3 Reasons why Brock Lesnar will defeat Braun Strowman at No Mercy and 2 reasons he won't

Goldberg, for all intents and purposes, squashed Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series last year... but he only managed to pull it off because the shock and awe tactics he employed took the Beast Incarnate by surprise.

But at WrestleMania 33, unsurprisingly, Lesnar got back his own.

The brushings between Braun Strowman and Brock Lesnar, however, haven't been quite as evenly matched.

In fact, truth be told, they've been nothing short of a lopsided beatdown so far.

One where the conqueror has been conquered, the victimizer victimised and The Beast, force-fed a dose of his own medicine.

Braun Strowman has laid waste to Brock Lesnar at every turn and he looks hungry and entirely capable of more.

So, when they officially stand opposite one another in the squared circle at No Mercy, will we finally witness Suplex City crumble, brick by brick?

Or will the cornered Beast come out swinging in the face of its single greatest threat to date?

Just two weeks out from the event, only one outcome seems probable. But in the WWE, anything is possible.

On that note, here are 3 reasons why Brock Lesnar will defeat Braun Strowman at No Mercy and 2 reasons he won't.

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Will: Brock Lesnar is staying in the WWE

With a super fight against Jon Jones in the UFC ruled out, Brock Lesnar will stay in the WWE for the foreseeable future

With Jon Jones calling Brock Lesnar out after his impressive comeback win at UFC 214, there were rumours that the Beast Incarnate's head might turn UFC-side in the near future.

After all, a multi-million dollar payday for showing up and fighting for 25 minutes is too alluring a prospect to spurn.

But with Jon Jones going on to test positive for a banned performance enhancing drug and facing a lengthy ban from competition, it seems that Lesnar's WWE commitments have taken precedence once again.

Were he to court another one-off UFC lottery ticket like he did at UFC 200, it might have made sense having him lost the Title to Braun Strowman at No Mercy.

But with Jon Jones likely ruled out and along with that any chances that Lesnar might cross over into the UFC, it seems more than likely that the Beast Incarnate will continue to reign over the WWE Universe.

Won't: Strowman's monster push will mean nothing

Braun Strowman's monster push - which has been the highlight of Raw of late - better not fizzle out

Not for nothing is Braun Strowman known as the Monster Among Men.

Even in an industry with a proclivity for violence, his penchant for destruction is unrivalled.

And having Monster-handled everyone in his path and braved a bruising rivalry with Roman Reigns, he's been moulded into a legitimate main event player over the last few months too.

So why should the WWE risk jeopardizing all that hard-earned momentum by having him bite the dust against Brock Lesnar at No Mercy?

It's not like the roster is otherwise teeming with main-event calibre talent, is it?

Will: The storyline wouldn't make sense

Brock Lesnar simply can't lose at No Mercy after being rag-dolled in the build to the event

Now, it's one thing if Brock Lesnar is booked to look utterly dominant over Braun Strowman in the build to the pay-per-view, before losing due to a lapse in concentration.

But it's Braun Strowman who's assumed the mantle of the bully in the build-up, making a victory for him at No Mercy — effectively — a burial of Brock Lesnar all things considered.

And given that Lesnar is still one of their biggest draws, why on earth would the WWE want to undermine him so?

For the storyline to make sense then, and both parties to emerge with their reputations enhanced after the event, there is really only one way in which the WWE can book the match.

Brock Lesnar has to beat Braun Strowman at No Mercy.

Won't: Roman is a failed experiment; Strowman needs to step up

Where one fails, another could succeed

As much as Vince McMahon would like for the WWE Universe to accept Roman Reigns as the heir-apparent to the throne, it's just not happened for the Big Dog.

He was supposed to be crowned at WrestleMania 31, with a victory over Brock Lesnar, but such was the vitriolic response from the audience that the WWE decided against pulling the trigger.

Now, almost 3 years later, progress has been made at a painfully slow rate. Roman Reigns still polarizes opinion, but not in a John Cena way. There isn't a group that likes his character and a group that dislikes it.

Instead, some people feel that he's the man for the job but the majority still isn't convinced.

Now, that is a dilemma that the WWE would rather not have.

Meanwhile, Braun Strowman's rise has been a breath of fresh air; a reminder of how Superstars used to organically get over with the audience back in the day.

Could the WWE just decide to abandon the Roman project, or at least postpone it, and go with Braun Strowman like how they did with Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 31?

Knowing how flexible they actually are behind the scenes, I wouldn't put it past them.

Will: He's got a date with Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 34

Unfinished business...

This is, of course, the most logical outcome of the lot.

It's been written in stone that Roman Reigns will be the man to defeat Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 34 and unless something drastic happens to change Vince McMahon's mind, the WWE is going to stay its course.

And that, unfortunately, means that Braun Strowman will not get a win over Brock Lesnar at No Mercy.

He will undoubtedly push the Beast Incarnate farther than anyone else has done but will eventually fall short like every other contender.

Brock Lesnar will then go on to main event WrestleMania, where Roman Reigns will be the man to finally conquer him and win the WWE Universal Title.

Sorry folks. There's only room for one fairy tale in the WWE.

And that's Vince McMahon's.

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