace Steel, stepped up to help calm things down. The fan kept apologising for recording the personal moment, but Punk replied with, “No, you’re not.” The video ends with him and Lee walking away together.
Punk isn’t alone in voicing concerns about fans pushing boundaries to snap photos or grab autographs. Back in October 2025, he made a pretty clear statement on social media: “We unfortunately have to have this conversation again. Do not turn up at airports. Do not show up at hotels. I cannot believe I have to say this. DO NOT FOLLOW PEOPLE. You’ve repeatedly been politely told no; respect it. You are not a fan; you are a stalker and will be treated as such. Respect the boundaries. Stop harassing people.”
“The Best in the World” is currently recuperating from his last match at WrestleMania 42, where he fell to Roman Reigns in the main event on Sunday night. Punk’s World Heavyweight Championship reign started on November 1, 2025, lasting 169 days with the title. This recent WrestleMania marked the 11th time Reigns headlined the event. It’s been two years since Reigns lost the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship to Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 40, ending an epic 1,316-day run as champion.
CODY RHODES ADMITS PAT MCAFEE'S RANDY ORTON REVEAL IS A "CONFUSED DISASTER"
Cody Rhodes calls Pat McAfee’s reveal the worst reception ever. Discover the WrestleMania 42 plans and the Ari Emanuel mandate.
From the Gobbledy Gooker’s first appearance to the infamous Katie Vick storyline, and WWE’s efforts to position Roman Reigns as a babyface between 2014 and 2020, fans have often pushed back hard against creative directions. But Cody Rhodes takes it even further, calling Pat McAfee’s reveal as Randy Orton’s mystery caller the most poorly received moment in wrestling history.
“This might be the worst reception wrestling has ever seen,” Cody said on SI Media with Jimmy Traina. “Sure, Gobbledy Gooker was bad, Shockmaster was kind of a funny disaster, but this isn’t just a segment, it’s the entire fanbase. Every group you can think of, hardcore wrestling fans, casual viewers, ‘cinematic’ fans, everyone reacted with a big, confused ‘Huh?’ So yeah, I think this tops them all.”
That said, Rhodes isn’t dismissing the situation entirely. Despite the backlash, he’s not concerned about the WrestleMania 42 night one main event. After all, he’s still one-on-one with Randy Orton inside the ring.
“I have to look on the bright side here,” Cody added. “Pat McAfee is a massive star not just in wrestling circles but across ESPN. His College GameDay stuff is legendary, he’s a fantastic athlete, and he genuinely loves wrestling. He’s stepping in to help our show, and I respect that.”
Still, Rhodes is keenly aware of the widespread criticism, online and beyond. “I once said every wrestler’s glued to their phones. I didn’t mean it literally, but we all know what’s going on out there. Seeing this kind of reaction, I’m thinking back to when I was doing Stardust or getting small breaks early in my career, asking myself, ‘How can we turn this into something?’”
What keeps him confident is who he’s facing: Randy Orton. “Honestly, I think Randy’s at the top of his game. Even before he turned on me, crowds were reacting to him like never before; there was a real respect and love there. After John left, Randy stepped up big, maybe the best he’s ever been. I even watched his match with The Undertaker recently, and he wrestled so differently, you could call it some of his finest work.”
That gives Rhodes faith that the match will deliver from start to finish. “Where does Pat fit into this? I’m honestly excited to get in the ring with him in the mix. When you ask for that spot, you have to stand up and take it. Some guys shy away. John Cena dealt with it for years, and now I’m going through it too.”
Pat McAfee’s role as Orton’s mystery caller was revealed on April 3’s SmackDown, and he’ll be ringside when Orton takes on Cody for the Undisputed WWE Championship at WrestleMania 42.
The decision to bring McAfee into the storyline reportedly came from TKO CEO Ari Emanuel, aiming to boost ticket sales and strengthen WWE’s ties with ESPN. But the move sparked immediate backlash, not only from fans but also from within WWE locker rooms, uneasy about McAfee’s addition to the Rhodes-Orton rivalry.
Interestingly, the original plan included Jelly Roll in Cody’s corner for WrestleMania 42 as well. That setup would have led to a tag match at Backlash: Pat McAfee & Randy Orton versus Jelly Roll & Cody Rhodes. As of last week, that plan was still on the table.
