From the WWE Rumor Mill: News on whether Brock Lesnar was considered a replacement for Roman Reigns at TLC

What's the story?

According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, despite being a Minneapolis native, Brock Lesnar was never considered to replace Roman Reigns at TLC.

In case you didn't know...

Brock Lesnar was not advertised for TLC and neither was he expected at TLC. There were some who expected The Beast Incarnate to have a title defence at TLC because it took place in his hometown of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

One thing to be noted is that Brock hasn't lived in Minneapolis for years. He now resides in a small town in Saskatchewan, Canada. Even at UFC 200, he represented Canada.

The heart of the matter

Dave Meltzer reported that despite having lived there years ago, Brock Lesnar was never in WWE's plans for TLC. They definitely did not need him because The Shield had reunited, but that, as we know, went awry.

It's even a surprise that he's working Survivor Series. Many thought that after No Mercy, Brock Lesnar was done for the year until Royal Rumble. He is rumoured to face Finn Balor in a Universal title defence at the Royal Rumble.

However, given that WWE is going all out with the RAW vs SmackDown Live theme for Survivor Series this year, it does make sense that Lesnar faces Mahal. What the finish of that match is going to be is interesting.

What's next?

Brock Lesnar has a big match against him at Survivor Series. The assumption right now is that Brock Lesnar will be going over easily. There's no way Brock loses any match until WrestleMania 34 next year.

Author's Take

While I'm personally not a fan of a part-timer holding a title for a year just to give Roman Reigns his third straight coronation, it is what it is. Given WWE's plans of reuniting The Shield, Brock Lesnar was definitely not needed for the PPV. They did have a big moment with Kurt Ange returning to the ring, however.

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