Brock Lesnar’s First WWE Match After Nearly 2 Years Confirmed on SmackDown

Written by Animesh Murai • Published Sep 05, 2025 21:26 EDT
Brock Lesnar returns to WWE

Following his return at SummerSlam, Brock Lesnar is set to compete in his first match in over 2 years.

The Allstate Arena in Chicago, Illinois, hosted the September 5 episode of WWE SmackDown with the Greatest of all Time opening the show in front of 16,678 WWE fans. He thanked the entire Chicago crowd for their incredible journey and response to Cena throughout his career. He talked about the debate over the best crowd ever, and addressed that it was never a debate for him.

Cena was greeted by the United States Champion Sami Zayn, who challenged him for the title, just like Cena presented an open challenge back when Zayn debuted. This led to an impromptu title match between these two, with both wrestlers landing hard punches on each other.

Near the decisive moments of the match, he delivered an Avalanche AA from the middle rope, but Zayn still kicked out. As both wrestlers were lying down, Brock Lesnar’s music hit.

During the same promo, Cena dropped a major hint about AJ Lee’s return, check that here.

Brock Lesnar’s Return and Singles Match Against John Cena

Lesnar came down the ramp with nothing but carnage in his eyes. He picked up Zayn and delivered an F5 on the US Champion. He then eyed Cena, picked him up for an F5, and delivered one. Cena was lying helpless on the mat, and just as everyone thought he was safe, Lesnar picked him up for another F5.

Following this assault on Cena, backstage footage showed Lesnar sending a message to Cena. Looking at the camera, with nothing but destruction, he said,

Hey John, I’ll see you at WrestlePalooza, b*tch!” (0:01 – 0:05)

The management made it official right after this message from Lesnar. The singles match between Brock Lesnar and John Cena is now set for September 20 at WrestlePalooza, Indianapolis. This is the first time a PLE will ever stream on ESPN in the United States, marking the shift of the streaming platform, starting next year.