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The Beast Incarnate Brock Lesnar shocked the world at Money in the Bank when he replaced an 'injured' Sami Zayn. Since then Lesnar has been the target of vile blowback from fans. But does he deserve all the hate?
We are living in a new era, and the days of fans remaining largely silent about the creative direction of varied entertainment formats is a thing of the past.
Thanks to social media, anyone and everyone can make their opinions heard. Sometimes this is a good thing and can motivate businesses and entertainers to work harder or make changes to better serve their clientele.
Other times, it can be a bad thing. Brie Larson faced months of online harassment leading up to the release of her film Captain Marvel. Angry Game of Thrones fans put together a petition -- with half a million signatures -- 'demanding' that HBO remake the final season so it ended in accordance with their expectations.
And of course, this applies to pro wrestling as well. Men like John Cena, Roman Reigns, and others have had to endure the ire, the spite, and the ill will of fans who would prefer someone else be the top performer in WWE.
Perhaps one of the biggest targets for the online wrestling community's hate has been Brock Lesnar. Now that he has returned in a spectacular fashion, the hate seems to have magnified, at least temporarily. Everyone from journalists to critics to wrestling fans seems to have an opinion, and most of them tend to be negative.
But does Brock Lesnar deserve all of the hate fired his way? Here are five reasons why he might, and five why he might not.
#1 Doesn't Deserve the Hate: Like it or not, Brock Lesnar is a Draw
In the world of sports entertainment, one of the critical factors in determining a wrestler's success is their ability to 'draw.' This is an ambiguous term which both refers to drawing attention to the business and drawing money into the coffers of the promotion.
Some men are fantastic wrestlers but just can't draw a dime. Billy Kidman was one of the best in-ring performers of his day, but in terms of marketability, to quote Hulk Hogan, Billy Kidman couldn't sell out a flea market. This is why Kidman was never a WCW or WWE world champion.
Brock can draw, both money and attention. Like it or not, he is qualified for the position he holds in WWE.
#2 Does Deserve the Hate: Other wrestlers could draw better with different booking
There is no disputing the fact that Brock Lesnar can draw money and attention. That point is not up for debate.
However, Brock Lesnar is not the ONLY man who can draw in WWE. Part of the reason why Brock is such a big deal is that the company treats him like a big deal. Lesnar made a return to WWE and lost a match to John Cena before he became an unstoppable juggernaut in terms of storyline. Fans were somewhat ambivalent, but once Brock turned into a monster squashing opponents in mere minutes, they began to react much differently.
With the right booking, WWE could turn any number of their full-time wrestlers into top draws. Men like Rusev and Zack Ryder enjoy a lot of popularity with the WWE Universe, and yet they are never allowed to develop into main event talents or a credible threat to champions.
If the WWE books some of their stars better, there will be no need for an overpaid part-time performer like Brock Lesnar.
#3 Doesn't Deserve the Hate: Brock has paid his dues in wrestling
One of the most common arguments used by Brock Lesnar's pack of haters is that he hasn't 'earned' his spot with the company. Or that he doesn't 'deserve' his prominent place in the WWE hierarchy.
These days, Brock Lesnar wrestles a limited schedule, but back in the early 2000s, he was grinding his way through the developmental league of Ohio Valley Wrestling. Brock put his body on the line in brutal matches time and time again, always risking it all to entertain the fans.
Most famously, he botched a shooting star press during his Wrestlemania main event against Kurt Angle. Many other men would have just laid on the mat and let the match go to a no contest after such a potentially life-threatening accident, but Brock finished the match with an F5.
Brock Lesnar has paid his dues in pro wrestling, and fans should remember that.
#4 Does Deserve the Hate: His matches are brief and often unexciting
Pro wrestling matches, at least when given the proper amount of time, tend to run around twenty minutes long.
This is the average number because it is long enough to tell a compelling story in the ring and short enough that the athletes won't be gassed out by the end. Some wrestling matches can go much longer, particularly if they involve multiple participants or are an Iron Man match.
But Brock Lesnar's matches, however, tend to be under ten minutes long or shorter. And when he does work a longer match, the results are spotty at best. Remember when fans chanted "This is awful" during his main event match against Roman Reigns?
Lesnar may be a draw, but his poor work ethic turns off many fans.
#5 Doesn't Deserve the Hate: Brock isn't in charge of booking, the WWE is
Blaming Brock Lesnar for booking decisions made by WWE just isn't logical.
Fans might be upset that his matches are short, or that they have predictable or unexciting finishes. However, Lesnar is not the apropos target for such virulent derision.
Getting mad at Brock Lesnar is like getting mad at Kit Harrington because you don't like the way Game of Thrones ended. Harrington is just an actor, and not a producer or screenwriter.
