WWE forced into last-minute change after Brock Lesnar's off-script WrestleMania retirement

WWE were forced to make a last-minute alteration to Monday Night RAW after Brock Lesnar appeared to confirm his retirement at WrestleMania.

Lesnar has been a leading face of the WWE since he returned for a second stint in 2012, but his time in the ring appeared to have come to an end in Las Vegas.

The 49-year-old laid his gloves and boots in the middle of the ring on Sunday following his defeat to Oba Femi, which is widely regarded as a retirement within the industry.

However, it appears Lesnar's decision was one made by himself, and not part of the theatre of WrestleMania, with Fightful reporting it was not in the script and came as a surprise to officials.

Lesnar's retirement has now forced the WWE's hand, with the former UFC star scheduled to appear on Monday Night RAW and featured in promotions for the event at the T-Mobile Arena.

Due to the situation, Lesnar was replaced by Seth Rollins for the event, and was replaced ahead of the show on promotions, seemingly confirming his WWE exit.

How Triple H reacted to Brock Lesnar's actions at Wrestlemania 42

Speaking in the aftermath of Sunday's event, Triple H, who is the WWE's chief content officer, paid tribute to "one of a kind" Lesnar.

"There was no discussion had afterwards," he said. "I will say this: probably the most famous combat sports athlete of our generation. One of a kind. Nobody like Brock Lesnar. But the one thing that nobody gives him credit for is the intelligence of a fighter. They see Brock as this hulking brute—the Beast, right? They see him as all that.

“There comes a point in time when somebody comes along that’s bigger and better and just pushes you to a place that you can’t come back from. The smart ones know when that happens, and they call it a day.

“I don’t think that was a planned thing. I think Brock went to the ring, and he walked into a wall called Oba.

“Brock walked up to the next big thing and ran into a brick wall, and the intelligence in him said, ‘Maybe I should call it a day.’ And he took his boots off, he put his gloves down, and he walked away.

“That is not a statement of Brock being afraid of it. That is an intelligent man meeting something that cannot be stopped. It is as much a statement of Oba as it is Brock Lesnar."

Triple H added:

“You witnessed a changing of the guard at the apex of our business.”