Bully Ray believes Brock Lesnar’s surprise return to WWE RAW should not be viewed as a shock, because neither Lesnar nor WWE ever used the word “retirement.” Speaking on the Busted Open podcast, he said the idea that Lesnar had stepped away was based entirely on fan assumption, not anything stated on television.

Ray pointed out that what many interpreted as a retirement moment at WrestleMania 42 was never confirmed by WWE. He explained, “You never heard those words come out of Brock’s mouth. At least I don’t think we did, not on WWE television, not on one of their podcasts. The WWE never touted Brock Lesnar is officially retired. As a matter of fact, they were saying ‘what’s next for Brock Lesnar,’ and I find that a very interesting choice of words post-WrestleMania.”

Lesnar left his boots and MMA gloves in the ring after losing to Oba Femi at WrestleMania 42, hugged Paul Heyman, and walked away in a moment that looked like a farewell. WWE later moved his profile to the alumni section of WWE.com, which added to the speculation. However, PWInsider reported last week that Lesnar is still listed internally as an active performer and considered a free agent.

Ray said those mixed signals made the return feel logical rather than contradictory. He added, “He never said I’m retiring. We just speculated it. The way he took off his boots and gloves, I got why he did it. You could always bait a person in. He got beat. What better way to sucker someone in than to make them believe you have retired?”

Tommy Dreamer noted that WWE’s own storyline hinted at retirement paperwork being filed, with Adam Pearce referencing it backstage. But he agreed the details were vague enough to allow Lesnar to return without breaking continuity.

Ray also suggested what he believes would be the perfect promo for Lesnar to deliver now that he is back. He said, “If the promo is from Brock: I never retired. I never said I was retired. All of you people said I was retired. You all speculated, but I never said it, and unless I say it, it doesn’t mean anything. So now I’m officially saying it. And I will officially retire, if you can defeat me, Oba Femi, at SummerSlam in Minneapolis.”

On WWE RAW, Paul Heyman appeared backstage and presented Adam Pearce with a contract for Clash in Italy already signed by Lesnar, leaving only Oba Femi’s signature to make the match official.

Bully Ray Says Brock Lesnar Never Actually Announced Retirement

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