Brock Lesnar is back. The retirement was a lie — or at least a work — and Brock Lesnar vs Oba Femi is now confirmed for WWE Clash in Italy 2026 on May 31 in Turin, pending Femi’s signature on a contract Paul Heyman has already delivered to Raw general manager Adam Pearce.
Less than five weeks after leaving his boots and gloves in the ring at WrestleMania 42 in what looked like a tearful, emotional farewell, The Beast Incarnate walked out from behind the curtain at the First Horizon Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina on the May 18 edition of Raw — and destroyed Oba Femi with multiple F-5s before disappearing through the crowd without a word.
It is the biggest rematch WWE has to offer right now, and it lands at the worst possible time for Oba Femi — a man who was struggling to find opponents willing to answer his weekly open challenge.
Here is everything you need to know about Brock Lesnar vs Oba Femi at Clash in Italy 2026, including why Lesnar returned, whether he is actually retired, and what the rematch means for both men.
For the full show results from the night Lesnar returned, see the WWE Raw results May 18 2026.
ALSO READ: Tribal Combat Roman Reigns vs Jacob Fatu at Clash in Italy
Is Brock Lesnar Really Back In WWE? What Happened On Raw
Yes. Brock Lesnar returned to WWE on the May 18 episode of Monday Night Raw, attacking Oba Femi during the weekly open challenge segment in one of the most shocking moments of the post-WrestleMania season.
Femi came out for his fourth consecutive open challenge, struck his ring pose — and someone blindsided him from behind. It took a moment for the Greensboro crowd to register who it was. Then Lesnar’s music hit. The Beast delivered multiple F-5s, leaving Femi flat on the mat, and walked out of the arena with his work done.
Moments later backstage, Adam Pearce confronted Paul Heyman — furious, because Pearce had already filed official retirement paperwork on Lesnar’s behalf following WrestleMania 42. Heyman acknowledged the retirement papers with a smirk, then produced a contract already carrying Lesnar’s signature. The contract was for Brock Lesnar vs Oba Femi II at Clash in Italy on May 31 in Turin, Italy. Heyman called it “the biggest rematch in history” and told Pearce all he needed was Femi’s signature to make it official.
The retirement Lesnar appeared to signal at WrestleMania — removing his gloves and boots, saluting the Las Vegas crowd, fighting back tears in an embrace with Heyman — was a work designed to make this return land harder.
Why Did Brock Lesnar Return To WWE?
The simplest answer: Oba Femi was running out of opponents, and Brock Lesnar was the only logical solution.
After Femi defeated Lesnar at WrestleMania 42 in what amounted to a five-minute squash, WWE built Femi’s post-WrestleMania momentum around a weekly open challenge. The concept made sense in theory — Femi is so dominant that no one on the Raw roster dares accept. In practice, it created a creative problem almost immediately. By week two, nobody would accept. By week three, Femi had to drag Los Garza backstage and physically carry them to the ring for a match. By week four — the May 18 Raw — the crowd was waiting to see what WWE’s answer was. The answer was Brock Lesnar.
From WWE’s perspective, bringing Lesnar back for a Clash in Italy rematch solves multiple problems at once. It gives Femi his most credible opponent without the writers having to manufacture a convincing new challenger. It gives Lesnar a second chapter on his final run — a chance to stand tall before a real retirement, which is widely expected to come at SummerSlam 2026 in Minneapolis, his hometown. And it gives Clash in Italy, already headlined by Cody Rhodes vs Gunther, a third match with genuine star power.
The financial reality is also straightforward. Lesnar commands one of the highest per-appearance rates in WWE history. A rematch at a premium live event — rather than a regular Raw — justifies that cost in a way an open challenge segment never could.
Brock Lesnar vs Oba Femi: WrestleMania 42 Recap — What Happened The First Time
The first match between Brock Lesnar and Oba Femi took place on Night 2 of WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on April 19, 2026.
It lasted approximately five minutes. Lesnar came in with his full toolkit — German suplexes, an overhead belly-to-belly, and an F-5. Femi absorbed all of it. When Lesnar went for a pin following the F-5, Femi was already rising to his feet before the referee could begin a count. Femi answered with a chokeslam and finished Lesnar decisively with the Fall From Grace — his powerbomb finisher — for a clean, dominant victory.