Likewise, Brock Lesnar is a performer, albeit a highly paid and protected one. As a performer, he doesn't decide which direction the WWE chooses to take with their booking and therefore doesn't deserve the hate. If you were in Brock's shoes, would you turn down the money and the championship?
#6 Does Deserve the Hate: Brock has flustered his fellow wrestlers by stifling their creativity
While WWE is in charge of booking and creating storylines, Brock Lesnar decides what kind of performance he wants to put on in the ring.
Brock Lesnar has been accused of taking it easy and not putting much effort into the planning or execution of matches. One man who voiced his opinions on the matter was Dean Ambrose, on Stone Cold Steve Austin's podcast.
Ambrose: I went to the ring that night pretty pissed off, but then I really started to enjoy … as I walked to the ring. I had no idea what was going to happen. Went out there with not much of a plan, so to speak.
Austin: What were you pissed off about?
Ambrose: I felt like I was pulling teeth to turn that match into something epic and so forth.
Austin: You’re an MMA fan just like I am, was it a disconnect in styles? Artistically, in the ring?
Ambrose: Artistically, Brock didn’t want to do anything, if we’re going to be perfectly honest. Brock’s gonna Brock. He’s all about Brock. I had a vision for that match to be the craziest thing imaginable, you know what I mean, and I was trying to pitch everything to everybody and had every idea. I put so much effort in and so much work in, and other people did too, and I was met with laziness.
I kept thinking at the end of the day, ‘once we get in the ring, it’s all going to be OK. We’ll figure it out once we get in the ring.’
We went out there, whacked each other with weapons, I got suplexed a bunch of times.”
Being on good terms with other talent is important, which is why Brock is targeted with hate.
#7 Doesn't Deserve the Hate: His MMA champion status adds credibility to the squared circle
Like as not, there is still a bit of kayfabe left in professional wrestling.
One of the major components of kayfabe, when it was rigorously practised, was that pro wrestlers had to seem like bonafide tough guys. They need to portray characters and have the physical presence to convince the fans that they could wreak havoc in a physical altercation, even if wrestling is ostensibly 'fake.'
This attitude led to incidents like Meng biting the nose off of a fan who called him a 'fake' wrestler. It also leads to a lot of wrestlers not getting main event opportunities because they don't present a convincing tough guy image.
Brock Lesnar's MMA background makes him a tough guy, no questions asked. His image is good for the WWE and pro wrestling in general, meaning he doesn't deserve the fan's hate.
#8 Does Deserve the Hate: A part-time wrestler shouldn't be Mr Money in the Bank
Mr Money in the Bank -- or Mrs Money in the Bank--plays a prominent role on WWE television.
Many of the angles and storylines revolve around the Money in the Bank briefcase and the person who wields it. This is because being Mr Money in the Bank means that you are only three seconds away from becoming Universal or WWE Champion.
But with Brock Lesnar's part-time schedule, literally wrestling whenever he feels like it, the WWE is robbed of a potential linchpin for numerous angles and possible story directions.
Mr Money in the Bank is meant to be a career-defining moment, but with Brock, it just feels contrived and not at all special. If the briefcase went to a full-time wrestler, Brock wouldn't be the target of so much online hate.
#9 Doesn't Deserve the Hate: Brock's victory at Money in the Bank accomplished exactly what WWE intended
Brock Lesnar was already the target of online hate and general fan disgruntlement ever since he made his return to the WWE several years ago.
His unstoppable monster heel booking and part-time schedule may have rubbed many fans the wrong way, but WWE was not unaware of this. In fact, they have been playing it up for months, even working his UFC return into a storyline reason the Universal title match was the curtain jerker contest of Wrestlemania 35.
Yes, fans are quite angry that Brock Lesnar just walked in and climbed up a ladder, but that's exactly what WWE wanted to have happened. Brock is being set up as the spoiler heel, a role he can probably play quite well. Getting angry at Brock Lesnar for doing his job just doesn't make any sense.
#10 Does Deserve the Hate: Brock didn't take a single bump on his way to victory, or even perform any moves
Brock Lesnar won the 2019 Money in the Bank Ladder match with the absolute bare minimum effort. He walked out to his music, did the jig of doom, and simply scaled the ladder.
He did this without taking a single bump, even though the men involved in the match had taken much abuse and punishment throughout the course of the bout.
Brock Lesnar's victory may not have been so poorly received if the Beast Incarnate had charged out and laid waste to the other competitors. If he'd thrown around people with F5s and German Suplexes, it would have been viewed as at least some effort put in.
But with his victory coming so easily and without effort, he's tarnished the reputation of the MITB ladder match and perhaps deserves the ire of fans.
There you have it; Five reasons Brock Lesnar doesn't deserve the hate and five reasons why he might. What's your opinion on Brock Lesnar? Please comment and let us know and as always thanks for reading!
