How did Brock Lesnar affect Finn Balor's main event push in WWE?

Brock Lesnar does what Brock Lesnar wants, is a saying we have heard multiple times on WWE TV. But is this statement true with The Beast behind the scenes?

In September 2021, Finn Balor returned to SmackDown after a brilliant second run in NXT. The Demon challenged Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship at Extreme Rules that year. The Beast was lurking around the corner but hadn't issued a challenge to Reigns yet.

Roman Reigns defeated Finn Balor that year at Extreme Rules. Many felt that there would be a rematch, however, that match turned out to be a one-off. Reigns then began a long storyline with Lesnar that went on till WrestleMania 38.

On a recent episode of "Superstar Crossover" with Josh Martinez, Finn Balor addressed the matter:

"There was an idea to go a different direction, but then Brock returned and the direction changed," said Balor. "So that's something you have to come to terms with and understand in WWE is there's always gonna be—if one piece of the jigsaw changes, the whole landscape changes. If someone gets hurt or someone returns, there's always gonna be different ideas for plans in place. You just gotta be able to adapt to the ever-evolving situation. That's what you have to do."

A lot has happened since Extreme Rules last year. The Beast is currently in a feud with Bobby Lashley and Finn Balor is dominating RAW as a member of The Judgment Day.

In case you missed it, you can check out the Crown Jewel results here.

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Brock Lesnar never took WWE superstar Bobby Lashley seriously until this year

Brock Lesnar and Bobby Lashley are two of the strongest men in WWE today. Over the last twenty years, both Superstars have had a similar path in combat sports. Both earned global fame in WWE, left and ventured into MMA, and then returned to WWE years later.

The path of both Superstars naturally created a WWE on-screen storyline when they first clashed at Royal Rumble 2022. Recently on the After the Bell podcast, Lesnar's former advocate Paul Heyman revealed that the feud took so long to materialize because The Beast didn't feel The All-Mighty was credible enough until this year:

"Whether it be in WWE or UFC or Strikeforce or Bellator, it didn't matter to Bobby Lashley," said Heyman. "He just wanted to get in there with Brock Lesnar and he wanted an opportunity to show the world, 'I'm equal, if not better, than Brock Lesnar.' This is something that Brock did not see coming. This is not someone that was on Brock's radar ever. This is not someone that Brock Lesnar took seriously."

The Beast and The All-Mighty have now met twice in the ring. Once at the Royal Rumble in January 2022, and once a few days ago at WWE Crown Jewel. Both Superstars have one victory each. It will be interesting ahead to see what lies ahead for both powerhouses.