Apr 2, 2023; Inglewood, CA, USA; Brock Lesnar during Wrestlemania Night 2 at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

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Daniel Cormier’s Brock Lesnar ‘Ban’ Claim Falls Flat as ‘The Beast Incarnate’ Shocks Fans with Return!

Brock Lesnar silences speculation with a dramatic comeback appearance, pushing back against Daniel Cormier’s bold declaration!

Apr 2, 2023; Inglewood, CA, USA; Brock Lesnar during Wrestlemania Night 2 at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Sometimes the best way to prove someone wrong is to just show up. That’s exactly what Brock Lesnar did at WWE’s SummerSlam event. This made Daniel Cormier’s recent “banned list” comments look pretty foolish in hindsight. The former UFC heavyweight champion has always been unpredictable, but his surprise return to the wrestling ring caught everyone off guard.

Lesnar’s career has been nothing if not wild. The guy went from amateur wrestling champion to WWE superstar. He then shocked the MMA world by becoming UFC heavyweight champion in just his fourth professional fight. He knocked out the legendary Randy Couture to win that belt, defended it twice, and then walked away from fighting while still relatively young. His ability to seamlessly move between worlds, from fake fighting to real fighting and back again has always made him one of the most fascinating athletes in combat sports.

Daniel Cormier’s Confident ‘Banned’ Statement Goes Up In Smoke

Just weeks before Lesnar’s shocking return, Daniel Cormier had been pretty adamant about the wrestler’s status with the company. During an interview with UFC legend Demetrious Johnson, Cormier laughed off any possibility of seeing Lesnar back in action. He claimed the former champion was on some kind of “banned list” and suggested we might never even hear his name mentioned again by the company.

“I mean, Brock is on the banned list right now…Oh dude, Brock got into so much trouble.I ain’t telling you on air what Brock did. Brock is in so much trouble.”

The former light heavyweight and heavyweight champion clearly felt confident in his insider knowledge.The background to Lesnar’s absence had been murky at best. He was officially named in a lawsuit against former WWE boss Vince McMahon, though the company never officially stated whether that was the reason for his disappearance from programming. His last WWE appearance had been at SummerSlam 2023, where he faced Cody Rhodes. Everyone expected him to have several matches throughout 2024, but those plans never materialized amid various controversies swirling around him.

Brock Lesnar’s Surprise Return Silences Doubters

Sunday night at MetLife Stadium proved that reports of Lesnar’s professional ban had been greatly exaggerated. After John Cena defeated Cody Rhodes in their match, fans heard that familiar entrance music that can still send chills down spines. Lesnar emerged looking every bit the intimidating presence he’s always been, despite being 48 years old and away from the ring for two years.

Lesnar wasted no time getting to the ring. He delivered his signature F5 move to Cena, much to the delight of the New Jersey crowd. He grabbed his cowboy hat and disappeared backstage just as quickly as he had arrived. Triple H’s simple tweet afterward :”The Beast is back.” This confirmed what everyone had just witnessed.

BROCK. LESNAR. IS. BACK.
HERE COMES THE PAIN! 👊 pic.twitter.com/uR2z9RVoZu
— WWE (@WWE) August 4, 2025

The wrestling and MMA worlds are now connected more than ever under the TKO Group umbrella. Lesnar represents that crossover appeal better than almost anyone. Cormier’s confident prediction about Lesnar being permanently sidelined now looks like wishful thinking rather than insider information and he is catching a lot of flak from fans for this one!

(Image Credit: Joe Camporeale – Imagn Images)

Brock Lesnar

Daniel Cormier

Zaid Quraishi

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I am a dedicated MMA and Boxing content writer at The Playoffs. I was instantly hooked on MMA after watching the fight between Lyoto Machida vs. Gegard Mousasi back in 2014, and since then, i have been an avid writer with a deep love for the sport and its techniques, providing readers with a thorough understanding of the sport. My favorite aspect of working at The Playoffs is the creative freedom it provides. The diverse range of topics, from listicles and SEO to news articles, keeps me engaged and motivates me to continuously improve my skills! I aim to capture the excitement of the combat sports world in my writing, acting as the middleman between fighters and their die-hard fans. It is kind of like a referee, but with words!