Brock Lesnar appears at WWE WrestleMania 42 in April. [Getty Images]
Brock Lesnar appears at WWE WrestleMania 42 in April. [Getty Images]

Brock Lesnar, 49, the American legend who reached the pinnacle of both professional wrestling and mixed martial arts, has announced his retirement from the entertainment industry.

Lesnar appeared on ESPN's Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday (local time), three days after competing at WWE SummerSlam at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Saturday. He said the SummerSlam appearance would be his last in sports entertainment.

"There's still plenty left in the pro wrestling industry and in me, but Brock Lesnar's career is completely over after Saturday's match — not just inside the ring, but in every sense," he said.

"The match three days ago was very emotional. When Oba Femi threw me around at WWE WrestleMania three months ago, I thought, 'I can never do this again,'" he said, adding that he was satisfied to have been able to compete once more three months later.

Though his age would allow him to continue on the scripted pro wrestling stage, his resolve remained firm. Throughout this year, he had repeatedly hinted at stepping away both inside and outside the arena.

Lesnar won the NCAA Division I national championship while attending the University of Minnesota in 2000. In WWE, he defeated Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson with his finishing move, the F5, in 2002 and went on to claim the heavyweight title multiple times, overwhelming opponents with his charisma and raw power.

He left professional wrestling in 2004 to pursue a career in the NFL but failed to make a regular roster and pivoted to combat sports. He made his major debut in 2007 at K-1 Heroes Dynamite, defeating South Korean fighter Kim Min-su, known as "The Shark." He then moved to the UFC and captured the heavyweight championship in 2008 by defeating Randy Couture.

A prolonged battle with diverticulitis cut short his fighting career. In his final MMA bout at UFC 200 in July 2016, he defeated Mark Hunt, but the result was overturned after he tested positive for a banned substance. His overall record stands at five wins and three losses.

Away from the spotlight, Lesnar has long preferred a quiet life. Since 2014, he has lived with his family on a farm near Maryfield in Saskatchewan, Canada — a lifestyle that makes it unlikely he will pursue a second career as a film actor or in any other public-facing role.


yjc@heraldcorp.com