John Cena

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.

         

Cena Announces Book Signing in NYC on WrestleMania Weekend

John Cena announced Tuesday on Twitter that he will be signing copies of his best-selling children's book Elbow Grease in Manhattan, New York, on April 5:

I’m sitting at a picnic table now BUT will be at @StrandBookStore in Union Square, NYC on April 5th at 4pm taking photos and meeting fans of #ElbowGrease! 🚗
Until then, I’ll just be sitting at this picnic table. pic.twitter.com/h1X95Cqg4c

— John Cena (@JohnCena) March 5, 2019

WrestleMania will emanate from nearby MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, two days later, which has led to speculation Cena will be part of The Showcase of The Immortals.

Cena hasn't had much of a presence in WWE over the past year due to his movie commitments, but he did work some live events as well as Raw and SmackDown in December and January. He wrestled at last year's WrestleMania as well, losing to The Undertaker in an impromptu match.

While Cena hasn't been announced for a match at WrestleMania 35, it stands to reason he will have some level of involvement with the show if he is in the area for a book signing.

Some of the top stars not involved in an official match for The Show of Shows include Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, Finn Balor, Braun Strowman, Drew McIntyre, Bobby Lashley, Elias and Kurt Angle.

Even if Cena isn't in a featured match and merely takes part in a tag team attraction or another impromptu contest, he would undoubtedly bring a lot of value to WrestleMania given his popularity and name recognition.

       

Hardy Reveals Desire to Face Lesnar

Jeff Hardy has pretty much done it all over the course of his Hall of Fame-caliber career, but there is still more he wants to accomplish.

In an interview with The Five Count (h/t Stephen Cabrera of WrestlingInc.com), he talked about wanting another match with Brock Lesnar: 

"I've pretty much wrestled everybody I've ever dreamt of wrestling, but before I'm done, I'd love to have a one-on-one match with Brock Lesnar. One more time with him, cause he's a maniac, freak athlete that I would love to get in there with one more time before I'm done."

Hardy has some history with The Beast Incarnate dating back to 2002. At Backlash that year, he lost to Lesnar in a match that lasted just over five minutes.

He later teamed with his brother, Matt, in some tag team and handicap matches against Lesnar. That included a bout pitting The Hardy Boyz against The Beast and Paul Heyman at Judgment Day 2002 in a match won by the latter pair.

Although Hardy wrestled Lesnar quite a bit early in The Beast's WWE career, they haven't crossed paths since then.

Lesnar is the universal champion and only wrestles on select occasions. Meanwhile, Hardy has been a singles competitor on SmackDown Live over the past year, but he and Matt reunited as a team last week.

It may not be in the cards for Lesnar and Hardy to lock horns again, but The Charismatic Enigma was an important part of The Beast's development as a wrestler nonetheless.

         

Bayley Talks Intergender Wrestling in WWE

Count Bayley among the proponents for intergender wrestling making its way into WWE.

The Huggable One was asked about the subject in an interview with Danny Marland of Sport Bible, and she pointed toward past instances of intergender wrestling in WWE as an example of why it might work:

"I would love for intergender matches to start happening again, it happened in the past when you had Lita teaming with The Hardy Boyz and Eddie [Guerrero] getting involved with Chyna, with things happening like Nia Jax in the Men's Royal Rumble there's a possibility there and I would love any part of that.

"I think the men are just as excited for the women and it helps push them too. One you see someone giving it their all in the ring and getting attention, it pushes everyone, the men have been nothing but supportive of the opportunities we've received so far."

While WWE used to allow men and women to mix it up more often during the Attitude Era, they have moved away from it over the past several years. There have been some instances of it occurring recently, though.

Most notably, Jax entered the men's Royal Rumble match and absorbed plenty of punishment from the guys in the bout. Also, during the Mixed Match Challenge, there was some physicality between men and women at times even though it was largely kept to a minimum.

Bayley is a huge part of the surge women's wrestling has enjoyed in WWE, as she is one-half of the WWE women's tag team champions along with Sasha Banks.

