Brock Lesnar

It's easy to think Brock Lesnar's role in WrestleMania 39 next year is one of the most obvious parts of the event.

He's facing Bobby Lashley in a dream match, right?

Not so fast, friends. Another Lashley-Lesnar matchup would be a blast. But it would be another bout between the two former MMA fighters and pro wrestling heavyweights. A fun one, but a rehash and something that pales in comparison to another probable idea.

Lesnar vs. Gunther.

That alone should earn a raise of the eyebrow, at the very least. Using Lesnar as a way to prop up one of the best up-and-coming pro wrestlers in the sport at Mania is something it feels like the new Triple H-led creative would do. As opposed to shoving him into a "spectacle" match against a veteran like Lashley, at least.

And what a fast riser Gunther is in the new WWE. He's been a juggernaut of a force since the NXT days and already has the Intercontinental strap around his waist.

But Gunther hasn't had a marquee feud, instead sparring in the tag ranks or taking on mid-card solo challengers like Sheamus and Shinsuke Nakamura.

That changes in a hurry if he steps into the squared circle with Lesnar. Gunther, slightly taller than Lesnar and plenty intimidating himself, would have a chance to put on a thriller of a match that is straight-up fun as two big workhorses take part in some violence. It wouldn't be totally unlike another Lesnar vs. Lashley, except it's putting over a potential main-event star for the next decade-plus.

This is the sort of usage Lesnar should see at this point, too. He's out of the unified title scene with Roman Reigns for several reasons and doesn't have much else to do. WWE doesn't need the spectacle factor anymore. He brings non-wrestling viewers, but the company has that boost with the likes of Bad Bunny and Logan Paul.

What might need the boost is something else on the way to Mania, like Royal Rumble. That's the perfect spot to get Lesnar back in the mix with an appearance on a Raw to lay the groundwork. Lashley benefits by getting a huge spotlight match there too, then perhaps he can find a new long-term feud or find a way to compete for another mid-card title in the aftermath.

It's hard not to love this sort of idea given Lesnar's track record for putting other superstars over. He's arguably one of the best sellers of all time. Remember how good AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, Daniel Bryan, Finn Balor and others have looked when he's not necessarily just being used as a spotlight item in the title scene?

Why not give Gunther the same thing? Keep the intercontinental title on him, too, which would only further cement the mid-card titles as prestigious things all superstars should want to pursue again. That has been a big goal of this new WWE too, so Lesnar helps accomplish two things that leave the company a much better place upon his exit.

And sure, we could find other opponents for Lesnar. It would be fun to see Austin Theory seek him out for a bit of long-term revenge. One could run down a big list of veterans or otherwise it would be fun to see him spar with.

But Gunther is just this similar, heavyweight bout fighter with international appeal who needs his first big feud while he's blatantly on his way to contending in the main-event scene once it opens up.

This matchup is also a big win for the Mania card itself. WWE needs to fill the two nights with must-see material and there's no bigger contender for one of its mid-card titles. As a middle-Mania match (or even opener, knowing Lesnar), everything from the entrances to the fight and aftermath would be a Mania-styled spectacle befitting of the card. If booked and executed properly, it might just steal the show outright.

Another fun thing about the long-term? While Reigns looks like he could be on the way to being the next Lesnar, a final-boss type who shows up every now and then, Gunther could be the full-time version of that.

After all, one of the biggest things about Gunther is the aura around him. Nothing would enhance it more than a win over Lesnar after an unforgettable sleeper, but no-brainer Mania feud.

Brock Lesnar's pro wrestling comeback nearly came a lot sooner—except it wasn't going to be back in WWE.

Kurt Angle revealed Lesnar wanted to join TNA in 2007, but the company balked at paying him like a top star.

"OK, Brock calls me. He is not in the WWE. He says, 'Listen, man. Can you get me in TNA?'" Angle said on his podcast. "I probably shouldn't even be saying this now. But you know what? Brock doesn't care. He said, 'Hey, what are you making?' And I said what I was making. He said, 'If you can get me that, I'll come.' I approached TNA, and they said, 'No, we're not going to give him that kind of money.'"

Talk about a missed opportunity.

Lesnar is the type of groundbreaking talent who could have taken TNA into the next stratosphere—all while acting as a major coup against WWE. This was before Lesnar's UFC four-year run, so his cache wasn't quite as high, but he was an absolutely in-his-prime generational athlete.

Lesnar was coming off a run in New Japan Pro-Wrestling that ended when Angle tapped him out for the IWGP championship. It would have been nothing short of a home run to add Lesnar to the TNA roster and resume that program on American soil.

