Brock Lesnar opened SmackDown in Toledo with chaos, setting the tone for the night just 24 hours before his showdown with John Cena at WrestlePalooza. The most significant development, however, came backstage, where Lesnar confronted his former advocate Paul Heyman—now accompanied by Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed.
The tense exchange saw Lesnar pat Heyman on the chest, lock eyes with him, and declare, “We should talk.”
The backstage moment followed a destructive scene inside the Huntington Center. Lesnar first stormed the broadcast by dragging Michael Cole into the ring. As he toyed with Cole, Corey Graves left the commentary desk in an attempt to defuse the situation.
The effort backfired immediately. Lesnar hoisted Graves—who retired from the ring years ago due to concussion issues—and planted him with an F5.
With Graves down, Lesnar seized a camera and sent a direct warning to Cena: “John, I’m coming for you! It’s D-Day tomorrow! I’m coming for blood!”
Officials rushed to check on Graves, but Lesnar returned to the ring and cleared them out. Urged on by chants of “one more time,” he delivered a second F5 to the commentator, marking an abrupt and violent return to in-ring contact for Graves.
The display was more than a message of intimidation. While the brutality served as a clear warning to Cena ahead of what could be one of his final matches, Lesnar’s encounter with Heyman hinted at a deeper alliance forming behind the scenes—one that could reshape tomorrow’s main event.