Brock Lesnar announces retirement; Royal Rumble 2027 set for State Farm Stadium in Glendale

Brock Lesnar said he is retired during an appearance on the Pat McAfee show on August 5, 2026, following his Hell in a Cell loss to Oba Femi in the main event of Night 1 of SummerSlam. Separately, TKO Group Holdings and UFC CEO Dana White confirmed the 2027 Royal Rumble will take place at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

Lesnar faced Oba Femi inside a Hell in a Cell in the SummerSlam main event, a rubber match that ended with Femi securing the victory and handing Lesnar his first loss inside the structure. After the defeat, Lesnar broke kayfabe and praised Femi, calling him the "future" of WWE, and WWE aired a vignette on the Raw fallout show honoring Lesnar's career. WWE also moved Lesnar to the alumni section of its website, a change noted by the promotion and reflected again when he was placed back in that section.

On the Pat McAfee show Lesnar made a direct retirement announcement: "I am here today to do this interview and let the whole world know that I am retired. I want to say a big thank you to everybody. Saturday was a very emotional day for me. That’s it for me in the squared circle."

Lesnar outlined his post-wrestling priorities and offered gratitude to organisations and people who supported his career in a longer statement: "I’ve got some hunting lined-up, and I’ve got two boys in hockey, I’m gonna support that and their dreams as long as that’s feasible, and my daughter, she’s got her eye on 2028 Olympics. I’m just gonna spend some more time with the kids and in the woods, and just reap what I’ve sown. Just enjoy life. I spent the last two days in bed, I got run over my a Nigerian Nightmare Dumptruck [Oba Femi] on Saturday night, and it’s time. I’m 49, and I still want to be able to get around and move, but I’m grateful, very grateful. Oba was great and the WWE Universe. I want to thank the promotion itself, TKO, Dana White, the UFC, the Minnesota Vikings, and the University of Minnesota — everybody that believed-in me and took a chance on me…I’m just grateful."

The announcement regarding the 2027 Royal Rumble came from TKO and UFC CEO Dana White at a press conference organised by the Arizona Sports & Events Alliance, with White noting the PLE will be held in February but not providing a specific date. A press release stated: "TKO Group Holdings, Inc., Arizona Sports & Events Alliance and Legends Global today announced that NOCHE UFC, WWE Royal Rumble and the PBR World Finals: Championship will take place in Glendale at Desert Diamond Arena and State Farm Stadium, marking the first confirmed events under the organizations’ multi-year partnership announced this past May."

Dana White also posted that "In February, @WWE will bring one of its biggest annual events to Arizona, the Royal Rumble." The 2027 edition is described as the PLE's return to the United States after the event emanated from Saudi Arabia in 2026.

The confirmed details for the PLE are that the 2027 Royal Rumble will be staged at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona in February 2027, with no specific date announced by TKO or WWE at the time of the statement.