If men and women wrestling each other eventually becomes more accepted in WWE like it is on the independent scene, that will represent another major win for female wrestlers.

Although that doesn't appear to be on the horizon, Bayley and Banks making the women's tag team titles highly sought-after prizes is the next step in the Women's Evolution, and they will have a chance to do that when they defend them against Jax and Tamina at Fastlane on Sunday.

             

Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: some language NSFW).

The on-again-off-again romance between WWE Superstars Nikki Bella and John Cena has reportedly reached its conclusion. 

According to TMZ, sources close to Bella said that she sees no future with Cena and is instead focused on her new relationship with Dancing With The Stars performer Artem Chigvintsev.

Bella and Cena dated for six years, and they got engaged at WrestleMania 33 in Orlando, Florida, in 2017. They called their engagement off last year, however, and rumors have constantly swirled regarding their future and the possibility of them getting back together ever since.

As seen on the E! reality series Total Divas, Cena's unwillingness to have children led to their breakup. Cena later reversed course and said he would have children, but the relationship still ended.

TMZ noted that while Bella and Cena still talk, their relationship is nothing like what it once was.

Bella and Chigvintsev—who were partners when she finished seventh on Season 25 of DWTS—were reportedly spotted on a date that lasted "hours" in Los Angeles on Monday.

Sources told TMZ that the relationship is "turning serious."

Neither Bella nor Cena wrestles regularly anymore due to their commitments outside the ring. Nikki has several different business ventures including a clothing line and wine company, while Cena is a rising star in Hollywood.

An encounter between them is possible at WrestleMania 35 if both are brought back to take part in the biggest WWE show of the year, but based on TMZ's report, any interaction between them will be merely platonic.

  

Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: some language NSFW).

John Cena boasts a vast and impressive resume, and he will soon add the title of "game show host" to his bevy of accomplishments.

Brian Steinberg of Variety reported on Thursday that Nickelodeon has tabbed the 41-year-old to host new episodes of the popular game show Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?

Cena has some hosting experience, as he presented reality show American Grit on Fox and the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards. He is primarily known as one of the biggest stars in WWE history and is a rising star in the acting world, though.

Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? debuted on Fox in 2007 with comedian Jeff Foxworthy as the host and ran through 2009. It also had a brief revival in 2015. Nickelodeon is set to bring the show back in 2019.

The object of the game is for adults to test their knowledge against highly intelligent fifth graders, with all questions considered to be at a fifth-grade learning level.

Cena seems like an ideal choice to host the revival since he has long been hugely popular among children as the face of WWE.

While Cena has appeared only sporadically for WWE over the past year, he has remained in the spotlight with other projects, and his installation as host of Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader? will allow his fans to see him on another platform that is outside his usual element.

                 

Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: some language NSFW).

With it is clear the main event scene doesn't have room for Drew McIntyre, his road to WrestleMania 35 clearly runs through one person: John Cena. 

The Scot is the next big thing when it comes to bad-guy types at the top of the card, but the upcoming April 7 showpiece has to do some housecleaning first. 

That isn't saying this year's event will be a bad show by any means. But it needs to re-end Brock Lesnar's reign by anointing Seth Rollins. It needs to protect Finn Balor after his recent loss to The Beast Incarnate. AJ Styles needs a moment, and so does Daniel Bryan. Braun Strowman has cooled off considerably. Dean Ambrose got ruined recently, which will likely leave him relegated to putting over a younger talent. 

It leaves McIntyre in a bit of a limbo, barring a Cena return. Which we know is coming, of course.

Cena has popped up here and there since going Hollywood and doesn't appear to have anything major on the docket. The original plan, if any, was rumored to be a big match with Lars Sullivan, according to Wrestling Observer Radio's Dave Meltzer (h/t H Jenkins of Ringside News). But that's apparently out the window, though either way, it makes it clear the veteran's role was going to be helping build a new monster. 

McIntyre certainly classifies. 

