5 reasons why Vince McMahon loves Brock Lesnar so much

If you were to ask Vince McMahon about Brock Lesnar's part-time status, he's going to tell you that Lesnar most definitely has "earned the privilege". Depending on what perspective you look at it, it's not fully wrong.

While not many of us are big fans of the whole "part-time" status in WWE and part-time legends, you can't fully blame superstars like Brock Lesnar for using their leverage to their favour.

If you were told that you only needed to show up to work a limited number of days a year and you still got paid far more than 99% of the employees in your company, would you refuse it? Probably not.

McMahon is a fan of Brock Lesnar and has been one for a lot longer than you might realize. Despite this, fans aren't really crazy about The Beast Incarnate, especially in the last few years or so.

In fact, many fans don't even understand what McMahon sees in Lesnar that he gives him such privileges. Here are a few reasons as to why he loves Lesnar so much.

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#5. Box office star

Like it or not, Brock Lesnar is undoubtedly among the two biggest box office draws in WWE today. He moves the needle and gets the numbers and that's a fact. Moreover, Lesnar found a lot of success in his first WWE run, but we often forget that the run lasted all but two years. Lesnar's current run has seen him outlast his previous one by over three times!

But it was his UFC run that made him a real box office draw. Before the rapid rise of Conor McGregor, Lesnar was the biggest box office draw in UFC, and that pours onto WWE as well. The very same reason that WWE pushes Ronda Rousey is that she's a box office draw.

#4. Among the last of the established legends

If you think about it, the part-time legend dominance in WWE is quickly coming to a halt. The Undertaker's future is uncertain, it's unlikely that Goldberg will ever wrestle again, Shawn Michaels has made it clear that he isn't getting back in the ring, and that leads us to only three established legends still going at it in WWE - Brock Lesnar, John Cena and Triple H.

Triple H, as we know, has taken a more backstage role, and is seen more throughout the year as an authority figure rather than an in-ring performer. He wrestles once, twice or maybe thrice a year, but that's usually the most of it.

John Cena does appear, but what's become clear is that his appearances are becoming lesser and lesser by the year. He's going to fully be consumed by Hollywood in no time, as he already is.

This leads Lesnar as the last of that era who's still going relatively more frequently, and McMahon wants to capitalise on that.

#3. His look

While it's true that WWE has been a lot more lenient over the last few years as to what the "acceptable look" of a top superstar is, there's no doubt that in McMahon's mind, "the look" still matters a whole lot.

And you may not know this, but McMahon has been a fan of Lesnar for a lot longer than you think. There was a story narrated by Jim Ross about McMahon's first meeting with Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam 1999.

JR was the head of talent relations at the time, and Lesnar was their #1 target. They managed to recruit him and when he was backstage, JR revealed McMahon's reaction to seeing Lesnar.

So, I said, 'he's standing out here' and when Vince walked by, he gave him a little wave. He saw, 'wait a minute, is that what I think it is? Is that 6'3", 280 [lbs.]? Is that blonde hair? Looks like an angry Viking or a heifer bull.' So Vince made a little detour, shook Brock's hand, the rest, as they say, is history."

#2. He's the most legitimate athlete in WWE history

Brock Lesnar's success in sports didn't start with the UFC. Ever wondered why he was #1 on WWE's target in 1999? It was because Brock Lesnar won the NCAA Division I Heavyweight Wrestling Championship.

That's a phenomenal feat in the college amateur wrestling circuit, and it also explains a lot behind Lesnar's UFC success. You see, a lot of top MMA fighters and champions have an incredibly strong wrestling background.

So when WWE hypes Lesnar up as the single greatest athlete in WWE history, they aren't wrong. Lesnar is a genetic freak of nature, and it comes as no surprise that he tried out for the NFL as well.

He found his main success in the UFC and would go on to become a UFC Heavyweight Champion. He even made his comeback in 2016, though he popped and tested positive in a drug test, having his return win revoked.

#1. He's honest about what he wants

Anyone who's dealt with Brock Lesnar backstage knows that it's anything but easy. As someone once said, Brock Lesnar knows exactly what he wants and is determined to get it.

We mentioned a line earlier about using his leverage to his favour. While Vince McMahon probably won't like it from a company perspective, he's smart enough to understand that if a superstar has leverage, they will use it.

This is one of the reasons why McMahon respects Brock Lesnar. He's always upfront about what he wants and that's exactly the kind of character that McMahon likes. In a way, you can't really blame Brock Lesnar for using his leverage.

He's one of the few superstars who has any real leverage anyway, with John Cena likely being the other one. However, Cena and Lesnar are worlds apart in terms of their WWE careers now, despite both being part-timers.