Brock Lesnar didn’t even have to step into a ring this weekend to dominate the timeline.
Hours after Janel Grant delivered her most detailed public comments yet about her lawsuit against Vince McMahon and WWE, Lesnar’s name shot to the top of wrestling discussions online. The timing? WWE had just begun heavily promoting Lesnar’s advertised return to WWE Raw in Atlanta on February 23.
Grant’s remarks came during a Capitol news briefing hosted by the Connecticut Alliance to End Sexual Violence, where she revisited the fallout from the Wall Street Journal report that publicly identified her in 2022. She spoke about the mental toll, the NDA she says damaged her life, and the broader issue of workplace transparency.
“On June 15th of 2022, my life was rewritten into someone else’s storyline. And I was globally outed in the Wall Street Journal.”
“That is the life-wrecking and the mental health impact of this particular NDA.”
She went further, criticizing how NDAs function in corporate environments.
“Workplace safety depends on transparency because when employees cannot speak, patterns can’t be seen. When patterns can’t be seen, they can’t be stopped. When they can’t be stopped, harm spreads.”
Grant also alleged that WWE pushed for a public statement describing her relationship with McMahon as consensual — something she says she refused.
“So someone, a group maybe, behind my back, without my knowledge, without my input, made that decision for me, it’s consensual, we say so.”
She revealed that in March 2023 she received both a subpoena and whistleblower status from the SEC. Then came the line that directly addressed WWE leadership.
“In March of 2023, I got two things from the SEC. I got a subpoena, and I got whistleblower status.”
“To the board of TKO, if you didn’t know this part of your origin story, now you know.”
Within hours of those comments circulating, WWE promoted Lesnar’s return to Raw. The following morning, the company released a full video package hyping his appearance.
That’s when the online reaction exploded. Some fans criticized the timing, calling the promotional push insensitive given the renewed spotlight on the lawsuit. Others defended Lesnar and McMahon, pointing out that the legal process is ongoing and arguments in the case are currently scheduled for June 2026.
The discourse quickly fractured into two very loud camps — one praising Grant for speaking publicly, the other questioning her motives and labeling the lawsuit a financial play tied to alleged unpaid compensation. Social media timelines turned into battlegrounds almost instantly. Lesnar’s name trended for most of the weekend, not because of a match, but because of context.
With WrestleMania 42 season heating up and Raw set for Atlanta, WWE is clearly moving forward with Lesnar as a major attraction. But the cloud of conversation surrounding him isn’t fading quietly.
Will the controversy impact WWE’s plans for Lesnar, or will the company power through the noise and stay the course? Sound off below — how do you see this playing out?