Granted, he is more established than Sullivan at this point. But his plans have fallen through after he failed to win the Royal Rumble and go after the universal title. From a story standpoint, it's a total derailment of his goals for the time being; from a booking standpoint, it is clear WWE isn't ready for him in such a role. 

Funnily enough, McIntyre's other recent actions fit a feud with Cena well. Remember him dismantling Kurt Angle in barbaric fashion? Tearing down a legend in humiliating fashion? Try this, though keep in mind this cut-up offering doesn't even do the full dismantling justice: 

Shifting McIntyre to a legend-smashing role and letting him build a villain that way makes plenty of sense. And while Angle's resurgence has been fun, he's looked gassed at times. Cena is the top of the pile in this department. 

Even better, McIntyre and Cena have played well off each other already recently, both in promos and in the ring: 

Cena hit the right tones in the above promo—he's heard all the same things before from all sorts of Superstars and left in part because he'd hope others would emerge. 

Well, here's McIntyre. The nice thing about a feud between the two with a finale at WrestleMania is that Cena doesn't even have to show up every week. He's not a champion so it isn't as big of a deal as Lesnar being absent. 

McIntyre, on paper, could stay hot in the process of the days without Cena being around by taking out other major figures within the company. When Cena's there, he always shows up just a bit too late for the save. 

Has WWE done a storyline like this before? Of course, but if it works for all, it works. Cena is an interesting case because he presumably can't be around each week on the road to 'Mania. McIntyre is the sort of talent in all phases (ring, mic, etc.) who can carry the feud in the interim.

Frankly, McIntyre needs some help at this point too. From a broad standpoint, he has it all. The look, mic skills and unexpected athletic bursts for a guy his size are hard to find. He can play the good or bad guy quite well. Even the long-running story is there considering he was at one point the supposed chosen one before leaving WWE, rebuilding himself and returning as a monster. 

Yet, as of late he's been winning a feud with Dolph Ziggler before getting eliminated by him in the Royal Rumble, then wasting away in the purgatory that is Raw tag matches while teaming with guys like Baron Corbin. 

A Cena push would reinflate The Scottish Psychopath's status and get him away from the mess underneath him. Going over Cena in a good-looking fashion will work wonders too.

With Rollins presumably sending Lesnar packing again, WWE will revert to needing a final boss of sorts who can give the appearance of deserving a title shot against the guy who slayed The Beast. 

That guy is McIntyre coming off a dismantling of someone as prestigious as Cena on a stage like 'Mania. All gets forgotten in a hurry when it comes to the last few months if he's stomping out the veteran and sending him back to Hollywood, slapping away the usual "Cena raises your hand win or lose" after the end of the match. 

Organic would be a good way to describe McIntyre's re-entry into the main event scene afterward for a feud with Rollins, who presumably won't have either Shield brother to spar with and stuck-in-mud guys like Strowman offering little in the way of chemistry. 

While it's a shame other loose ends on an overly talented roster had to sweep McIntyre to the side momentarily. But it could be a blessing in disguise if he gets a WrestleMania moment against Cena that slingshots him into a void left by Lesnar, the difference being he'll show up each week and fight. 

Welcome to the Bleacher Report WWE mailbag where we answer questions about the promotion and its future from readers.

WWE had an interesting 2018, and 2019 looks to be no different. While the company continues to be lauded for its charitable efforts and the Women's Revolution, it has also faced criticism for its relationship with Saudi Arabia and the way it has been handling certain Superstars and titles.

Management addressed concerns by having the McMahon family and Triple H appear on the December 17 episode of Raw to promise the WWE Universe it would listen to concerns from fans and wrestlers and make changes accordingly.

Let's see what the WWE Universe was curious about this week.

                           

Which WWE Star Will Go Mainstream?

#BRWWE Which superstar do you see making the leap to the mainstream?

— ~JC~ (@jsncrwfrd) February 5, 2019

A lot of WWE Superstars have appeared in television shows and movies over the years, but only a few have truly broken through the barrier between Hollywood and pro wrestling.

