Brock Lesnar On TKO "Banned List"? (WWE News)

Don't be expecting Brock Lesnar back in WWE anytime soon.

by Andrew Pollard
Brock Lesnar
WWE

According to MMA icon Daniel Cormier, WWE's Brock Lesnar is on a "banned list" for the wider TKO company.

The topic of Lesnar came up during DC's recent appearance on Demitrious Johnson's MIGHTYcast podcast, with Cormier at one point pencilled in to fight Brock several years ago.

That potential Cormier vs. Lesnar fight reared its head back in 2018, as Brock entered the Octagon to confront Cormier minutes after the Lafayette native had defeated Stipe Miocic at UFC 226 to become the new UFC Heavyweight Champion. The tentative plan was to do that Cormier and Lesnar fight either at the end of 2018 or, more realistically, in early 2019.

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For those non-MMA fans out there, that fight never ended up happening, with Brock Lesnar instead opting to re-sign with WWE rather than return to the Octagon. As for Daniel Cormier, his next fight was a rematch against Miocic, where he lost the UFC Heavyweight Title back to Stipe.

So, when Demetrious Johnson - himself a Mount Rushmore fighter, the inaugural UFC Flyweight Champion, and someone with a record 11 consecutive title defences - asked Cormier about Lesnar and floated the idea of the two maybe locking up in WWE someday, DC noted that Brock's on the "banned list right now", adding, "I ain't telling you on air what Brock did, but he's in so much trouble."

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In terms of WWE, Brock Lesnar's most recent match was against Cody Rhodes at SummerSlam 2023, approaching two years ago. Of course, Lesnar was then implicated in Janel Grant's ongoing lawsuit against Vince McMahon and WWE, with a scheduled Royal Rumble 2024 appearance and WrestleMania 40 plans all dropped.

Recent references to Brock on WWE TV - such as Cody namedropping a "Beast" on this past Friday's SmackDown - have had some fans speculating over a return for the 48-year-old, but it would seem highly unlikely while the Janel Grant lawsuit is still active. And if Daniel Cormier - who is a long-time wrestling fan and nowadays a commentator and analyst for WWE's sister company UFC - is to be believed, it could well be that Lesnar is actually on some sort of formal banned list until further notice.

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Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.