Matt Hardy thinks Brock Lesnar’s retirement is genuine, while leaving himself a little room, and says The Undertaker or Paul Heyman should be the one to induct him into the Hall of Fame.
Lesnar confirmed this week that he is retired, having lost to Oba Femi inside Hell in a Cell on night one of SummerSlam and then raised Femi’s hand and told the crowd that Femi is the future and he is the past. WWE has since moved him to the alumni section of its website.
Speaking on The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy, Hardy said the way it was done carries weight.
“The fact that he went on Pat McAfee and made a big deal out of it and said that specifically, and it seemed like he was, especially the way he really went out of his way to put over Oba, and at the end he said like, I’m the past, this is the future, and he busted his ass to give him the best match he possibly could. So yeah, it seems like it’s pretty legit. But I mean, who knows, man? Never say never in pro wrestling, where money does talk at the end of the day.”
Hardy worked with Lesnar during his own Version 1 run in the early 2000s.
“He’s an anomaly, someone who is not normal. He’s the most athletic, most dangerous combat fighter I’ve ever been in the ring with. Very, very, very special. And nobody picked up pro wrestling and became such a big draw, like a big money event, like Brock did in so many ways. And it’s so crazy that he was able to make the transition over to UFC.”
“He will go down and be remembered as a big star. The Undertaker ending the streak moment is going to be a big thing for him, which he’ll be remembered for. Just his devastation, his athleticism, and hopefully him putting over Oba Femi is going to be a big moment that people will remember in both Brock and Oba Femi’s careers going forward.”
On whether beating The Undertaker at WrestleMania 30 was necessary for him, Hardy said it changed his standing.
“Anybody who was going to take that away from Undertaker, it was going to elevate him. Even though he was still a made man and a top guy at that time, it took him to another level and it made him just such a threat and such a killer and just something that no one else had ever done. It put him on another level.”
The conversation turned to a Hall of Fame induction, with the ceremony expected around WrestleMania in Saudi Arabia. Hardy’s first thought was logistical.
“I doubt Brock would want to go in Saudi Arabia. Just knowing Brock, he doesn’t really like to travel too far away.”
On who should do the honours, he had two names and then a third.
“Taker or Heyman, no doubt. Those are probably two of the most importantly linked guys to Brock and his career overall.”
“Could be Kurt Angle too. I could see Kurt Angle doing it.”
He was clear about how much of Lesnar’s presentation ran through Heyman.
“Paul Heyman was on top of everything. He had such a thumb and such a say in everything Brock was doing at that time. Move this way, Paul’s here, give this look here. He was so instrumental in making Brock into the monster he became.”
Heyman was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2024, The Undertaker in 2022 and Angle in 2017.
