By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
WWE has removed Brock Lesnar from their online lineup for tonight’s Smackdown television show. Meanwhile, Bryan Alvarez of WrestlingObserver.com reported that Lesnar walked out of the Smackdown host venue after learning of Vince McMahon’s retirement from WWE.
Powell’s POV: WWE issued an email lineup that included Lesnar 45 minutes before this story was published, but he is no longer listed on the main page at WWE.com. The company has not made any official announcement regarding Lesnar’s status. Lesnar’s Last Man Standing match with Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at SummerSlam remains advertised on the WWE website as of this update.
Update: Lesnar appeared on Smackdown in the show closing segment.
Smackdown better pop a damn huge rating tonight with all this shit going on.
I read that Brock said, “If he’s gone, I’m gone.” Can that really be true?
I mean, he made Brock a household name, let him try the NFL and UFC when he wanted to, always brought him back on top, and let him work a light schedule. That doesn’t even count meeting his wife there. I can see a guy like Brock being that loyal.
Vince will ask him to finish the job first before he quits. And Brock will listen.
Sounds like that wasnt the case.
So did they say Brock was unprofessional on air like they did Sasha and Naomi? Didn’t think so.
Why would they say he was unprofessional, he was on the show?
My bad. I didn’t watch the show, I just went off the articles here.
The articles here were based on Bryan Alvarez’s bullshit 101 “reporting.” Jason at least had the smarts to not run with all the crazy stuff that some of the worst dirt sheets (Cultaholic, WrestleTalk, etc.) were throwing out there, like saying that WWE had contacted Goldberg to try and get him in as a last second replacement for Brock.
The biggest thing to remember is if Alvarez, Meltzer, etc. report it, they’re likely being worked by WWE to draw attention to the product. There’s a reason why the WSJ broke all the Vince news over the last couple of months, and it has to do with them having real journalists on their payroll instead of a couple of leeches who write terrible newsletters and do even worse podcasts.
Brock did leave. He ended up returning. Bryan’s reporting was accurate in that he wrote that Lesnar left and they were trying to get him back. Just pointing out the facts because it’s the fair thing to do.