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Wait just a moment Drew McIntyre, you might not be facing The Beast at WrestleMania after all. There is a new No. 1 Contender that has jumped in line in front of the Scottish Psychopath, and his name is Ricochet.
The One and Only earned his opportunity Monday Night on Raw when he defeated Seth Rollins and Bobby Lashley in a triple threat match. He didn't get much time to celebrate, as he was promptly attacked by the WWE Champion as the show was going off the air.
Now let's be honest about something, there is absolutely zero chance that Ricochet is walking away from WWE Super ShowDown as the WWE Champion. The main event of WrestleMania, or at least one of the main events, will be Brock Lesnar vs. Drew McIntyre.
Despite that, there are several reasons why this match up is taking place. Before we take a look at a few of them, gear up by listening to what the NXT UK Women's Champion has to say regarding a potential encounter with Becky Lynch!
#1 Brock Lesnar needed to defend the Championship
I know Brock Lesnar is a part time WWE performer. I know he has a history of taking weeks, if not months, off at a time whether he's the Champion or not. He does what he wants, when he wants, to who he wants. I get it. I don't always like it, but it's part of his character and he plays that character well.
That said, this is WrestleMania season. This is the peak time to be a wrestling fan, and the WWE Championship should be defended in the ramp up to the biggest show of the year. I was absolutely stunned when it was announced that Lesnar would be on the card at the Royal Rumble, but the Title wasn't going to be on the line.
Brock may have been the MVP of the Rumble, but the WWE Championship was an afterthought that night. Not exactly a good look for the company's top belt.
The last time we saw Lesnar defend the Title was at Survivor Series against Rey Mysterio. The gap from November to April is way to big for the Championship to not be on the line at some point. Especially when your advocate constantly calls you the Reigning, DEFENDING, Undisputed WWE Heavyweight Champion of the World.
#2 Makes sense from a storyline standpoint
Remember when Ricochet came out on the Monday Night RAW before the Royal Rumble to confront The Beast? Remember how random that felt? Well, here is your pay off. What seemed out of now where at first, is quickly turning into a nice little rivalry.
Ricochet may not have lasted too terribly long in the Royal Rumble match, but he played an intrical part in getting Brock Lesnar eliminated. Lesnar was on an absolute tear, having eliminated a record breaking 13 men to start the match. That was before Ricochet came down to the ring, and put up a fight just long enough to bridge the gap between his entry and McIntyre's arrival.
For a brief moment the WWE Champion forgot about Ricochet. While his eyes were fixated on the Scottish Psychopath, the One and Only would deliver a shot to Brock's one and only. That allowed McIntyre to deliver the thunderous Claymore Kick that sent The Beast flying over the top rope.
You can make an argument, that without Ricochet, McIntyre never would have gotten the drop on Lesnar. Now, the WWE Champion has the opportunity to get his revenge on the other man who cost him his Royal Rumble victory.
#3 It gets Ricochet back in a meaningful feud
Ricochet was off to a fantastic start after getting his call up to the "main roster" last year. After a brief run with Aleister Black as his tag team partner, the two stars found themselves on separate brands.
That allowed Ricochet to branch out on his solo career. He quickly found himself in a high profile program with then United States Champion Samoa Joe, and even won the Title off of him at Stomping Grounds.
His reign didn't last long however, as just three weeks later we would drop the belt to AJ Styles. It was another high profile feud, but one that Ricochet found himself on the losing end of ultimately.
Ricochet would advance to the semi-finals of the King of the Ring Tournament later in the year, getting a huge win over Drew McIntyre in the process. However since then, he's seen his stock drop off quite a bit. He hasn't been featured quite as much on RAW as he once was, but now that will change dramatically. As the No. 1 Contender for the WWE Championship, he will be shoved right to the top of the card alongside Drew McIntyre and Brock Lesnar.
Ricochet has always been know as a tremendous athlete and a great in ring performer. Now he'll have the opportunity to show he can hang in the main event scene on RAW.
#4 Lesnar does his best work with smaller opponents
Brock Lesnar is a big, powerful man. They don't call him 'The Beast' for nothing. He can stand toe to toe with any competitor and have a commanding presence in the ring. Lesnar has taken down some of the best big men in the WWE, including The Undertaker, Big Show, Kane, and Braun Strowman.
He's toppled powerhouses like John Cena, Roman Reigns and Goldberg. He is a true Goliath. Which is fitting, because more often than not his best opponent is a David.
Lesnar is at his best when he can showcase his dominance. Some of his most entertaining matches in recent years have come against men of smaller stature. Seth Rollins, Finn Balor, and Rey Mysterio have all stood up to the Beast and taken an absolute beating in the process.
Rollins is the biggest of the bunch, standing a few inches shorter and roughly 70lbs lighter. The Beast Slayer came out on top in those match ups twice, but Lesnar threw him around like a rag doll in the process.
Imagine what he'll do to Ricochet. A man he out weighs by nearly 100lbs. The One and Only is in for one Hell of a beating. I know it, you know it, and he knows it. He is going to throw that man all over Saudi Arabia. It should be a fun one to watch.
#5 There really wasn't another option
Part of the reason the WWE Championship wasn't on the line at the Royal Rumble for the first time in 30 years, is because Lesnar simply ran out of opponents. Sportskeeda's Tom Colohue reported that last week when talking about the alleged backstage incident between Lesnar and Matt Riddle at the Rumble.
The WWE Champion allegedly got Riddle's attention by grabbing his shoulder and saying:
“Kid, you might as well stop saying my name and tagging me in sh*t because you and I will never work together. Ever."
Colohue's report seems to back up what The Beast reportedly said to the Ultimate Bro.
"By in large if Brock doesn't want to work with you, Brock will not work with you. There are a number of people Brock has wanted to work with, but the original plan for this year's Royal Rumble was to have Brock in a Championship match - he sort of ran out of opponents, and also sort of didn't want to have any more new opponents."
Which means that this upcoming match at Super ShowDown could be a very good thing for Ricochet. Lesnar obviously thinks highly enough of him, to work with him.
It also comes down to who else was going to fight The Beast? If he didn't have an opponent for the Rumble, who else could step in for a quick one off program? Just looking at the other options in the RAW main event, I honestly believe no one wants to see another Lesnar match with Seth Rollins.
Plus he and his disciples are involved in an on going feud with Kevin Owens, Samoa Joe, and the Viking Raiders. Which also takes any of those baby faces out of the running.
Bobby Lashley meanwhile, has long been pushing for a match with Lesnar. However, that match would be too big to waste of a quick three week program during Mania season. That is a high profile dream match up that should best be saved for a Big 4 PPV.
Who else was left? Ricochet was the clear and obvious choice. I for one, am anxious to see what he can do against the WWE Champion.