The result was the passing of the torch in the most literal sense. Oba Femi, a 25-year-old from Nigeria competing in his first WrestleMania main roster match, handed Brock Lesnar the most one-sided defeat of his career.
What followed made it more significant. Lesnar stayed in the ring. He slowly removed his MMA gloves — the ones he has worn throughout his entire return run. He took off his boots and placed them in the centre of the ring. He performed an “X” gesture, saluted the Allegiant Stadium crowd, shared a long embrace with Paul Heyman, and walked up the ramp without looking back, fighting back tears. WWE moved his profile to the Alumni section of WWE.com shortly after.
For a full breakdown of how WWE framed the moment and what Triple H said about it, see our Brock Lesnar retirement analysis.
Is Brock Lesnar Retired? The Real Answer
As of May 18, 2026: No. Brock Lesnar is not retired.
The retirement gesture at WrestleMania 42 was either a planned work from the start, or a real moment that WWE and Lesnar later decided to roll back. Either way, Lesnar showed up on Raw, signed a contract for a May 31 rematch, and attacked Femi unprovoked. That is not the behaviour of a retired man.
The question of whether Lesnar is permanently retired after Clash in Italy is a different one. Most observers believe his real retirement — if it happens — will come at SummerSlam 2026 in Minneapolis in late July or early August. Minneapolis is Lesnar’s hometown. A retirement in front of a home crowd, after one final moment of standing tall, is the story WWE has been building toward.
Whether that story involves another match with Femi, a surprise bout with someone else, or simply an on-screen farewell moment depends on what happens in Turin on May 31.
Brock Lesnar: Age, Height, And Career At A Glance
Casual fans searching Brock Lesnar after Monday’s return may not know the full scope of his career. Here is the short version.
Brock Edward Lesnar was born on July 12, 1977, in Webster, South Dakota. He is 48 years old. He stands at 6 feet 3 inches (191 cm) and competes at approximately 285–295 pounds. He is from rural Saskatchewan, Canada, where he grew up on a farm after his family relocated from South Dakota during his childhood — which is why he is often associated with Canada despite his American birth.
Lesnar is the only person in history to have held the WWE Championship, the UFC Heavyweight Championship, the NJPW IWGP Heavyweight Championship, the IGF Championship, and an NCAA Division I national championship in amateur wrestling. He won the WWE Championship at 25, becoming the youngest person ever to hold the title. He held the Universal Championship for 504 days — the longest reign in the title’s history at the time. He ended The Undertaker’s WrestleMania undefeated streak at WrestleMania XXX in 2014.
His career in WWE spanned three main tenures: 2002–2004, 2012–2020, and 2021–2026.
Oba Femi: The Man Brock Lesnar Could Not Put Away
Understanding what Oba Femi represents is essential context for why the Clash in Italy rematch matters.
Oba Olufemi was born in Lagos, Nigeria, in 2000 or 2001 (his exact birth year has not been publicly confirmed by WWE, but he is believed to be 24 or 25 at the time of writing). He stands at approximately 6 feet 5 inches — slightly taller than Lesnar — and competes at around 275–280 pounds. He was a standout track and field athlete in college, winning SEC shot put titles at the University of Alabama, before signing with WWE’s NIL programme in 2021.
Femi held the NXT Championship twice and the NXT North American Championship once before his main roster call-up. He was unbeaten on the main roster going into WrestleMania 42 and was booked as Lesnar’s WrestleMania opponent specifically because he was the only person on the Raw roster physically credible enough to not look ridiculous absorbing an F-5 and kicking out.
Since WrestleMania, the challenge for WWE creative has been figuring out who comes next for a man who just retired Brock Lesnar. The open challenge concept bought time but created the problem Lesnar’s return just solved.
What Happens If Brock Lesnar Wins At Clash In Italy?
This is the most interesting creative question surrounding the rematch.
