'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
After this past week's episode of Raw, the WWE Universe has just one question on its mind. Why is Brock Lesnar in the Royal Rumble? According to Lesnar and his advocate, Paul Heyman, there is no Superstar on the roster who is worthy enough of challenging the WWE Champion for the coveted prize.
Also read: 5 Consequences of Brock Lesnar entering the Royal Rumble
For the lack of a worthy opponent, Brock Lesnar went ahead and officially announced his participation as the number one entrant in the Royal Rumble match. All eyes will be glued to the 30-man bout in anticipation of not only the victor but also the man who eliminates The Beast Incarnate.
WWE fans across the globe assume that whoever is the Superstar that eliminates Lesnar will be next in line for a shot at the WWE Title. While I am all for someone to step up to The Beast and challenge him head-on, here are five Superstars who should not be the ones to eliminate Brock Lesnar.
Also read: 5 Brock Lesnar scenarios that should not play out at the Royal Rumble
#5 Cain Velasquez
This is a huge if. If Velasquez is a part of the match, he shouldn't be the one who gets the better of Lesnar. In 2010, in UFC 121, Cain Velasquez defeated Brock Lesnar for the UFC Heavyweight Championship via TKO in the first round that lasted for just over four minutes, leaving Lesnar in a bloody mess. That was the only time these two faced off in the Octagon.
After his stint with UFC, Velasquez made his debut into the world of pro-wrestling in 2018. He fought a match in the Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide promotion under a mask. His performance was highly appreciated by many wrestling journalists.
In 2019, on SmackDown's first show on Fox, Velasquez came out to avenge Mysterio and his son's beatdown by the hands of Brock Lesnar. His attack on Lesnar set up a match between the two for the WWE Title at Crown Jewel that Lesnar won.
Both these stars are now part-timers and haven't had a singles match lasting more than ten minutes in the recent past. Also, WWE fed off the drama and suspense to the duo's UFC match in the build to the match at Crown Jewel. Witnessing these two go at it again in a WWE ring is in nobody's bucket list now.
#4 Roman Reigns
The man WWE has been pushing as the face of the product is a part of the list simply because we have seen this match too many times. This match has been on many PPV cards. The first time we saw these two take a shot at each other was when Roman Reigns won the 2015 Royal Rumble to face Lesnar at WrestleMania for the WWE Title. This match was however hijacked by Seth Rollins when he cashed in his MITB briefcase to win the Title.
Since then, Lesnar and Reigns have faced off in either singles competition or a multi-man match for the WWE/Universal Title in PPVs six times. Their last match was at SummerSlam 2018, where Reigns finally got the best of Lesnar to win the Universal Championship.
The former Shield member has already won a Royal Rumble and is a favorite to win this year's match as well. While WWE is still in the race to get Reigns over, him eliminating Lesnar and potentially setting a match against these familiar foes wouldn't be the right direction to head in.
#3 Braun Strowman
Braun Strowman vs Brock Lesnar was a mouth-watering contest. The first time these two faced off was in a Fatal Four-way match at SummerSlam 2017. This match also included Roman Reigns and Samoa Joe. After this, these two have met each other in the ring three more times.
Strowman is a viable contender for the WWE Championship, but the fact that he has faced Lesnar on multiple occasions and all ending in failure had done some amount of damage to his credibility. It took a long time to find him a suitable feud that could build him back and portray him as the monster that he is.
Surprisingly, Strowman is yet to win gold in singles competition in the WWE. What is even more surprising is that he has had very few title shots. A man of Strowman's demeanor, who is also a crowd favorite should be contesting for titles instead of being stuck in the mid-card.
There is always a chance of him winning the Rumble and taking a stab at The Fiend's Universal Championship at WrestleMania. But a match between him and Lesnar has been seen before and there's nothing left to see anymore.
#2 The Big Show
To the WWE Universe's delight, this week on RAW, The Big Show made his return, teaming up with Kevin Owens and Samoa Joe. The Big Show has been a part of the WWE for four decades and it is always fun to watch him slam his opponents all around the ring.
Brock Lesnar and The Big Show have been colliding head-on against each other since 2002. Show was the man to break Lesnar's undefeated streak and capture the WWE Championship. Since then, they have had some wild encounters. Who can forget the time these two Superstars broke down a SmackDown ring while performing a Superplex.
In 2014, the two had a very underwhelming match at the Royal Rumble. Before the bell rang, Lesnar assaulted Show with a steel chair. When the match began, Show was able to hit Lesnar with his KO Punch but could not take advantage of the situation and finally fell prey to The Beast's F5.
The two foes have had quite a long history and do entertain the crowd. But after their recent matches and their part-time status, this doesn't look like a match that would tell a great story.
#1 Returning legends
This scenario is something the WWE must make sure it avoids. In 2016, we saw Goldberg beat Lesnar in less than two minutes at Survivor Series and again eliminate him in the Royal Rumble in 2017 after a brief altercation. This set up their match at WrestleMania, where Lesnar beat Goldberg for the Universal Championship. A match up like this didn't excite many as the outcome was very predictable.
Another legend who should not eliminate Brock Lesnar is The Undertaker. Their rivalry was intense and they've had quite grueling matches. But Taker is in no place to take bumps and he should be given the retirement that he well deserves after entertaining the fans for 30 years.
There could be many more names who could be a part of this year's Royal Rumble, those who have had riveting rivalries with The Beast. A name that comes to my mind is Hulk Hogan. Anyway, these legends must not be the ones who eliminate Lesnar.
If a returning Superstar does eliminate Lesnar, I wouldn't mind it being John Cena or The Rock. These two Superstars are still feasible options and would give us a great match against Brock Lesnar.
Who do you think should eliminate Brock Lesnar? Is there anyone else who you think should make this list? Let us know in the comments section below!