The Rock is a legitimate movie star, and Batista has been carving out a nice career for himself, so it's easy to see why more wrestlers would want to follow in their footsteps.

As far as the current roster goes, a few people stick out as having the mainstream appeal Hollywood would need in order to justify casting them in a major role.

The obvious answer right now is Becky Lynch. She has been on fire since SummerSlam both in the ring and on the mic, but she has other qualities producers would finding appealing, too.

As far as the men are concerned, Dolph Ziggler has already taken steps to ensure he has a career outside the ring should he choose to hang up his boots, so he is the most likely candidate to find regular work in Tinsel Town. 

The Showoff has been working on his stand-up comedy routine for years and has appeared on a few television shows and movies, including Max Landis' Me Him Her in 2015 and the WWE Studios film, Countdown. 

                      

Should WWE Publish Win-Loss Records for Superstars?

Seems like WWE is constantly struggling to have mid carders, without title feuds, be relevant. I’d love to see ladders, but wouldn’t it benefit them to publish televised win/loss records? Give them something more to fight for. #BRWWE

— Cole Fleming (@irish_cole1) February 5, 2019

Using statistics in wrestling has always been tricky. Certain things like the number of titles someone has won are touted regularly, but other than Curt Hawkins, few Superstars reference their win-loss records.

While it makes logical sense to use wins and losses as a way to determine who deserves a push, it doesn't work from a storytelling standpoint.

WWE might decide on a whim to push someone who has been used mostly as a jobber up to that point, and if their actual win-loss record was brought up, they would never get that push.

Take Jinder Mahal for example. He spent months on Raw jobbing to other Superstars before management decided to give him a run with the WWE Championship.

Someone with his record would never be allowed near a title, but since nobody keeps track of these things other than a few small websites, WWE can give him a push anytime it wants. 

                         

Why Does WWE Want Charlotte added to Ronda Rousey vs. Becky Lynch at WrestleMania 35?

Why WWE is hellbent on putting Charlotte in the RAW Womens Championship match.?

— OMK (-_•) (@OKbeingOK) February 5, 2019

Based on Tuesday's SmackDown, it does seem like we will see Charlotte Flair added to Ronda Rousey and Lynch's match at WrestleMania 35, but it's not set in stone.

If this does end up being the plan, certain fans of The Man will be up in arms over The Queen trying to steal her thunder as she did at SummerSlam.

However, for the purposes of both match quality and storyline symmetry, adding Charlotte makes sense. For one thing, she is going to make the wrestling look better.

Rousey has been impressive in most of her matches, but she works a very specific style. It's hard to imagine her carrying a 30-minute technical clinic like Lynch and Flair. Like Brock Lesnar, Rowdy Ronda is better in small doses.

Doing this will also bring things full circle. Charlotte winning the title at SummerSlam is what kick-started Lynch's current push, and having The Man defeat her at the biggest show of the year would cement her as the top woman in the division.

It might not be what everyone wants right now, but if Lynch wins decisively at WrestleMania, none of her fans are going to complain.

                          

Why Does WWE Shorten Superstars' Names?

Why does WWE keep on shortening its Superstars' name???

— OMK (-_•) (@OKbeingOK) February 5, 2019

WWE has this weird habit of taking away a Superstar's first or last name shortly after they arrive on the main roster, and it appears to have happened again recently to Heavy Machinery.

Otis Dozovic and Tucker Knight will now be known only as Otis and Tucker. The same thing happened to Elias Samson, Andrade "Cien" Almas, Luke Harper, Erick Rowan and Alexander Rusev.

For certain people, having one name just sounds cooler. Rusev is a tougher sounding name than Alexander, and the same can be said about Elias sounding better than Elias Samson.

In other cases, it might be a matter of pronunciation and spelling. Dozovic doesn't exactly roll off the tongue, so it made sense to drop it in his case.

For some people, like Andrade for example, the move seems to have come out of nowhere. It might be a merchandising or copyrighting decision, but WWE would never tell us why it makes those decisions.

