How Brock Lesnar’s Appeal Has Disappeared
By Josh.0
While he may be incredibly popular with fans, Brock Lesnar’s non-committal status has soured my opinion.
Abhor is a verb that means regard with disgust and hatred. Example: I abhor part-time wrestlers. Case in point, my honeymoon with part-time wrestler/former champion/WWE employee Brock Lesnar is officially over.
The Good
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His wrestling credentials are undeniable, which makes his current workload all the more frustrating. He was an NCAA Division I Heavyweight Wrestling Champion, a former UFC Heavyweight Champion and the youngest WWE World Heavyweight Champion. He departed the WWE 2004 and returned in 2012, wrestling more or less on a schedule that was beneficial to him. After a brief legal dispute, amends were made and the WWE accommodated Lesnar because the stable of legitimate opponents for their biggest stars was emptying fast and the company was in dire straits.
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The Bad
Lesnar is the anti-hero, which has worked well for the WWE but has been more of a crutch when they’re in a tight spot. Ratings going down the drain? Book Lesnar for a RAW appearance. Will he wrestle? Of course not; he won’t actually do anything until the last few minutes. Like CM Punk and Randy Orton before him, Lesnar has a cult following from his loyal fan base who may not realize just how much his “indestructible” aura is hurting the brand. Say what you want about John Cena but he shows up every week (recent injuries aside) and does his best so you get your money’s worth. Sometimes he wins and sometimes he loses, but at least he competes. While Paul Heyman continues to teach a master’s class in backstage promos and in-ring mic skills, his client remains a non-verbal revenant who appears when he wants and expects us all to be thankful he bothered to show up at all.
The Ugly
Lesnar’s paycheck is larger than most of the other top tier superstars in the WWE yet he works roughly 1/3 of the time. [insert sarcasm font] But I’m sure there’s no resentment in the locker room. Instead of devoting time to us or his peers, Lesnar is content with appearing now and then before disappearing for weeks after a loss, presumably spending his time swimming in a pile of money like Scrooge McDuck.
Live Feed
Bam Smack Pow
Ever since his initial departure from the WWE, Brock has been more concerned with making money than entertaining fans. After defeating Frank Mir at UFC 100 in 2009, Lesnar flipped off the crowd and then insulted the event’s sponsor (Bud Light) by publicly declaring his love of Coors Light with his rationale being, “Bud Light won’t pay me nothin’“. His MMA career ended after 8 fights (5W-3L) over the course of almost 4 years. When asked in 2015 why he chose the WWE over a return to the UFC, Lesnar said it was because he could “work part-time with full-time pay“.
Brock Lesnar traded his loyalty to fans for a bigger payday and lighter workload. He hasn’t earned the right to simply appear at his convenience in the same manner as much bigger stars like The Rock or Stone Cold. Lesnar took advantage of a situation where the WWE needed him more than he needed them and he continues to exploit this desperation for the sake of his bank account. Some people may admire his shameless devotion to capitalism but as a true fan of sports entertainment, I abhor this attitude.
Leonardo DaVinci finished painting The Last Supper in 1499, one of the most recognizable paintings in the world. By the time he finished he had already been painting for more than 20 years and had an established reputation among Italian art groupies. If he had decided to only paint for the highest bidder there would likely be no Mona Lisa or no Creation of Adam, not to mention the countless works from his other talents which included sculpting, architecture, science, music, mathematics, engineering, and literature.
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While it may seem odd to compare a modern-day wrestler with a renaissance man, consider that both men were born to do one thing…or many things in DaVinci’s case. He was a gifted artist, recognized from a young age as the very definition of a prodigy. His life brought the world some of the most famous artistic and scientific works in history. Brock Lesnar stands 6’3, weighs around 286 pounds, and can F5 a man the size of Mark Henry or Big Show as easily as DaVinci could pick up a paintbrush. He could be one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. He was born to be a fighter, whether it’s in a wrestling ring or an octagon and it’s a shame that his natural talent is being subverted in place of laziness and greed.