WWE Stars REFUSE To Work With Brock Lesnar After His Violent Return

Brock Lesnar Returned From Retirement to Destroy the Man Who Beat Him — And the Raw Roster Is Terrified

At WrestleMania 42, Brock Lesnar lost to Oba Femi in dominant fashion. Femi planted him with a choke slam and a Fall from Grace. Lesnar sat in the middle of the ring, removed his gloves and boots, and left them on the mat — the universal wrestling symbol of retirement.

He hugged Paul Heyman, who broke down in tears. The crowd gave him a standing ovation. Triple H later said it “certainly seemed” like the end. WWE moved Lesnar’s profile to the alumni section of its website. A video package aired honoring his career. Everything pointed to one conclusion: The Beast was done.

Then, one month later on Monday Night Raw, Brock Lesnar came out of retirement to answer a question nobody else in the locker room was willing to touch.

The Open Challenge That Broke the Roster

After beating Lesnar at WrestleMania, Oba Femi launched an open challenge every week on Raw. The concept was simple: anyone could step up and test themselves against the new dominant force.

In practice, it became a horror show.

Grayson Waller and Otis were dismantled in quick, one-sided beatings. Femi overwhelmed them with heavy throws, corner attacks, and his signature Fall from Grace powerbomb.

Then, on the May 11th episode, something remarkable happened.

Femi came to the ring for his open challenge. The crowd waited. Nobody answered. Raw General Manager Adam Pearce had to come out and announce that nobody backstage was willing to step up. The entire Raw roster — world champions, Royal Rumble winners, and established main event talent — collectively decided they wanted no part of Oba Femi that night.

It wasn’t cowardice. It was self-preservation. They had all watched what Femi did to Brock Lesnar.

Femi didn’t accept the empty ring. He stormed backstage and physically dragged Los Garza (Angel Garza and Humberto Carrillo) to the ring for an impromptu handicap match. He destroyed both men in under a minute, then looked into the camera and called the entire locker room cowards.

The Beast Heard the Call

One week later, on May 18th in Greensboro, North Carolina, the open challenge segment began again. Femi made his entrance. The lights dimmed. And then Brock Lesnar attacked from the shadows.

When the lights came back on, Oba Femi had taken four consecutive F5s.

Lesnar demolished the man who had beaten him at WrestleMania, then stormed up the ramp shouting, “I don’t give a fuck.”

The same man who left his boots in the ring at WrestleMania. The same man whose profile had been moved to the alumni page. The same man Paul Heyman had seemingly confirmed was retired on television.

That man was back — and he was angry.

Later in the show, Paul Heyman casually handed Raw GM Adam Pearce a contract for Clash in Italy already signed by Brock Lesnar. Heyman smirked and said if Pearce could get Femi’s signature, they would have the biggest rematch in history.

Only in professional wrestling. Only with Paul Heyman. Only with Brock Lesnar.

This Is What Brock Lesnar Does

Lesnar’s violent return fits a very specific pattern that has defined his entire career.

He does what he wants, when he wants. And if you’re in his way, that’s your problem.

Throughout his career, Lesnar has repeatedly refused to work with people he didn’t respect or didn’t feel were on his level. Former head writer Brian James confirmed that Lesnar once flat-out said backstage, “I’m not working with him,” regarding Jinder Mahal. He reportedly refused a match with Kevin Owens. He was skeptical about working with Dean Ambrose at WrestleMania 32. He even initially refused to end The Undertaker’s undefeated streak at WrestleMania 30 out of respect, only agreeing after The Undertaker personally gave him his blessing.

Brock Lesnar has never been shy about making his feelings known — whether through his booking choices or, as he did on the May 18th episode of Raw, through four unprotected F5s to the head of the man who beat him.

The Roster’s Fear vs. Lesnar’s Audacity

The narrative that “WWE stars are refusing to work with Brock Lesnar” misses the real story.

What actually happened was brilliant, layered booking.

After Femi destroyed Lesnar at WrestleMania, the question became: how do you follow that up? WWE’s answer was to let the roster’s refusal become part of the story itself. By having no one answer Femi’s open challenge, they reinforced just how dominant and feared he had become.

That vacuum — an empty ring with no challenger — was exactly the space Brock Lesnar stepped into.

While the entire Raw locker room stayed backstage, the 48-year-old part-timer who had supposedly retired looked at Oba Femi and decided to come back.

What Happens Next

Lesnar is now scheduled to face Oba Femi at Clash in Italy on May 31, 2026 — less than two weeks after his shocking return.

There is also speculation that the originally planned WrestleMania 40 match between Lesnar and Gunther could still happen, potentially as Lesnar’s final match at SummerSlam in his home state of Minnesota in August.

For now, one thing is clear.

Oba Femi’s reign of terror on Monday Night Raw lasted exactly one month.

It ended the moment Brock Lesnar decided he wasn’t done yet.

Four F5s. One middle finger to the locker room. And a 48-year-old man who still does whatever he wants — whenever he wants — reminding everyone why they used to call him The Beast Incarnate.

The boots are back on. The contract is signed. And the era of Oba Femi standing alone in an empty ring just ended — not with a whimper, but with four consecutive finishers and a man screaming profanities on his way up the ramp.