Brock Lesnar to return immediately after Hall of Famer retires & win his 11th World Title? Chances explored

Brock Lesnar has been absent from WWE since August 2023. His last match was against Cody Rhodes at SummerSlam that year, where he suffered a loss. There were rumors of his return to the company last year, but those plans were reportedly nixed after he was named in Janel Grant's lawsuit against Vince McMahon and the promotion.

Meanwhile, Goldberg's retirement match appears to be on the horizon, finally, and all signs point to newly crowned World Heavyweight Champion Gunther being the man to retire the Hall of Famer. While no official announcements have been made yet, the bout has been teased on WWE programming multiple times and seems like a logical final chapter for the WCW veteran.

Multiple reports suggest that the retirement bout could take place in the coming months, possibly at Saturday Night's Main Event on July 12 in Goldberg's hometown of Atlanta, GA. The show will, of course, be live nationwide on NBC and will go head-to-head with AEW All In: Texas.

In fact, Gunther, who defeated Jey Uso for the World Heavyweight Championship on RAW this past Monday, reportedly won back the title because Triple H believes that Goldberg's final match would only be embellished with the title on the line.

The former Universal Champion is expected to return as early as this coming Monday on RAW. With the World Heavyweight Title around The Ring General's waist, the stakes are as high as they get for the former WCW icon to ride into the sunset. But once Goldberg is gone, the question becomes: who challenges Gunther next? Could it be Brock Lesnar? The match writes itself.

Lesnar vs. Gunther has been on the WWE Universe's dream match list for years. The two behemoths have come face-to-face once at the 2023 Men's Royal Rumble match, but never squared off, and their clash would be an absolute war of attrition. The Beast Incarnate would undoubtedly be a top choice for a SummerSlam World Title match. In fact, after Goldberg, if one were to consider who should retire Brock Lesnar, the Austrian star would once again be one of the top candidates for the honor.

But here's the thing: this match almost became a reality last year. Gunther vs. Brock Lesnar was reportedly planned for WrestleMania 40. However, the bout was canceled due to Janel Grant's lawsuit.

And that's the big roadblock. Even in the world of professional wrestling, reality looms large. Brock Lesnar's name in the aforementioned lawsuit makes his return highly improbable, at least for the near future. TKO would need Lesnar to be legally cleared before bringing him back into the fold. And given the murky nature of the case, that clearance might not come in time for SummerSlam.

The potential of Brock Lesnar's return, a feud with Gunther, and how Goldberg could spawn it

If circumstances shift, and Lesnar is deemed free to return and comes back for one final run, this may be the most monumental match for him, with other first-time opponents including Bron Breakker, Jacob Fatu, and more.

Brock Lesnar may not have anything to prove, but based solely on his professional pedigree, the UFC legend does deserve a final run.

A victory against Gunther would make him an 11-time World Champion, and in doing so, he'd put a final exclamation mark on an already-legendary career. But until the legal dust settles, it's a dream that remains on pause.

A showdown against The Ring General for the championship would be money, and the perfect follow-up to Gunther after his rumored match against Goldberg. Lesnar could step in with a vengeance, looking to avenge the man he once feuded with intensely, despite their animosity.

It may sound ironic, but in pro wrestling, stories often come full circle in twisted ways. Lesnar and Goldberg's rivalry was legendary. After their infamous mutual farewell match at WrestleMania XX, The Beast Incarnate lost to Da Man in a shocker at Survivor Series 2016 upon the latter's return, and then beat him at WrestleMania 33 to win the Universal Championship. It was physical, brutal, and real, adjectives that define Gunther.

In a strange way, Lesnar defending Goldberg's legacy against Gunther could be a great instance of wrestling being poetry, as much as it is about two massive men beating the bejesus out of each other.