If Oba Femi wins again — which most expect — the narrative is clean. The Ruler proves WrestleMania was not a fluke, eliminates the open challenge as a concept entirely (nobody is answering when you’ve beaten Brock Lesnar twice), and positions himself for the World Heavyweight Championship picture heading into SummerSlam. Roman Reigns defending the World Heavyweight Championship against Femi at SummerSlam in Minneapolis would be the logical next step.
If Brock Lesnar wins — which would be a major surprise given the WrestleMania booking — it sets up a legitimate third match, likely at SummerSlam in Minneapolis, for what would be sold as Lesnar’s final match on home soil. This is the path some believe WWE is actually taking: Lesnar wins in Italy, Femi gets his definitive revenge in front of Lesnar’s home crowd in August, and that is the real end of The Beast.
Paul Heyman calling it “the biggest rematch in history” in his pitch to Adam Pearce is the kind of language WWE uses when they want a match to feel important. Whether that importance leads to a Lesnar victory or a more emphatic Femi statement remains the central question of the build.
Clash In Italy 2026: Full Card And Date
WWE Clash in Italy 2026 takes place on Saturday, May 31 at the Inalpi Arena in Turin, Italy.
The confirmed card as of May 19, 2026:
- Undisputed WWE Championship: Cody Rhodes (c) vs Gunther
- World Heavyweight Championship — Tribal Combat: Roman Reigns (c) vs Jacob Fatu
- Brock Lesnar vs Oba Femi (rematch; Lesnar’s contract signed, Femi’s signature pending)
Additional matches are expected to be added following the outcomes of Saturday Night’s Main Event on May 23.
For the full Clash in Italy build, including how Cody Rhodes vs Gunther came to be, see our Clash in Italy 2026 match card and preview.
The official WWE event page is available at WWE.com/shows.
Raw’s Road To Turin: How We Got Here
The journey from WrestleMania 42 to Clash in Italy for both men has been eventful.
After WrestleMania, Femi debuted the open challenge concept — four words from the centre of the Raw ring: “Your Ruler has arrived.” He then proceeded to squash Grayson Waller, Otis, and Los Garza across consecutive weeks. By the May 11 Raw in Knoxville, the challenge was drawing no willing takers. By the May 18 Raw in Greensboro, Pearce had to announce the challenge was cancelled because nobody backstage would accept.
Femi solved that problem himself by going backstage and dragging opponents out — but that is not a long-term story. It is a stopgap. Lesnar’s return ends the stopgap.
The full breakdown of the May 11 Raw from Knoxville — Femi’s last open challenge before Lesnar intervened — is in the WWE Raw results May 11 2026.
Lesnar, meanwhile, had been moved to WWE Alumni status on WWE.com on May 7 — twelve days before he appeared on Raw. WWE’s website team either did not know the return was coming, or the alumni move was a deliberate part of the work to make the return land harder.
The Biggest Rematch In History — Or Just The Most Convenient One?
Paul Heyman has a habit of overselling. “The biggest rematch in history” is classic Heyman hyperbole, and it earned the intended crowd reaction in Greensboro.
But there is something legitimately compelling about a Lesnar-Femi rematch in Europe, away from the crowd that gave Lesnar a standing ovation in Las Vegas. European WWE crowds — particularly at premium live events — tend to be loud, knowledgeable, and unpredictable in their allegiances. Turin will not give Lesnar the same sentimental send-off Las Vegas provided. The dynamic changes when The Beast walks into a building where the crowd does not necessarily feel the same weight of his legacy.
Femi, for his part, has earned the right to be considered the bigger threat in this rematch. He absorbed an F-5 at WrestleMania 42 and got up. He then hit Lesnar with a Fall From Grace and won in five minutes. He is younger, arguably bigger, and has already proven he can handle the moment on the largest stage in WWE’s calendar.
The question is whether WWE uses Turin to let Femi cement his position — or whether they use it to give Lesnar one last moment of standing tall before a proper farewell in Minneapolis.
Either way, it is the most anticipated match on the Clash in Italy card that nobody knew was coming 48 hours ago.
For the latest WWE news and Clash in Italy coverage, follow the WWE section on The Dakia.
