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The big news of the week has to be Brock Lesnar now officially being a free agent after WWE removed his merchandise from WWE Shop over the weekend. PWInsider first broke the news that Brock's contract with WWE reportedly ended after his last match at Wrestlemania 36. Brock remains still listed on the Monday Night Raw roster and not the alumni section on WWE's website as of now.
According to WrestleVotes Twitter account, the belief is that once Brock is ready to work or fans are back in the building, he will return to WWE. However, this is a very interesting time where Brock Lesnar is not officially with the company. Many wrestling fans are intrigued by this and will speculate whether Brock Lesnar will show up for another promotion in wrestling or even MMA.
With the résumé of The Beast Incarnate, any promotion would be lucky to snag the former 8-time world champion. In this article, we will take a look at five potential opponents for Brock Lesnar outside of WWE. These opponents are from AEW, NJPW and even the UFC.
#5 Brock Lesnar vs. Chris Jericho (AEW)
One man outside of WWE that has an interesting past with Brock Lesnar is "Le Champion" Chris Jericho. The first ever AEW World Champion got into a backstage fight with Brock back at Summerslam 2016, after The Beast Incarnate bloodied Randy Orton in the main event of that show. Jericho took exception to a perceived shoot on Lesnar's part in the finish to the match. The two men were separated, but we never saw a match between the former WWE Champions since this encounter.
With AEW's history of using real life incidents as well as feuds from WWE, this would be the biggest possible match for All Elite Wrestling to book for Brock Lesnar if he made the move over to their promotion. Chris Jericho is one of the top stars of AEW and probably the most known talent they have. However, Brock Lesnar would definitely top Jericho in terms of star power. This would be a battle of two of the biggest names in the business.
AEW would also benefit from the fact that this is a match that WWE never presented on a major show. The only interaction between the two men on television was on the December 2014 episode of WWE RAW, where Jericho was supposed to face Paul Heyman, but instead received a beatdown from Brock Lesnar. The likelihood of Brock coming to AEW is slim, but this would be the first match everyone would be looking forward to. However, it would not be the only match fans would anticipate.
#4 Brock Lesnar vs. Jon Moxley (AEW)
One of the most disappointing matches of Brock Lesnar's latest run with WWE was his Wrestlemania 32 match against Dean Ambrose. The infamous Stone Cold podcast that followed featuring Ambrose had the former WWE Champion discussing how Brock did not want to work the kind of match he envisioned the two could have with the No Holds Barred stipulation. Now known as Jon Moxley, the current AEW World Champion is on a career resurgence, which has even awarded him the #1 spot on the PWI 500.
With the two men out of the WWE system and with a fresh coat of paint on the Purveyor of Violence, one would think Jon Moxley facing Brock Lesnar would be an intriguing encounter for AEW to book. The two men could play off of their real life animosity that stems from their previous match as well. Brock is known to try to redeem himself for lackluster performances of the past. We all saw this with the giving way he handled his 2016-17 program with Goldberg following their infamous, subpar match at Wrestlemania 20.
Although their previous match did not meet expectations, Moxley has had a reenergized passion since his departure from WWE last year. Jon Moxley has been on the run of his career, whether it be his stellar in-ring performances in NJPW or his impassioned promos in AEW. Brock Lesnar would have to bring his uncontrollable rage in a match that will no doubt break down into an all out brawl.
Once again, Brock Lesnar coming to AEW is highly unlikely due to the promotion not looking to bring him in for his price. That begs the question of where else Brock could potentially go? There is a place that Brock Lesnar has some history with, which would bring an ultra violent contest for The Beast Incarnate with a man Jon Moxley happens to know very well.
#3 Brock Lesnar vs. Minoru Suzuki (NJPW)
At 52 years of age, there is no man more violent in the ring than NJPW's Minoru Suzuki. The current NEVER Openweight Champion is known for his hard hitting contests as well as being one of the scariest men in professional wrestling today. Something that might not be known is that Brock Lesnar coming to New Japan Pro Wrestling would not be his first experience.
Back in 2005, Brock Lesnar returned to the wrestling world after his time in WWE by joining NJPW. On October 8th, 2005, Lesnar defeated Kazuyuki Fujita and Masahiro Chono in a three way match to win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at the Tokyo Dome in his debut match with the promotion. Although he had a well documented falling out with New Japan with him being stripped of the title, The Beast returning to NJPW would be something that would excite the fanbase especially for matches like this.
Minoru Suzuki has not slowed up at all with his in-ring intensity in 2020 with fantastic matches against the likes of Jon Moxley, Yuji Nagata and most recently Shingo Takagi. One of the few people outside of NJPW who could handle Suzuki in-ring is The Next Big Thing. The King of Pro Wrestling is someone who could motivate Brock Lesnar to have the physically demanding brawls that The Beast has excelled in over recent years.
Similar to AEW, it is also unlikely that Brock Lesnar would jump to NJPW. However, the promotion does bring a multitude of interesting matchups for The Beast. Another would be someone who would represent New Japan as a stalwart against this invading enemy.
#2 Brock Lesnar vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi (NJPW)
Brock Lesnar's time in NJPW featured many first time matches including an encounter with current WWE Superstar, Shinsuke Nakamura. However, the one star that The Beast did not meet was "The Ace" Hiroshi Tanahashi.
Tanahashi has been a mainstay of New Japan Pro Wrestling and the man most responsible for pulling them out of the doldrums of the early 2000s. There have been some fans of the promotion who point to Brock Lesnar leaving New Japan with the IWGP Heavyweight Title as one of the major low points of that period in the company. His return would bring intrigue, but would also be seen as a figure who brought sorrow to NJPW coming back.
This story writes itself here with Brock Lesnar being the evil returning enemy of NJPW facing the hero of the promotion in Tanahashi. Brock is at his best when he can be a ruthless force of nature against a great babyface similar to his battles with John Cena.
No other wrestler resembles Cena's stature in WWE quite like Hiroshi Tanahashi in NJPW. The Ace's amazing selling would only elevate Brock's Suplex City offense and make for an epic spectacle.
#1 Brock Lesnar vs. Jon Jones (UFC)
The final opponent for Brock Lesnar outside of WWE is none other than former UFC Light-heavyweight Champion Jon Jones. Following his failed attempt at the NFL and controversial departure from NJPW, "The Next Big Thing" made headlines by joining the UFC.
In just his third fight at UFC 91, Brock Lesnar beat Randy Couture via technical knockout to become the UFC Heavyweight Champion. Following his retirement from MMA due to his struggles with diverticulitis, Lesnar would return to the sport at UFC 200 back in 2016, winning via unanimous decision over Mark Hunt. This victory would later be overturned to a no contest after Brock tested positive estrogen blocker clomiphene and was suspended, which led to his second retirement.
Since that time, there have been several rumors about a potential return to MMA for The Beast with UFC President Dana White as well as Daniel Cormier teasing a fight. The one man who has created the most buzz and called out Lesnar repeatedly has been Jon "Bones" Jones.
Just three years ago, Jones famously called out The Beast following the main event of UFC 214. Since then, Bones has taken to social media to get the attention of Brock Lesnar. This is a big time money fight for the UFC and one that Dana White has not made a secret about wanting to book as both men have been major draws for his company.
With Brock Lesnar's reported departure from WWE, the opponent who will bring him the biggest payday possible is Jon Jones. This has been teased for years and would garner plenty of mainstream attention. Regardless of Brock taking this fight or not, this will continue to be teased by both men until it takes place.
The future of Lesnar is uncertain for sure. It is likely that he will return to WWE when the time is right. However, Brock Lesnar has plenty of exciting options outside of the company for him to explore.