Keeping in mind that TNA later paid the likes of Hulk Hogan, Mick Foley and several other well-past-their-prime stars top dollar, so rejecting Lesnar looks like an even more egregious mistake.

Stories of TNA's mismanagement have long been a part of wrestling lore, so fumbling the Lesnar situation should come as no surprise. That said, it's an interesting never-before-heard story of a massive missed opportunity.

Lesnar returned to WWE in 2012 and remains one of the company's top draws.

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Brock Lesnar has one of the most sporadic schedules of any WWE Superstar, and you can never be quite sure when you'll see him next.

Every time he's had a sendoff that could be viewed as a retirement, he pops up at another random time to shock the WWE Universe and wreck everything in sight, as he did in October when he attacked Bobby Lashley and cost him the United States Championship.

Since then, The Beast Incarnate has made a few appearances, notably beating Lashley at Crown Jewel with a less-than-definitive victory, followed by The All Mighty beating him down after the match.

This feud is not over, but nothing has been announced for when Lesnar will return or how WWE will continue this storyline (or perhaps move on from it entirely.)

With that in mind, fans awaiting The Beast's return should have their sights set on the Royal Rumble come January 28.

Earlier this year, Day 1 was advertised to make a return on January 1, but the pay-per-view has since been cancelled. Lesnar could have been considered for a role there, after winning the WWE title at the event in a match that involved Lashley and began this feud.

With the Royal Rumble being promoted as the next PPV for main roster talent, Lesnar's next appearance can be heavily speculated upon.

The 45-year-old is one of the most popular Superstars in WWE and can add name value to any show. His presence at an event as grand as the Rumble is certainly welcome, if not just to showcase how big that multi-wrestler match can be.

The Beast is a two-time men's Royal Rumble winner who tied the record for most eliminations during his dominant 2020 run before being taken out by Drew McIntyre midway through the contest.

Lesnar is the perfect figure to enter the match, eliminate Lashley as a spark to rekindle that feud, and even make it to the final four or the runner-up spot before being taken out—either by some interference from Lashley or someone like The Rock eliminating him to boost his momentum en route to a clash with Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39.

Lesnar's music hitting at some point after the crowd counts down the clock would be a major pop. He could follow that up with an appearance on Raw to cut a promo about how he and Lashley have unfinished business.

If The Beast turned up on a random episode of the red brand instead, it wouldn't make as much sense. The Royal Rumble is the perfect vessel for spontaneous returns that need no explanation other than those wrestlers wanted to win the match.

January 28, 2023, is when you should mark your calendars for the next appearance of The Beast Incarnate.

Lesnar will make an impact at the Royal Rumble as only he can, and we'll see the next phase of his feud with Lashley, which will culminate when WrestleMania Goes Hollywood at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on April 1-2.

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Perhaps nothing would tell WWE fans about the status and long-term viability of the Triple H era than the usage of Brock Lesnar.

The Beast Incarnate getting demolished by Bobby Lashley in an otherwise fluke win at Crown Jewel on Saturday night tells onlookers one thing: The stories and characters fans adore so much are in great hands.

It would appear the days of Lesnar getting thrown into the main event at any time are gone, no matter how many rematches he's had with Roman Reigns. And the happenings from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia were both stunningly entertaining in the moment and have great long-term ramifications, too.

First, the match itself. The Beast and Lashley opened the show, which feels like a Lesnar special at this point if he's not the show-ending main event. It was understandable to expect a predictable match in which both guys spammed finishers, hit big moves, went through a barricade or two and just generally kept it under 10 minutes while Lesnar picked up a win.

It was anything but, though.

Lashley was the aggressor, much to Lesnar's surprise. He attacked before the bell and downright beat the brakes off his rival the entire match. It was almost entirely one-sided in nature and refreshing, almost in the same way those early Lesnar-Goldberg clashes that emulated the UFC style were.

The finish was still dusty in nature, with Lesnar looking like he was about to tap but instead flipping the submission into a flukey pin that frankly didn't look all that great. It got the point across, but the finish was a weak one.

Still, mission accomplished from a storytelling angle. Lashley looks every bit the part of a guy who can beat Lesnar at any point. And the guy favored going into the match by most now looks somewhat goofy for underselling his opponent, and he's likely to come back with a vicious demeanor more in line with what fans wanted from this dream match.

