Internal WWE creative documents from late January 2026 reportedly listed Brock Lesnar to face LA Knight at WrestleMania 42. This development comes amid conflicting signals regarding Lesnar’s direction for the event following his interaction with Oba Femi at the Royal Rumble. While the face-off with Femi garnered one of the largest reactions of the night, Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that the match with Knight was the specific direction listed internally as of last month.
Internal WWE Lineup Features Lesnar Vs. LA Knight
Lesnar is expected to return to television on the February 23 episode of Monday Night RAW in Atlanta, where his WrestleMania path will likely be clarified. During the Royal Rumble match, Knight was one of the competitors responsible for eliminating Lesnar, alongside Cody Rhodes, potentially providing the storyline catalyst for a singles encounter.
Dave Meltzer provided further context on the internal listing and the uncertainty surrounding the Oba Femi pairing:
“The Brock Lesnar direction for Raw is likely to be teased at the 2/23 Raw in Atlanta when he returns. There was a tease at the Royal Rumble of Oba Femi and after the Rumble we were only told that it was not a sure thing yet. We do know that in the lineup in late January for the show, that Lesnar was listed as facing LA Knight. But in the Rumble, nothing memorable was done in that direction while the Lesnar-Femi face-off was set up to get a big reaction and actually got the biggest reaction of the show except for Brie Bella.”
Despite the internal listing for a match against Knight, the physical interaction between Lesnar and Femi remains a significant factor in the creative process. Femi, who entered the Rumble at #1 and lasted 39 minutes, shared a moment with Lesnar that many viewed as a “passing of the torch” or the start of a program. However, Meltzer noted on Wrestling Observer Radio that the Femi match is far from a certainty:
“That’s not 100 percent by the way…it could happen. I’m not saying it’s not happening. I’m just saying that I was told this one’s not 100 per cent, and that was the Lesnar and Oba Femi match.”
Speaking on the No-Contest Wrestling Podcast, Femi explained that the interaction was designed to test the audience’s appetite for a full-scale rivalry. The strong reaction from the live crowd reportedly solidified that a program between the two is in the cards for the future, even if it does not happen at WrestleMania 42.
