WWE has issued a statement that while the company is allowing Brock Lesnar to compete at UFC 200 in July, he is still under contract to the company and is scheduled to appear at SummerSlam.
Like Vince McMahon had any choice.
There is no winner in this kind of situation other than Lesnar himself – where money talks and nothing is going to stop the baddest man in professional wrestling from cashing in on a huge payday from a sport in which he was a former world champion.
This is what WWE had to say about the recent news…
Brock Lesnar remains under contract to WWE, however, he has been granted a one-off opportunity to compete at UFC 200. Following this milestone event on July 9, Brock will return to WWE for SummerSlam on Sunday, August 21, live on WWE Network.
The only thing that stops Lesnar from becoming an even bigger star following his foray into the octagon is a loss or injury – which spoils his plans with Vince McMahon.
Lesnar’s legend is either going to get bigger and bolder following the event in UFC, or he is going to be a problem with WWE for booking purposes. You cannot book him as a beast if he gets handily beaten at UFC 200. In any event, Lesnar figures to make plenty of green no matter how this all breaks down.
Once he returns to the squared circle though, here are a few opponents who could be waiting to see just how big and bad he really is at SummerSlam.
#1 Bray Wyatt
Bray Wyatt would be the obvious choice. The cryptic wrestler with an unorthodox style facing the man who wants everyone to travel down a road to Suplex City is the ultimate money grab for the McMahon family at SummerSlam.
But will it happen?
There is so much to like about this – given that it was teased before WrestleMania 32 and was thought to be the third main event of the night before a back injury has put the Keeper of Worlds on the shelf for the past few months. WWE needs this to be a headliner now.
The idea of Wyatt and Paul Heyman trading promos is worth the price of admission alone. The match sells itself before it even begins.
#2 Kevin Owens
Owens is the obvious second choice. WWE’s new bully on the block taking on the guy who had no peer in terms of power and strength.
Owens has been candid in the past about wanting this match. And there is a belief Owens will win the Money in the Bank ladder match, claim the company title at some point and become the top heel he is destined to be.
Owens has proven he can compete with every top star on the current roster and should give Lesnar a solid fight. I don’t know who wins in this kind of contest, but hopefully, Lesnar does the honors for the newcomer.
If a world title happens to be on the line when they collide, it will be all the more epic.
And Owens’ work on the mic and in promos should be worth a listen or two, bantering back and forth with the equally verbose Heyman.
#3 John Cena
You don’t need much to sell this kind of match. It is the type of feud that never dies – much like the confrontation with Undertaker.
Cena and Lesnar have a long history, so the idea of writing another chapter means more green at the gate. Now that he is not a title contender and there is a feeling he may get another shot at the company strap a couple more times, where does the 15-time champion stand?
Cena is at a stage in his career where he has done everything, so picking scripts of importance are better for him. Much like Sting in WCW, Cena’s role should be to defend the company or take down the big bad beast as the leader of the pack should.
Because of their story and how Extreme Rules was Lesnar’s return to WWE three years ago, there is no shortage of potential here.
#4 Roman Reigns
This is probably the least favorite of my four competitors, but as long as Reigns holds the title, there is always potential for this to happen.
Reigns angle with Seth Rollins presents a lot of potential and a possible double turn, which would heighten this kind of meeting. Reigns holds a title that, like Rollins, Lesnar never lost. I can see a scenario – although I do not like it – of a Triple Threat match between all of them with the title on the line.
It would sell well, but in the end Lesnar loses out because he is a part-time player and the WWE World Heavyweight Title needs a full-time champion.
It doesn’t work, in my opinion, because in a one-on-one match, Reigns cannot sell himself outside the ring because his mic work is awful. The best scenario I can think of in a confrontation like this is a match where Paul Heyman leaves Lesnar and promotes Reigns as his new client.
Which would beg the question, who would then sell Lesnar?