Two, this is the perfect feud for both wrestlers. Lashley just had a downright amazing run with a mid-tier title and he needs something to do while other guys get a shot with it. Raw, after all, doesn't have top men's title otherwise.

Feuding with Lesnar and looking great while doing it only cements The All Mighty's status as a big-time player who remains a credible threat for any title in the promotion.

It's not like Lesnar has a ton to do, either. Fans can understand he's probably not going to show up on a weekly basis for quite a bit. But this sort of feud where he has major segments with Lashley every now and then is the perfect way to keep him busy until they can get the finale going at WrestleMania 39.

As an aside, this keeps Lesnar far, far away from Reigns. The orbit surrounding the unified champion and his family and challengers is far too interesting to ruin with The Beast now. It sounds dramatic, but the tail end of the Vince McMahon era really overdid the Lesnar-Reigns feud, anyway.

Lesnar free of that means somebody new like a Cody Rhodes can be the one to dethrone Reigns after his seemingly inevitable clash with The Rock at The Show of Shows.

And while WWE might have the urge to push the third bout between Lesnar and Lashley to an event much sooner than 'Mania, it's such a splendid co-main event now that we know the company's biggest show of the year is likely to continue being a two-night event.

At this point, there's little reason for WWE to fret over Lesnar needing to be the big guy who brings in viewers who don't typically watch WWE, anyway. Over the last few years they have received huge boosts in numbers and performances from the likes of Bad Bunny and Logan Paul—Lesnar can draw, but he isn't the draw anymore on this front.

Credit to Lashley, too. He's not some unrecognizable name given his history in other areas and promotions. Promoting a sort of shoot-UFC fight between the two at WrestleMania is just plain fun.

As has been the case already, this doesn't have to be a fast burn. WWE can take it slow and ultimately on this trajectory, it's the perfect example of how the promotion can smartly handle those "what if?" dream matches.

Because that's what Lesnar-Lashley is. It's a dream match that came to reality and continues to get the treatment it deserves. That's encouraging for the Triple H era as a whole, but it's also a good sign for other dream matches fans might end up getting in the future.

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Lashley vs. Lesnar III in the Works

To the surprise of absolutely no one, a third match between Bobby Lashley and Brock Lesnar is coming.

Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio said the marquee rubber match between the two heavyweights could come at any event between now and WrestleMania.

"The story of the match is that Lashley totally dominated him, but Lesnar won the match," Meltzer said. "They're 1-1 now and there's a natural third match. I don't know if they're going to save it for WrestleMania, or I don’t know when. Originally it was gonna be Day 1, but obviously that's out. I don’t know if they'll do it at Survivor Series, I'm not sure where they'll do it. They may do it in Montreal, or they may save it for 'Mania."

Anyone who watched Saturday's match between the two at Crown Jewel knew instantly it was more of a setup for a future clash than an actual match. Lashley dominated Lesnar throughout, with The Almighty only losing because his over-aggression allowed Lesnar to pull off a counter to The Hurt Lock.

If the message wasn't sent loudly and clearly enough during the match, an enraged Lashley attacked Lesnar and stood firm after the bell—either cementing a heel turn or just simply sending a message he really hates Brock Lesnar.

Regardless, a rubber match between the two—one with a true finish—would be a match befitting the Royal Rumble or WrestleMania stage.

Logan Paul's WWE Future Hinges on Knee Injury

Crown Jewel will likely be the last time we see Logan Paul in a WWE ring for a long time.

He suffered a significant knee injury in Saturday's championship match against Roman Reigns:

Meltzer reported there has been no confirmation of a torn ACL, which would keep him out of action indefinitely. Even merely dealing with meniscus and MCL tears will likely involve surgery and an absence of several months.

Regardless, it's a disappointing outcome after what can only be described as a marvelous performance in Saudi Arabia. Paul looked like a seasoned veteran while wrestling in only his third match, displaying athleticism and crowd work actual professionals could take notes from.

PW Insider reported WWE officials were pleased with how Paul performed in his loss to Reigns, and it's not hard to see why. Given Paul is under a multi-year deal with the company, we know it won't be the last time he's in the ring overall.

That said, WWE might want to look long and hard at adding some extra dates to that deal.

WWE Pleased With Strowman vs. Omos

The PW Insider report also noted the hoss fight between Strowman and Omos drew plaudits from backstage officials.

While the match won't set any records, it was perfectly solid for what it was: two big, meaty men slappin' meat.

Strowman was able to show some vulnerability against Omos in a way he couldn't for most of his first run in the company, while Omos continued his development into a solid midcard giant.

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