Paul Heyman Addresses Backlash Over Brock Lesnar’s Return at SummerSlam – Paul Heyman has broken his silence regarding the criticism surrounding Brock Lesnar’s surprise WWE return at SummerSlam, making it clear that he stands firmly behind the decision.
Appearing on The Ariel Helwani Show this week, Heyman dismissed the backlash and praised the moment as a major success in front of a live audience. Lesnar made his return during the SummerSlam main event at MetLife Stadium, delivering an F-5 to John Cena and shocking the crowd.
“Everything in life is met with criticism, I don’t pay attention to that,” Heyman said. “If you were in MetLife Stadium on Sunday, you would understand that return meant a lot to that audience. That audience was shocked to see Brock Lesnar come out and to see him F-5 John Cena. Nobody left MetLife Stadium going, ‘Oh God, they brought back Brock.’ People were just going nuts. That’s our paying audience. They’re happy to see him, I’m happy to be part of a team that presents him.”
Heyman added that critics of Lesnar’s return should simply “get over it,” emphasizing that fan reaction in the arena spoke louder than any online discourse.
“There’s always going to be critics of anything that we do, and very few people ever make it to the top in life without either making mistakes or having skeletons in their closet,” Heyman continued. “Obviously, the decision was made, it’s time to bring back Brock Lesnar. Whatever that decision is based on, I respect it. If there are critics of it, get over it. He’s here and he’s going to be here and you ain’t going to be able to cancel him. And I’m happy to have him back because the audience is happy to have him back. If we brought him back and the audience rebelled against it, I wouldn’t be happy to have him back.”
Lesnar’s return remains controversial due to his mention in the amended lawsuit filed by Janel Grant against Vince McMahon and WWE. The lawsuit alleges that McMahon used a sexual encounter with Grant as leverage to persuade Lesnar into signing a new contract. Earlier this week, representatives for Grant issued a statement in response to Lesnar’s WWE return: “We look forward to the full set of facts, including those about Mr. Lesnar, coming out in a court of law where they belong.”
Lesnar has not publicly commented on the lawsuit, and WWE has not made any official statement beyond his on-screen return.
Paul Heyman Addresses Backlash Over Brock Lesnar’s Return at SummerSlam
