Brock Lesnar is once again the life of the party when it comes to professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. Following Daniel Cormier’s heavyweight title victory at UFC 226 in Las Vegas this past Saturday, Lesnar entered the octagon, and the fireworks ensued.
Cormier called out Lesnar to enter the cage, Lesnar entered, shoved Cormier, cut a promo burying the UFC’s heavyweight division, and warned the new champion “I’m coming for you, motherfucker.” Cormier replied saying “Push me now; you’ll go to sleep later.”
The min-scuffle had everyone inside the T-Mobile Arena on their feet, and everyone else abuzz as the UFC’s next big money fight was virtually announced in grandiose fashion. MMA purists and pro wrestling aficionados hate the idea of Brock Lesnar being the center of attention for very different reasons.
In the realm of real fighting, Brock Lesnar tested positive for steroids in his last fight. He still has six months left on his suspension and hasn’t won a fight since 2010. This attacks the sport’s reputation because legit contenders are waiting in the wings.
In the realm of fake fighting, Brock Lesnar is the WWE Universal Champion. He’s the epitome of a part-time wrestler, which diehard fans loathe. The champ hasn’t appeared since April and has one match left on his contract, which expires in August.
This week on Raw, there was zero mention of Lesnar or the Universal Title. This was weird because the main event feud between Roman Reigns and Bobby Lashley is supposed to decide the next contender for the title.
WWE’s evasion of the subject could mean they were unaware of Lesnar’s UFC plans. Also, Lesnar officially entered the USADA drug testing pool, which means his suspension has resumed and is eligible to fight Cormier in early January 2019.
In the UFC, Cormier vs. Lesnar is a fight that is going to rain money. This means Lesnar will most likely not work a pro wrestling match until the bout takes place. Even if he makes another WWE appearance between now and the fight, it will probably be a lackluster affair.
Brock Lesnar vs. Dean Ambrose at WrestleMania 33 promised to be an epic encounter, but it was the complete opposite. Months later, it was revealed that Lesnar was in the midst of an MMA training camp at the time and didn’t want to risk injury by going all out in a worked match.
IThe last appearance on his WWE deal is worth six hundred thousand dollars. That number irks fans and insiders because current wrestlers are not even close to making that amount of money for one match. While WWE might be upset with Brock Lesnar in the short-term, the two parties will end up finding common ground like they always do. There is, however, a couple of options at WWE’s disposal.
They could always strip Lesnar of the title. However, that could kill any credibility needed to make a new champion since Lesnar was never beaten for the belt. Then again, the integrity of the championship might not be an issue. Many fans don’t consider Lesnar to be a “real” world champion because he barely defends the title.
Plus, the current storyline on television has Roman Reigns claiming to be the rightful champion due to referee error in his last match with Lesnar. If WWE decided to strip Lesnar of the title, it would perfectly fall in line with the ongoing story. The belt is taken off of Lesnar, and the company can push the narrative that Roman was right.
If Vince McMahon is going to allow Lesnar to hold the championship indefinitely, there is the unique option of making his UFC fight against Cormier for the WWE Universal Title. Daniel Cormier is a big pro wrestling fan and would relish the opportunity to be featured in a big-time role on Monday Night Raw if he beats Lesnar in the octagon.
Cormier is a major favorite to topple Lesnar, and his fandom of WWE would make it easy enough to do business with him. Cormier wins the title, has a brief stint inside the ropes and drops the belt, ensuring the legacy of the title is intact. There is always the chance Lesnar could beat Cormier. If that happens, doing business with him will be even more difficult than it is now because he will be worth more money.
Paying Brock Lesnar even more money than he is already getting for one single match in WWE seems outrageous on some levels. However, there is the possibility that Vince McMahon is secretly salivating at the idea of his champion winning the UFC title. It’s an unlikely scenario. Yet, stranger things have happened in the world of wrestling.
The angle inside the Octagon was designed to get people talking, and it worked. UFC has their next big money fight, and WWE has their next big money angle, if they choose to act on it. And it’s all thanks to Brock Lesnar, who from a business perspective, is the belle of the ball with multiple suitors to fit his Benjamin Franklin lined glass slipper.
