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There were rumblings that Lesnar may show up at RAW, but nobody expected the tornado that hit tonight's episode. The Universal Champion would show up and absolutely destroy Seth Rollins who was in the ring, competing in a singles match against Dolph Ziggler.
There have been various occasions when Brock Lesnar has laid a beatdown on his opponents and considering he's legitimately one of the most dangerous men on the planet, those aren't easy outings for the gentlemen involved in the program. Seth Rollins bore the brunt of his viciousness on this week's show.
But why did Vince McMahon book such a segment on WWE RAW? Let me try and answer this question across 5 points, through this article for your reading pleasure.
Let me know your thoughts, views, and opinions in the comments section below.
#5 The Paul Heyman influence
Paul Heyman appeared shocked and scandalized through the duration of the onslaught that Brock Lesnar unleashed upon Rollins. But the truth of the matter is that he was the conductor that was playing this symphony like a maestro, the Mozart of the extreme. In case you're not familiar with the man and his achievements, just do yourself a favor and watch ECW on the WWE Network.
And Paul Heyman was also the man that put SmackDown on the map, to a point that it was overshadowing RAW in terms of quality on a weekly basis back when he was in charge of the brand. But now he's the man who's leading RAW into a new era, bringing back the extreme touch. Plus, we know about his connection to Brock Lesnar.
Heyman and Lesnar are not an act, they are best friends in real life. He would want his client to appear dominant!
See WWE RAW Results, Highlights of event, & more on WWE RAW Results page
#4 No hype for the Universal Championship match
Honestly, when there was a Battle Royal to crown the next challenger to face Brock Lesnar on WWE RAW, the crowd wasn't all that hyped for Seth Rollins emerging as the victor. Sure, Seth Rollins is a great wrestler and performs every time he is in the ring, without a doubt. But we've seen Seth Rollins vs. Brock Lesnar before, and many in the WWE Universe feel that the program has run its course by now.
It certainly didn't have the hype needed to main event the second biggest pay-per-view of the year. I don't know if it does so right now, but at least WWE can build a case for the same. At least there is a legitimate feud between the two men and a reason for them to clash at last.
Are you excited for Rollins vs. Lesnar? Tell me in the comments below!
#3 Promise of an edgier product
Vince McMahon recently addressed the media in the 2nd Quarter earning reports call. While he ruled out a return to the Attitude Era in light of declining ratings, he did promise an edgier product in following weeks:
"We're going to be a bit edgier but still remain in the PG environment... We're not going back to the old Attitude Era, we're not going to do blood and guts and things of that nature, such as what's being done with perhaps a new potential competitor [AEW]."
The narrative has always been that Vince McMahon began to grow complacent ever since WCW shut shop because there has never been a promotion since then that had the firepower and the bandwidth to take WWE on, until AEW came along. But because the audience has longed for an edgier product, Vince McMahon may be open to the idea after looking at declining ratings!
#2 To remind everyone what a beast Brock Lesnar can be
WWE has way too many monsters who are not allowed to be monsters, I feel. You could have Braun Strowman steamroll through everyone in the roster, but instead, you have him in a backstage segment with Maria Kanellis. You could have someone like Lashley be an unstoppable beast, but instead, he came into the company talking about his three sisters.
Even Lesnar, who lost to Seth Rollins at WrestleMania hasn't been at the same level of dominance that he was once. He came in at the end of the Money in the Bank match to pick up the contract and emerge as the winner. He treated the contract like a boombox, dancing and jiving to imaginary tunes coming out from the same.
This was a return to form for him, proving to the world how vicious he is. The Beast Incarnate is not just a tagline.
#1 To build babyface sympathy for Seth Rollins ahead of SummerSlam
Seth Rollins was the hottest thing in the company after defeating Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania to become the WWE Universal Champion. I just feel that he cooled down when his relationship with Becky Lynch became the focal point of all of his programs.
And this effect passed on to Becky Lynch as well, who was on fire before WrestleMania but has been a shadow of her former self since then. I have a feeling that the audience stopped caring at one point about Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch, and WWE needed to make the crowd care once more.
Well, sympathy is certainly a way to make someone get more invested in the product; when someone buys a ticket to see the underdog pick up a win. I don't know if the ploy worked in this case, but WWE certainly did try it.
After all, the audience kept chanting- 'one more time' after Brock Lesnar felled Rollins.
