"He got something out of it" - Possible reason why Brock Lesnar returned after walking out of SmackDown (Exclusive)
Dutch Mantell has revealed that Brock Lesnar may have pocketed a large sum of money to appear on the latest SmackDown episode.
As reported before the show, an angry Brock Lesnar stormed out of the building after being informed about Vince McMahon's retirement. Several rumors circulated online regarding Lesnar's status; however, he eventually showed up to close out SmackDown.
Dutch Mantell noted that Brock Lesnar would surely have struck a deal with the company before returning to be a part of SmackDown. The former WWE manager shared his theory on Sportskeeda's Smack Talk, as you can view below:
"He [Lesnar] was quoted as saying, 'If Vince ain't here, I ain't here,' and walked out. I don't know how long he stayed down, but I was thinking at that time, I made a joke; I think Brock may have made himself a million dollars," said Dutch Mantell. "And he said, 'Hey, if you can pay one of those women millions of dollars, hey, I'll come back for a million bucks.' I don't know what he made, but he got something out of it because right at the end of the show, he was back." [13:40 - 14:26]
Mantell further speculated that the new co-CEO of WWE, Stephanie McMahon, may have called up her father and asked him to convince Brock Lesnar to turn up on TV.
Lesnar reportedly returned to the arena by 8:30 pm and proceeded to feature in the main event segment of the evening. Mantell opined that WWE would not have been successful in changing the Beast Incarnate's mind without splashing out a little extra cash:
"I think either Stephanie called Vince and told him if he could talk to Brock," added the former manager. "I think that's where Brock made his deal, and he got back saying, 'Oh yeah, you can come back for a million dollars.' What are they going to do?" [14:48 - 15:02]
"He was a replacement, to begin with" - Dutch Mantell on Brock Lesnar's SummerSlam status
The 10-time world champion's backstage outburst briefly jeopardized the main event of SummerSlam, where he is set to take on Roman Reigns in a Last Man Standing match.
Dutch Mantell noted that Brock Lesnar probably did not care about the creative implications of his absence on SmackDown as he himself was brought in to replace an injured Randy Orton a few weeks back.
Thankfully for WWE writers, Lesnar chose to participate in the build-up to his SummerSlam match on SmackDown, and as things stand, he will wrestle Reigns on July 30.
"I think it surprised a lot of people, but I don't think those dirt sheets and those writers work with each other to get that out there. It was a great story tonight, and I think Brock doesn't care anyway. He was a replacement, to begin with. Now they are talking about replacing him again." [14:27 - 14:47]
WWE dodged a bullet by managing to get Brock Lesnar back on SmackDown, but do you think the veteran superstar's actions were justified? Sound off in the comments section below.
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