5 Reasons Brock Lesnar is More Entertaining without Paul Heyman in WWE

For years, the duo of Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman were inseparable in the WWE. Heyman did the talking and Lesnar backed it up in the ring. Heyman was able to articulate what was going to happen and Lesnar was able to destroy everything in his path. It was a formula that brought championships and put butts in seats.

In the current WWE landscape, Paul Heyman has a new wrestler he has served as an advocate for, WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns. It is a pairing that has led to Reigns' best run to date as a WWE Superstar. Reigns has held onto the title for over 450 days and has never looked better in the ring or been as effective on the mic and Heyman has definitely played a major role in that.

When Brock Lesnar made his surprise return at this year’s SummerSlam, the speculation started immediately; would Heyman betray Reigns and return to Lesnar? As of yet, this has not happened, including in the only title match between the two to date. It has been teased on WWE Smackdown on a few occasions on whether or not Heyman is still consulting Lesnar. So far, there hasn’t been any concrete proof and Heyman remains in the Reigns’ fold. Surprisingly, Lesnar has proved to be quite adept on his own. He has shown signs of his character having never been seen before without Heyman to do his talking for him.

Let’s take a look at five reasons why Brock Lesnar has been more entertaining without Paul Heyman in WWE.

#5 Brock Lesnar: New Look, New Attitude

The biggest surprise about Brock Lesnar’s return at SummerSlam was perhaps less about the return itself than the new look Lesnar was sporting in the WWE. Gone was the tight crew cut and clean shaven face that has been his look since his early days in the WWE.

Instead, Lesnar returned with a thick beard and a top knot haircut. It was a stunning new look that has seemingly given Lesnar’s character more depth.

Brock Lesnar seems to be bringing more of himself into the WWE on this go-round. He has talked about where he lives and what he likes to do. He is dressed like the farmer and hunter that he was during his frequent WWE hiatuses.

While he is still a beast and a dangerous looking individual every time he makes his way to the ring, he is also just more interesting to look at. He looks like he might have something to say and be less like a paid assassin.

Lesnar is still a butt kicking machine, but now he appears to be one with more depth and with a look the public wants to know more about.

#4 Brock Lesnar has more options.

Brock Lesnar’s pairing with Paul Heyman followed a simple formula: find the biggest, strongest obstacle for Lesnar, have Heyman run them down and then have Lesnar destroy them. The playlist was pretty simple over the years: Big Show, Undertaker, Roman Reigns and John Cena.

With Lesnar, the possibilities are much broader. Just look at some of the people he has already had interaction with: Sami Zayn, Adam Pearce and even interviews with Kayla Braxton. Lesnar’s character has shown more depth, having had to engage with different types of personalities. Once his run with Reigns is over, there will be plenty of different roads the WWE could go with this new version of Lesnar.

Lesnar’s work with Zayn alone has been outstanding. It has shown that Brock Lesnar does not need a megastar or a giant wrestler to play off to be effective. Seeing more work from Zayn and Lesnar would be worth watching.

#3 WWE Needs Edgier Babyfaces

The WWE has not had a truly edgy babyface since Stone Cold Steve Austin. Kevin Owens' face turn didn’t work, Roman Reigns could never pull it off and WWE has never stuck with it long enough with Randy Orton to see if it could take off.

Now along comes Brock Lesnar, and this version looks like a hit.

Brock Lesnar has always been the angry beast that smirked and snarled his way through the WWE while Paul Heyman carried the vocal load. Now, going up against the ultimate heel combo of Reigns and Heyman, Lesnar is being embraced by the WWE Universe. He's not really altered his character as much as his aggression but he has shown more range.

Brock Lesnar has hinted at a more complex character in the past, including his odd run with the Money in the Bank briefcase, but this run is stronger.

He's come across as clever, passionate and even funny. All these qualities will serve him well going forward as an edgy babyface.

If WWE insists on pairing Heyman and Lesnar again, it should be down the road. For now, they should let Lesnar continue to work on this character.

#2 Brock Lesnar Feels Fresh

Almost every other Brock Lesnar return has resulted in the WWE Universe turning on him by the end of his run. While his matches are always a must-see, the act can get tiring even with Paul Heyman’s brilliant mic work.

With this new character, people are anxious to see what Lesnar will do next. Every time his music hits, the crowd’s energy is apparent. He may come out and destroy an opponent, or Lesnar may come out and get into a verbal joust with someone in the ring. It is unique and entertaining. It builds momentum up for Lesnar’s eventual explosion in the ring.

Lesnar has been and will always be a part-timer. This run feels fresh and new. Now, when he eventually steps away for an extended period of time, the WWE Universe will be anxious to see him return.

Lesnar has always been a vastly entertaining wrestler. It's nice to see him get the chance to show how entertaining he can be beyond just destroying his opponents physically.

#1 Brock Lesnar is actually funny.

As it turns out, the Beast Incarnate is funny. Lesnar’s work with Sami Zayn over the last few weeks on Smackdown has been highly entertaining. Zayn has always been one of the best mic workers for the WWE but it was quite the surprise to see Lesnar hold his own with Zayn.

The multi-time champion has been able to hold his own on the mic without his long-time advocate, Paul Heyman. In doing so, Lesnar has seemed more human and more relatable than he ever has. This might allow WWE to explore other ideas with Lesnar once his run with Reigns ends.

If WWE has its way, the Lesnar vs. Reigns feud will give way to a Rock vs. Reigns feud at Wrestlemania. If that is the case, there is no reason to put the strap on Lesnar so he will need to move on to other matchups. This could set up the inevitable Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley matchup at Wrestlemania. Wouldn't the build to that match be far more interesting with the current character that Lesnar is developing?

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Would you like to see Brock Lesnar continue as a babyface? Or do you think he needs to turn heel again? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.