Creative plans for WrestleMania 42 continue to shift, and a new report suggests that one match remains unsettled due to a major roadblock involving Brock Lesnar. According to Ibou of Self Made, Lesnar has reportedly made it clear that he does not want to lose on “The Grandest Stage of Them All” or at any point leading up to his retirement. This has created a significant challenge for WWE as they attempt to finalize the card.

When a fan asked Ibou who Lesnar is expected to face at WrestleMania, he said that WWE still has no answer. Ibou explained: “Here’s the problem. They know that the audience wants Oba [Femi]. Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman essentially have communicated to WWE and WWE creative that Brock should not job until his retirement. So, that presents WWE with a unique issue. Because, [Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque] would like to book, at some point, GUNTHER vs. Brock and Oba vs. Brock. But, if he books those matches, Brock would lose in both matches.”

Ibou added that this situation has put WWE’s creative team in a “conundrum.” Because of that, one idea discussed in the writers’ room was a match between Lesnar and LA Knight. That rumor surfaced in mid‑February and was met with heavy criticism from fans online. Despite the backlash, Ibou said he believes the match could still happen.

Lesnar and Paul Heyman issued an open challenge on the February 23 episode of WWE RAW to determine Lesnar’s WrestleMania opponent. The segment also revealed Lesnar’s remaining TV dates before the event. With Lesnar rumored to retire at this year’s SummerSlam in Minnesota—his adopted home state and the home of the University of Minnesota—WWE is under pressure to book his final months carefully.

As WrestleMania 42 approaches, the uncertainty around Lesnar’s match continues to affect creative planning. Whether WWE can find an opponent who fits Lesnar’s conditions while satisfying fan expectations remains one of the biggest questions heading into the event.

Brock Lesnar WrestleMania 42 Plans Delayed Over Refusal to Lose

AdvertisementAdvertisement

John Morrison has shared new details about the night he ended up replacing Chris Benoit at WWE Vengeance 2007, a moment shaped by one of the most tragic weekends in wrestling history.

Benoit was scheduled to face CM Punk for the vacant ECW Championship, but after he no‑showed the event, Morrison was chosen as the last‑minute replacement. Hours later, the wrestling world learned of the horrific events involving Benoit’s family.

During his appearance on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Morrison explained how unexpected the situation was. He said he was only at the show as a standby talent and had no expectation of wrestling on the pay‑per‑view.

He recalled: “So we’re at Vengeance 2007, not everyone’s there. It’s a pay-per-view, but I happen to be there. The ECW roster didn’t have a lot of representation at that particular event. Say call time, I think it was maybe 2 p.m.. I was like a standby. I was booked to be there, maybe have a dark match, I don’t know. So, say call time is 1 p.m., everything’s fine. I’m just in catering. Around 3 p.m., I hear Chris Benoit hasn’t showed up, and if he doesn’t show up, I might need to fill in or something. Okay, sure, he’ll be there, though, it’s Chris.”

As the situation escalated, Morrison and Kevin Thorne were called into talent relations. Morrison continued: “4:30/5 p.m., me and Mordecai – Kevin Thorne – get called into talent relations, the two of us, and we’re told, ‘Hey, can’t get hold of Chris Benoit. He’s not here, and if he’s not here in another hour or two, it’s going to be one of you two guys versus CM Punk. We don’t want to let the crowd down by having the replacement lose. So whoever it is between you two is gonna win.’ So we kind of like both looked at each other like, ‘I hope it’s me.’ I don’t know who made that decision with that call [for Morrison to win], but I’d had a lot more TV time consistently than he had up to that point. Whoever made that decision? Thank you. I agree. Good call.”

When the truth about the Benoit tragedy became public, Morrison said the emotional impact overshadowed his title win.

He admitted: “I felt like crap. I felt so guilty just for being happy with something that came to be because of the tragedy that we’ve all heard about and talked about ad nauseam. It’s still tough for me to be happy about how everything came about. I’m happy that I got that match and my career took like a huge turn upwards because of everything. It’s just a very confusing thing to benefit from a tragedy, even if you really had nothing to do with it.”

Morrison left WWE in 2011, returned nearly eight years later, and stayed for two more years before parting ways again. Since 2022, he has been active in AEW, where he said during the same interview that he feels underutilized. His reflection on WWE Vengeance 2007 shows how a career‑changing moment can also carry deep emotional conflict, especially when tied to such devastating circumstances.

The story remains a reminder of how real‑life tragedy can reshape a performer’s career, and why the topic of John Morrison replacing Chris Benoit continues to draw interest.

AdvertisementAdvertisement