Former UFC champion Brock Lesnar may be back sooner than we first expected—but it might actually be with a former employer, the WWE.
Long-time pro wrestling reporter Dave Meltzer wrote today in the Wrestling Observer that Lesnar has “either made a deal or at least [is] in very serious negotiations to have a business relationship with WWE.”
Lesnar remains hugely popular with the WWE audience and has been linked to many returns in the past after he left the company to pursue a career in the NFL in 2004.
“It is not to wrestle, and as far as what we’ve heard, would also not be as a television character,” Meltzer continued.
Top WWE superstar CM Punk delivered a memorable promo this past Monday on WWE’s RAW program where he mentioned both Brock Lesnar and his on-screen manager, friend and book partner Paul Heyman.
According to Meltzer’s report, both Heyman and Lesnar are in negotiations with the WWE.
As it is an entertainment industry, there are many opportunities for work off-camera for both men. But MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani also indicated that the deal could simply be a merchandise agreement.
Lesnar pulled out of his scheduled UFC 131 main event fight with Junior dos Santos, citing a second bout with the disease diverticulitis, which gave him a major health scare not long after he won the UFC heavyweight championship. He was replaced in the main event by Shane Carwin, and his return date has not yet been finalized.
Update:
According to Jeremy Botter of HEAVY, there have been absolutely no discussions to bring back either Lesnar or Heyman as on-screen characters in WWE.
The discussions have been for a WWE-related consumer products deal which the WWE has no final say in and are not involved in negotiations.
Paul Heyman will not be involved in said product.
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