By
John Heinis on Wednesday, December 17
th 2014
WWE heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar is not expected to return after his current contract expires on March 30, so the suppliers of WWE products have been told to halt the manufacturing of merchandise for the champ, according to the Wrestling Observer.
The subscription pro wrestling website, which has previously reported that Lesnar’s current deal is for $5 million a year, says that the WWE is not expected to keep Brock on their roster unless he takes a pay cut and works more shows.
Lesnar, 37, competed inside the ring just three times this year, breaking the legendary Undertaker’s unbeaten streak at Wrestlemania 30 in April, before winning the heavyweight strap from John Cena at Summerslam in August.
He then lost to Cena via disqualification at Night of Champions in September and has not been seen on WWE programming since, though he will compete against the company’s top fan favorite in a rubber match at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view next month.
The former two-time NCAA All-American wrestler/ex-UFC heavyweight champion hasn’t competed in mixed martial arts since UFC 141 in December 2011, suffering a lopsided TKO loss to Alistair Overeem.
“The Demolition Man,” a former Strikeforce and K-1 heavyweight champ, has since said on multiple occasions that he’d love to welcome Lesnar back to the Octagon.
Additionally, both UFC President Dana White and Bellator President Scott Coker have said they would love to sit down with Lesnar in the event that he decides he wants to make one more run inside the cage.