Brock Lesnar's Raw Return: What Does it Mean For WWE?

Brock Lesnar is returning to WWE on the July 30 edition of Monday Night Raw. The Universal champion last performed in WWE on April 27’s Greatest Royal Rumble event from Saudi Arabia. The Beast Incarnate has not been seen since then, which obviously means he has not defended his championship since then either.

But Kurt Angle will not meet him in the middle of the ring to strip him of the Universal Championship. In fact the Raw General Manager was mere moments away from relieving Brock Lesnar of his title recently when Paul Heyman stopped him. So what happens when Lesnar finally steps into a WWE ring once again?

Lesnar is the most polarizing figure in the industry today. That’s due not only to his absence from WWE but also to his imminent return to the UFC. Fans suspected that Lesnar wanted back into the world of MMA but those suspicions were not confirmed until the night he walked back into the Octagon.

Daniel Cormier’s UFC Championship celebration was cut short because of the confrontation with Brock. Of course Cormier did call Lesnar out and the beast gladly obliged him. Many UFC fans were more than upset by the spectacle that followed, mostly because it seemed like a pro wrestling angle playing out in front of them.

Perhaps the entire scene was a spot and perhaps Lesnar set the whole thing up with Cormier. But if that’s the case, then either Cormier’s confidence in his ability to win was massive or he knew he was going to win from the beginning. Either way, Lesnar made his intentions known and now everyone knows what he wants. But what does WWE want?

The Brock Lesnar storyline has been nothing short of genius on the part of WWE. The endgame may or may not be satisfying and many fans may not understand why it’s happening, but no one can argue with the execution of the angle itself.

A great number of WWE fans actually believe that Brock Lesnar is holding WWE up. They feel that Brock has a stranglehold on the Universal Championship. They also feel that Lesnar doesn’t want to face Vince McMahon and that he doesn’t care about WWE in the slightest.

While it’s true that Brock has never been a fan of the sport, it’s preposterous to suggest that he’s intentionally withholding the Universal Championship from WWE. He’s not working on his own and he has definitely not gone rogue.

WWE is not being held hostage by Brock Lesnar or anyone else. Lesnar is going along with the booking because that’s what both sides agreed to. He hasn’t been on WWE programming because he wasn’t booked to be there. The company is not working overtime to get Lesnar back in the fold and Paul Heyman did not facilitate Lesnar’s return to Raw on July 30.

The Brock Lesnar storyline is indeed a storyline. But the fact that fans and pro wrestlers alike actually believe that Lesnar is working some sort of power play against WWE is proof that the angle is working. People are invested in this story and that’s a good thing for WWE. Fans are tired of Brock’s nonsense and they want him back so he can drop the belt.

But how many fans want Lesnar to drop that belt to Roman Reigns? Reigns was passed the torch by The Undertaker and he happily took it. Roman was the heir apparent to John Cena and he has filled that role. The only one left to beat is Brock. So when is that going to happen?

Of course in order to do that, Braun must first win his SummerSlam match against Kevin Owens. Strowman’s Money in the Bank briefcase will be on the line and if he somehow loses, then KO is the man that would surely cash-in against Lesnar or Reigns. Do fans really want to see Owens as the Universal Champion once again, especially considering how weak his last title reign was?

The fact is that fans will have to be patient with the next part of this storyline. Brock Lesnar seems to be in the third act of his WWE career but WWE seems to be in no real rush to show him the door. SummerSlam may be the night when Brock drops the belt and takes his leave of the company. But that means crowning Roman Reigns as the undisputed top guy in WWE and that’s an outcome that many fans want nothing to do with.

Next. The Mount Rushmore of Wrestling. dark

So once again it all comes down to Brock’s booking. He’s likely not calling the shots, which means he will go along with whatever plan WWE has for him. But WWE would not have invested such time and energy in telling the Reigns versus Lesnar story without finally bringing it to an ultimate conclusion. Braun Strowman is waiting in the wings. Everyone is waiting to see what happens next.

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Brock Lesnar’s Raw Return: What Does it Mean For WWE?

By Tom Clark | Jul 30, 2018

The Brock Lesnar storyline has been nothing short of genius on the part of WWE. The endgame may or may not be satisfying and many fans may not understand why it’s happening, but no one can argue with the execution of the angle itself.

But how many fans want Lesnar to drop that belt to Roman Reigns? Reigns was passed the torch by The Undertaker and he happily took it. Roman was the heir apparent to John Cena and he has filled that role. The only one left to beat is Brock. So when is that going to happen?