For all we know, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon is a huge Madonna fan and thinks having one name makes someone more awesome. 

                               

Who Will be Part of the Next Batch of NXT Call-ups?

https://twitter.com/J0hnnyFueg0/status/1092608068293222400

WWE just called up six Superstars at the end of 2018 with Lacey Evans, EC3, Lars Sullivan, Nikki Cross and Heavy Machinery all getting the video-package treatment, though Sullivan has yet to appear on television.

Despite a crowded roster, the company will likely bring up another handful of Superstars around WrestleMania as it always does, and a few names are clear front-runners for those spots.

Shayna Baszler has dominated the women's division in NXT and will likely join Rousey on the main roster soon. WWE might use Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir during a Four Horsewomen storyline, but they will still be in the developmental brand for a bit.

Kairi Sane is another top candidate from the women's division to get a promotion, as is Candice LeRae, especially if WWE brings her up with Johnny Gargano as a pair like Lana and Rusev.

When it comes to the rest of the men's division, Aleister Black, Tommaso Ciampa, Velveteen Dream, The War Raiders and The Undisputed Era could show up on Raw or SmackDown tomorrow and be welcomed with open arms by the WWE Universe.

Even NXT UK has some deserving talents like Toni Storm, Rhea Ripley, Pete Dunne, Moustache Mountain and The Coffey Brothers, but WWE will probably keep them in the developmental system for a little while to help build it into a product the fans will recognize before making any changes. 

                           

Is AEW the biggest threat to WWE?

https://twitter.com/DanPecoraro86/status/1091170405887496192

Former Bleacher Report contributor and current Director of Client Partnerships at iHeartMedia, Dan Pecoraro, asked if All Elite Wrestling is the biggest threat to WWE since Ted Turner and WCW?

This is the hardest question to answer because things don't work like they used to. When WCW was a threat to WWE, it was because WCW was winning the ratings war and poaching talent left and right.

While AEW might be able to steal away some high-profile names from WWE, we are not going to have another Monday Night War to threaten WWE's existence. 

For one thing, people consume content differently than they used to. Fans can choose to watch as little or as much wrestling as they want thanks to DVR and online streaming services.

At this point, the only real threat to WWE's continued success is WWE itself. If the company makes a few bad business decisions, stockholders might lose faith and begin dumping their shares.

We also have to remember how things went the last time someone took WWE's biggest stars. McMahon started pushing people like The Rock and Steve Austin and ended up being even more successful than when guys like Diesel and Bret Hart were holding the WWE title. 

If John Cena, AJ Styles, Daniel Bryan, Brock Lesnar and Randy Orton all left tomorrow, management would pick five new people to take their place in the pecking order. In fact, that might even be the thing WWE needs to regain some of its lost supporters. 

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To submit questions for the next WWE mailbag, tweet them to @BR_Doctor on Twitter using the hashtag #BRWWE.

Since its creation in in 2002, there have been 22 Elimination Chamber matches, with two more set to happen on February 17 at the 2019 pay-per-view.

What could have easily become something too over-the-top to work is now one of WWE's go-to gimmicks to make an impact on The Road to WrestleMania.

It's been used to decide No. 1 contenders and which champions will head into the biggest show of the year, so if there is one match WWE Superstars want to win on par with the Royal Rumble, it's the Elimination Chamber.

Despite its importance and popularity, though, it pales in comparison to the Rumble in terms of recognition for the records established over its lifespan.

For some reason, those bits of trivia are rarely mentioned, which is why now is the perfect time to bring them to light.

Let's call attention to some of the statistics and records from the history of the Elimination Chamber match.

             

Most Appearances

No wrestler has competed in an Elimination Chamber match more times than Chris Jericho, who has been in eight bouts over the years.

Second behind him are John Cena with seven, which is a number Randy Orton will hit during this next pay-per-view.

Rounding out the top five in this category are Triple H with six and Kane with five.

