You Can’t Cancel Brock Lesnar? Watch Me.
“Obviously the decision was made: It’s time to bring back Brock Lesnar. Whatever that decision is based on, I respect it. If there are critics of it, get over it. He’s here – and he’s gonna be here. And you ain’t gonna be able to cancel him.” – Paul Heyman on Brock Lesnar’s Uncancellable Star Power (00:49:15 – 00:49:30)
Thanks, Paul. Challenge accepted.
Canceled: The Origin
Before we even get started on Brock Lesnar, we have to go through some of the boring parts – the term “cancelled.” It originated from a song, Your Love is Cancelled by Chic, about the singer’s experience with a date where he decided their affection was no longer needed. The term took on a new life over the decades, especially on Black Twitter.
“Cancelled” eventually grew to mean someone or something in our lives that we no longer accept as part of the community – a personal decision. It was never meant to describe a permanent situation.
For instance, in 2018, Johnny Depp became canceled due to real-life issues with his ex-wife. He was – objectively – cancelled. Hollywood wanted nothing to do with him for years. He couldn’t get an acting role, couldn’t find a job in media, and just mentioning his name online brought backlash. The fans spoke: no Johnny Depp. Depp himself described it as being cancelled.
If you were a time traveler and asked someone in 2020 what Johnny Depp was, the correct answer would have been “Cancelled.” However, now in 2025, Depp is absolved from all lawsuits and making a return to Hollywood – specifically, and incredibly, as a director. Does that magically mean he wasn’t cancelled in 2020? Only if you don’t understand how time and words work, I guess.
The Depp situation is also an extreme case. “Canceling” someone wasn’t really about de-platforming them until around the time of the #MeToo movement – that’s when removing someone’s credibility and ability to work became a major focal point. As cancel culture became more powerful, in that it could destroy livelihoods, more and more people began fearing its place in the Court of Public Opinion.
People like Depp were being cancelled before being found guilty of anything. Some internet content creators were getting canceled over minor inconveniences. Lindsay Ellis, for example, was canceled because she had an opinion on anime that got so overblown she was canceled overnight. Doug Walker, of That Guy With the Glasses fame, was canceled because he was a lousy co-worker and boss a decade prior to the backlash.
Much like the term “woke,” also gaining steam from Black Twitter, “cancelled” has been adapted by the general public and run so far into the ground that people forgot it had an actual meaning once. As a rule of thumb, if a word is used by politicians to create moral panic, it’s probably being used wrong – and yes, both sides do it.
If your Uncle Louie uses it to win a Thanksgiving dinner argument, you know the word has lost all meaning. No, Uncle Louie, the turkey isn’t woke, and just because I like stuffing over cranberries doesn’t mean it’s canceled.
Was Lesnar Canceled?
So… can Brock Lesnar be cancelled?
Well, on one hand, how long was Lesnar gone from WWE simply because his name was so toxic the company separated itself in fear it could destroy them? Two years? Sounds pretty canceled to me.
On the other hand, according to reports, Lesnar was still the highest-paid wrestler on the roster the entire time he was gone – so really it was more like a glorified vacation.
Fun fact: Lesnar used all two years’ worth of salary to clone himself and pretend it’s his daughter. “Fact” is doing a lot of heavy lifting in that last sentence, but so is “daughter,” so we’re even. Okay, before I get canceled, that’s a joke about how she could rip me apart using just the cartilage of her ears – I’m sure she’s a perfectly lovely gene splice.
You could definitely argue Lesnar was canceled for two years, Paul.
The Cancel Culture Mob
Can Lesnar be permanently canceled, though? Paul Heyman seemed indefinitely sure that someone of Lesnar’s stature simply couldn’t be canceled – and yet, the lawsuit featuring his allegations hasn’t even concluded.
Lesnar is literally pulling a reverse cancel culture. He uncanceled himself before due process. Usually, it’s the other way around: someone is canceled by the mob before the law has had a chance to conclude.
What happens if, much like the lawsuit claims, there are a lot more details of Lesnar’s involvement than we know? Look, Lesnar can’t be found guilty of anything; he’s not on trial. Even if he was heavily involved, they’d need to open a whole new lawsuit to find him specifically guilty of something.
But he wasn’t found guilty of anything when WWE decided to distance themselves from him for two years, either. It was the idea that Lesnar might have hypothetically done something bad. So, what happens if that idea becomes a reality?
Well, Paul, it looks like we’re going to find out if Lesnar can be canceled after all. Does Paul eat his words if, for a second time, WWE keeps Lesnar off TV because his name becomes less than garbage?
In 2020, pro wrestling had its own version of the #MeToo movement, called the #SpeakingOut movement. It was about how wrestling – predominantly a men’s world – mistreated women for decades. During Speaking Out, multiple women came forward with stories of how Joey Ryan, indie wrestler, had instances of sexual misconduct.
The list was so extensive that he became blacklisted from promotions and the wrestling community canceled him. He was so canceled, in fact, that he tried to get multiple jobs outside of pro wrestling – and those jobs fired him over the allegations, too.
Again, Joey Ryan was never found guilty in a court of law. What we know is that multiple women shared similar stories about what a scumbag he was; which is wild considering how normal he seemed inside the ring.
