Brock Lesnar's return to WWE was controversial to say the least. Five months into what will likely be his last WWE stint, Lesnar has defeated John Cena and emerged victoriously in the men's WarGames match at Survivor Series.
Lesnar's next appearance will almost certainly be at the Royal Rumble, where the seeds will likely be planted for his WrestleMania program. It's safe to say that most WWE fans want Lesnar nowhere near the title picture, although there are several intriguing programs that don't revolve around a title.
WWE has multiple ways to go with Lesnar, who may be gearing up for his retirement at SummerSlam next year. Gunther is the first wrestler to come to mind when talking about retirements, and WWE might already be laying the groundwork for a potential feud.
The WWE YouTube page uploaded a top-10 list of Gunther's most dominant moments on Sunday morning and eagle-eyed fans were quick to notice the thumbnail choice: a picture of Gunther standing face-to-face with Lesnar at the 2023 Royal Rumble.
WWE may have subtly just teased Gunther-Brock Lesnar
The moment in question was about Gunther setting the all-time Royal Rumble record for time in the ring in 2023. But in the video itself, WWE's video team decided to include the clip of Gunther standing face-to-face with Lesnar. In a Royal Rumble full of moments for Gunther, it's interesting that's the direction the video took.
Is this us reading too much into this when it's a simple YouTube video? Maybe. But in a business of smoke and mirrors and working fans, you can never overlook anything WWE does.
As sought after as Gunther vs. Lesnar has been in the past, WWE has some interesting hurdles if they book this program. WWE is building Gunther up as an unlikeable, unbeatable heel. Putting him against Lesnar, who has been a heel since his return, doesn't accomplish that goal.
Plus, Lesnar's most recent appearance was tied to Paul Heyman. From a storyline perspective, it may make more sense for Lesnar to fued with someone in The Vision. That creates a potential big-money match with Bron Breakker.
However, that could also take any steam out of Gunther beating Lesnar in the future if Breakker does it first. Unless WWE has Lesnar go over on Breakker, which would get him even more heat but also make Gunther look more like a good guy in the process.
WWE fans aren't going to care on the same emotional level if Gunther retires Lesnar like he did John Cena and Goldberg. If anything, a large portion of the fanbase would be happy if that happens. This presents WWE with an interesting creative dilemma: do they book a match that they reportedly wanted to book before? Or do they completely pivot?
The tea leaves seem to indicate that WWE will figure out a way to get Gunther and Lesnar in a program together. With retirement around the corner, Gunther will continue to lurk over Lesnar's last WWE tenure until the two actually square off.