Brock Lesnar used a ‘secret WWE signal’ during his retirement moment at WrestleMania 42.
A video of Brock Lesnar making the “X” sign after his Wrestlemania 42 match against Oba Femi is going viral on social media. Many fans think the gesture meant he was going off-script.
After the match, an emotional Lesnar placed his gloves and boots in the center of the ring and shared a heartfelt hug with his on-screen advocate, Paul Heyman.
Many viewers believed the 48-year-old former UFC star was announcing his retirement after his quick four-minute-and-42-second match with up-and-comer Oba Femi. According to Fightful, this retirement surprise caught WWE officials off guard. They expected Lesnar to retire later, after SummerSlam in August, which is in his hometown of Minneapolis.
After the event, WWE’s chief content officer Triple H told ESPN, “It seemed that way,” when asked if Lesnar had decided to retire. He added, “Brock isn’t the type to have a long chat backstage.”
Millions have watched Lesnar leave his gear in the ring, and many noticed the “X” sign he threw up before hugging Heyman. In wrestling, this symbol often means something real and unscripted just happened.
Here’s what fans had to say:
One fan wrote, “During his emotional retirement, Brock Lesnar gave an ‘X’ sign to Paul Heyman and the cameras. In wrestling, that tells everyone something real just happened. What a LEGENDARY end to an ERA.”
Another said, “Look at Paul Heyman’s face—it says it all.” A third wrote, “I think Brock made that call right in the ring. I don’t think it was planned, and Paul didn’t have a clue.”
Others reacted with surprise, like, “Wait, Heyman didn’t know? That’s wild,” and, “Yeah, Brock definitely made the decision himself. Good for him. A true legend.”
After the event, Triple H, whose real name is Paul Levesque, praised Lesnar as a “one-of-a-kind” athlete.
He said, “There was no talk afterward. Brock is probably the most famous combat sports athlete of our time. People often see him as just a powerful beast, but what they don’t always realize is how smart he is.
“Sometimes, when someone bigger and better shows up and pushes you beyond your limits, the smart move is to know when to step away.
“I don’t think Lesnar’s retirement was planned. He went to the ring and ran into a wall named Oba. Brock faced the next big thing and knew when to call it a day. He took off his boots, put down his gloves, and walked away. That’s not fear—it’s being smart. It’s a statement about both Oba and Brock.”
Triple H added, “We all saw a changing of the guard at the very top of our business.”