Ryan was so opposed to being fired from all his jobs that he actually sued most of the women who brought up stories about him – except, oops, they were all dismissed from the courts. As it turns out, it’s easier to get canceled in the Court of Public Opinion than it is to get un-canceled in an actual court. Ryan’s reward? Paying the defendants’ legal fees. And no, I’m not kidding. I’ll say this for anyone wondering, the Speaking Out movement had its fair share of detractors, some people saying things without any proof, and others turning it into a “but what’s ‘bout me” movement.
So, does Brock Lesnar have to be found guilty of anything – even if he’s only mentioned in someone else’s court case – to get canceled, Paul? No, he doesn’t.
If Not Legal… Ethical?
Brock Lesnar didn’t do anything legally wrong, but as discussed, it doesn’t take the law to cancel someone. It just requires something the public – whether wrestling fans, feminists, or incels (love you, incels, don’t hate me) – collectively finds off-putting.
In this context, Brock Lesnar was propositioned with the idea of meeting a woman for sex, but – and I can’t stress this enough – the only reason it didn’t happen was because a snowstorm caused flight issues between the Beast Incarnate and Vince McMahon’s toilet personified.
Yes, there was intent for this to actually happen, and it only didn’t because of Mother Nature.
But WAIT, you might say, two consenting adults aren’t morally or ethically wrong. If Brock agreed and the woman agreed, then who cares, right? Well, except Brock was married. Married – with children.
It’s a morally gray area: yes, two consenting adults, but yes, Brock was married, and yes, neither of those situations are any of our damn business.
In most states, cheating on your wife is not illegal. Don’t get any crazy ideas, reader, because:
- No one will sleep with you besides your wife, stupid.
- It’s still incredibly unethical.
So then, we as a collective have to decide whether Brock’s completely hypothetical, as-far-as-we-know nonexistent infidelity is so unethical that it somehow offends us enough to cancel him. Celebrities have been canceled for affairs before – it’s been happening since the invention of news media.
As an aside, it’s weird how often we gauge our own moral compass by judging others. Yeah, Brock shouldn’t cheat on his wife. That’s unethical, and most people – right, left, liberal, conservative – can agree “dat bad.” But again, it’s none of our damn business; it doesn’t affect us or pro wrestling.
I hate the term “virtue signaling” because, again, Black Twitter and all that, but what else do you call someone who gets mad at someone else for a moral lapse and wants the void to know how opposed to it they are?
That’s how the world works, though. Companies will literally make billion-dollar decisions based on whether or not your feelings got hurt over something that doesn’t concern you.
None of us – no one reading this – are innocent. You may not have killed your wife and kids, or told your daughter not to date N-words (naggers, in Randy’s case), but you’ve probably kissed another girl while leading someone else on, thought someone was stealing when they weren’t, or used the word “BRITISH CIGARETTE” as a teen to mean “idiot” on Xbox Live.
None of us – NONE – are so innocent that other people’s morals should incite rage. Ethics are definitely on a sliding scale (killing your family is way more offensive than stealing a grape from the produce aisle), but you’ve done something that would make other people roll their eyes – and yet Walmart still sells grapes.
Lesnar, being simply synonymous with Vince McMahon in a story about two consenting adults meeting up while one is married and the other is being used for sexual favors, was enough for WWE to quit using one of their biggest merch and ticket movers ever.
So, is Lesnar such a big star that he’s literally unable to be canceled, Paul? Apparently not.
Who’s Next?
This may come as a shock to you, but Brock Lesnar isn’t the first wrestler to whip his dong out in front of a woman. Brock Lesnar isn’t the first wrestler to cheat on his wife. And, according to the lawsuit, Brock Lesnar isn’t the only one to use a woman for sex.
Sorry, when I said “this may come as a shock to you” what I meant was “here’s something you already fucking know.”
Pro wrestling was – and mostly still is – a boys’ club. Old-timers talk about it all the time. Fans (not wrestlers) still believe wrestlers have to “pay their dues” before making millions.
Guys, that’s not a thing. No, the new guy doesn’t have to shake everyone’s hand and carry their bags to get a push. That might be the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.
Imagine at your job – I assume the butt plug factory – everyone who gets hired has to shake everyone’s hand BEFORE they’re considered for Lead Plugger. That’s not a thing, guys.
For whatever reason, pro wrestling is still that same kind of clubhouse it’s been for half a century despite none of it making any sense in 2025.
Need I remind you that Hulk fucking Hogan got canceled for being a racist, despite being born in 1953? Seriously, the fact he was shocked he was racist when he was born in the same decade anti-segregation was just becoming a thing is impressive.
Your grandpas didn’t even face Mr. T, and I bet they’re still racist. If Hogan – THE Hogan – can get canceled, what in the blue hell makes Paul Heyman think Brock Lesnar of all people is impervious to it?
Conclusion
“You ain’t gonna be able to cancel him.” That’s the kind of statement that sounds bulletproof in the moment, but history’s not on your side, Paul. Stars fall. Crowds turn. And in wrestling, the bigger the pop, the louder the boos when the tide shifts. Lesnar might survive this round, but if there’s one thing cancel culture and pro wrestling have in common, it’s that nobody stays on top forever.