Kofi Kingston would be at four had Edge not attacked him and stolen his spot at No Way Out 2009—a match The Rated-R Superstar managed to win. Perhaps that would have been Kingston's lucky pod had things not turned out that way.

There is a surprising trend of wrestlers competing in one match and bowing out, as 40 out of 69 competitors were only in one Elimination Chamber bout.

There has only been one women's event previously, but we know Mandy Rose, Sonya Deville, Bayley and Sasha Banks will all reach two appearances this year, while Alexa Bliss and Mickie James failed to qualify for the 2019 match.

              

Most Victories

To date, 17 men and one woman have won an Elimination Chamber, with 52 men and five women coming up short.

Three of those men are The New Day, who are the only team to win this match, in 2015.

One-time winners include Bobby Lashley, Bray Wyatt, Chris Jericho, CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, Jack Swagger, Randy Orton, Roman Reigns, Ryback, Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker.

Edge was victorious twice—again, getting lucky in 2009, as he wasn't scheduled for that match—while Cena has won three times.

However, Triple H holds the record for most victories at four, in 2003, 2005, 2008 and 2009.

Alexa Bliss is the only female to win an Elimination Chamber, and she will be joined in that achievement by the two women who claim the Women's Tag Team Championships on February 17.

               

Most Eliminations

Sometimes, even the smaller victories count, such as the number of eliminations a Superstar can score.

Braun Strowman has the most impressive record in this regard as far as percentages go, as he eliminated five opponents—all but Reigns—in his only Elimination Chamber match last year, earning him an 83.33 percent success rate.

The most overall eliminations, though, goes to Jericho at 10, which makes sense, considering he's been in more Elimination Chamber matches than anybody else. The same logic applies to Triple H at seven eliminations in his six appearances.

There have been four Superstars who won the event with only one elimination, as Big E, Woods, Reigns and Swagger only had to take out their last opponent to be victorious.

Bliss scored two eliminations to secure her win last year, putting her at the top of the food chain for the women's division, as the other three eliminations were split between Bayley, James and Banks.

              

Worst Overall Record

At the opposite end of the spectrum, most entrants have accomplished nothing during their time in Elimination Chamber matches and some Superstars have particularly awful records.

For the women's division, this distinction would go to Rose and Deville by default, as they have zero wins and zero eliminations from their one appearance.

As far as the men are concerned, though, some haven't fared so well despite numerous attempts at victory.

Kane has tried five times to win and only managed to score two eliminations. R-Truth has one elimination and zero wins for his four attempts.

The person with the most appearances, zero wins and zero eliminations is Wade Barrett, accomplishing nothing in three Elimination Chamber matches other than taking three losses of his own.

            

Title Implications

A title has changed hands on nine occasions in the Chamber, with the World Heavyweight Championship being the belt that has swapped most, with four new champions being crowned.

The WWE Championship follows that with three title changes, while the intercontinental and ECW titles both sit at one.

There have been five Elimination Chamber matches that determined who would be the No. 1 contender to a championship at WrestleMania, but only once has that Superstar been successful in winning that belt when The Undertaker won at No Way Out 2008 and defeated Edge at WrestleMania 24 for the World Heavyweight Championship.

              

The Brands

Raw has had 10 Elimination Chamber matches dedicated solely to its roster, compared to four for SmackDown, one for ECW, one that was shared between SmackDown and ECW, and six that were contested when a brand split was no longer in effect.

SmackDown will receive another on February 17, while teams from both brands will compete for the Women's Tag Team Championship in the other upcoming Chamber match.

              

Entrances

Just like the Royal Rumble, it's more beneficial to show up later in the match than to start it off.

Jericho has the worst luck in this regard, being one of the first two Superstars in an Elimination Chamber five times out of his eight appearances, while Sheamus is in second place with three instances of not having the luxury of a pod.

The luckiest draw goes to Big Show, Cena and Undertaker, as they have managed to be the final entrant in an Elimination Chamber match twice, which helped in Cena's 2010 win.

