Triple H has subtly revealed Brock Lesnar’s in-ring return date on WWE SmackDown

Brock Lesnar made a stunning return to WWE following the conclusion of the main event of Night Two of SummerSlam three weeks ago. Mr. SummerSlam returned to lay out recently turned babyface John Cena, who had just lost the WWE Championship to Cody Rhodes.

Ever since, speculation had been rampant as to when Lesnar and Cena would be facing off inside the squared circle, and when WWE and ESPN announced that next month's Wrestlepalooza would mark the WWE Premium Live Events' switch from Peacock to ESPN's direct-to-consumer service domestically in the United States, plans regarding the match became somewhat clear.

As announced via WWE & ESPN, "Wrestlepalooza will feature a blockbuster headline attraction with John Cena." In case that still leaves any doubt, the ending of last night's SmackDown saw SmackDown GM Nick Aldis try to approach Cena with some news regarding Brock Lesnar.

Before he could divulge the information, though, Logan Paul got some revenge from earlier in the night, as he blindsided John Cena with a knockout punch to lay him out. That, unfortunately, meant that we never heard what Nick Aldis had to say with regard to The Beast Incarnate.

Nevertheless, with Lesnar being mentioned on tonight's show and in the press release related to Wrestlepalooza, it is evident that The Last Real Champion will be facing one of his toughest foes in The Beast on September 20, as WWE debuts on ESPN with Wrestlepalooza.

As for the ambiguous nature of the situation regarding when Brock Lesnar and John Cena would lock horns until last night, that seems to have been the case precisely because of the corporate maneuvering behind the scenes involving WWE, ESPN, and NBC.

The WWE-ESPN deal was initially scheduled to kick off in 2026, but with the announcement of Wrestlepalooza and the expedited move, it seems clear that the global juggernaut, creatively led by Triple H, wants Cena vs. Lesnar to be the blockbuster mainstream match that headlines its maiden PLE on the popular sports network.

---

Brock Lesnar's last WWE match was over two years ago

Brock Lesnar made his return to WWE at SummerSlam earlier this month, almost two years to the day since his last appearance, when he lost to Cody Rhodes at The Biggest Party of The Summer. That match concluded an outstanding trilogy between Rhodes and Lesnar, with The Beast taking time off following that PLE.

Soon following that, details began to emerge regarding the Janel Grant lawsuit against Vince McMahon and WWE. Brock was initially referenced and later named in the lawsuit. Nevertheless, he was reportedly legally cleared by TKO's legal team a few days before SummerSlam.

Given his importance to both WWE and UFC, the sheer magnitude of his drawing power, and how synonymous he has been with legitimizing WWE, it seemed like a no-brainer business decision for TKO to bring him back, although discourse regarding the same among fans has been polarizing.

However, regardless of the optics and perception, as Triple H infamously said on the SummerSlam Night Two post-show, "You want Brock? You got him."