           

Anthony Mango is the owner of the wrestling website Smark Out Moment and the host of the podcast show Smack Talk on YouTube, iTunes and Stitcher. You can follow him on Facebook and elsewhere for more.

Brock Lesnar is one of the biggest attractions to ever come along in the pro wrestling industry, but thanks to poor writing and laziness on either his or WWE's part, The Beast has become boring.

A few years ago, advocate Paul Heyman coined the phrase "East, sleep, suplex, repeat." It was meant to be a jab at John Cena after Lesnar squashed him with 16 German suplexes in one match to hand him the most decisive loss of his career at SummerSlam 2014.

It was a fun catchphrase to put on a shirt, but it also became his mantra, and unfortunately the mundane nature of the four-word phrase became how he performed.

It has gotten so bad, you can predict exactly how his feuds will go before they even happen. To make matters worse, Heyman is starting to become just as boring because he has no creative control over how the feuds are booked.

Here is a basic timeline of how all of Lesnar's recent feuds have played out.

• WWE announces a future Universal Championship match and books a No. 1 Contender's bout to find a challenger.
• Whoever wins gives a promo about why they are the one who can finally dethrone Lesnar as champion.
• The Beast shows up on Raw and stands there silently while Heyman talks. 
• Heyman puts over Lesnar's opponent for their heart and skill before saying his client will beat them regardless of how good they are. 
• The challenger shows up and gets destroyed by Lesnar in a brawl.
• The Beast takes a few weeks off.
• The champ shows up again the week before the pay-per-view, and Heyman gives a loud promo about how dominant Lesnar is.
• The challenger shows up again and gets the upper hand, giving fans a false sense of hope that we might finally see someone slay The Beast.
• Lesnar wins at the PPV.
• Rinse and repeat.

A few small tweaks can be made to suit different opponents, but that is the basic layout of every feud Lesnar has had in recent years. Whatever mystique he had is gone and what remains is a real-life representation of an impossible video game boss fight.

When WWE first started using The Beast this way, fans couldn't wait until his next match. He was unique in the way he was presented by the company, but you can only do the same thing for so long before fans start turning against you.

The funny thing is we all know this is not how Lesnar has to be booked. He can be so much more if WWE allowed him to be even close to the same person he was during his first run.

Some people forget he was a skilled collegiate wrestler who had the technical ability necessary to steal the show with Kurt Angle at WrestleMania 19 in a match people still talk about to this day.

Some of his matches against smaller wrestlers have been better than his bouts against other powerhouses, but a lot of credit for those performances goes to his opponents.

To be fair, Lesnar is a hell of a performer when motivated. You could tell he put more effort into his bouts with Finn Balor and Daniel Bryan than he did against Braun Strowman.

The problem is WWE doesn't seem motivated to try anything new with him, and his limited schedule means there is only so much the creative team can do with the time he has.

Repetitiveness has been a big complaint among the WWE Universe for quite some time, and The Beast has been the definition of repetition for the past few years.

                          

How to Fix the Problem

Unless something drastic changes with his next contract, Lesnar is always going to have limited dates to work with, so WWE needs to use them more strategically.

The first step is going to be taking the belt off The Beast and putting it on someone else. Anyone else. As long as the universal title is off the table, he can move forward.

Instead of being the unstoppable champion, WWE needs to turn Lesnar into the dangerous hunter. He should be the challenger everyone fears will come after their prize.

He is at a point where he no longer needs to win every match to be seen as the most dangerous wrestler on the roster, so WWE should start using him to put over some of its full-time stars.

Even if he only lost every other match for a year, two or three Superstars would benefit from the huge push that would come with defeating someone such as Lesnar.

Making The Beast someone who can be beaten sometimes would make all of his future bouts more unpredictable—and therefore more entertaining.

The McMahon family promised us change in 2019, but it has been business as usual so far. If management really wants us to think it can be better, booking Lesnar differently would go a long way toward making us believe in the product again. 

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What do you think WWE can do to make Lesnar interesting again?