Opinion

Why Brock Lesnar’s WWE Exit Can’t Come Soon Enough

Published

7 years ago

April 18, 2018

The crowd fell almost silent as the bell was rung, and an air of disappointment washed over the entire arena in New Orleans. Brock Lesnar, rather surprisingly, pinned Roman Reigns clean at WrestleMania 34 last Sunday to retain his WWE Universal Championship.

This reaction was nothing to do with the fact that the supposed villain had overcome the hero of the piece, nor was it that we wanted to see Roman finally conquer his long-time foe. It was the realisation that Lesnar would be sticking around in WWE for a while longer and would be remaining our champion. But he’s a big draw, right? Surely, we should be happy to have such a big name in the company? Brock was at one time a fan favourite, and as recently as a couple of years ago was still looked upon favourably by the WWE Universe, but a now virtually non-existent schedule and an even more non-existent move set have seen him drop way down in a lot of people’s estimations.

What occurred at WrestleMania was wildly different from what everybody was expecting. After virtually a full year of build up and hype, Reigns was nailed on to emerge victorious, conquer the beast and finally pluck that thorn from his side. The fact that Brock had already announced his return to UFC and was yet to sign a new WWE contract only served to add more fuel to the fire and made the result a foregone conclusion. But it was not to be. WWE shocked the world by having Brock retain and added insult to injury by having him decimate Reigns. The Big Dog was left battered and bloodied in a brutal finish to the match, taking six of Brock’s F5’s along the way.

A man so tough, he grew a third arm just for extra punching fun.

The Beast Incarnate was now not only standing atop of WWE mountain with the Universal Championship in his grip but he also had a brand new spanking WWE deal. The company swiftly announced that Lesnar had signed on the dotted line and would take on Reigns yet again at the Greatest Royal Rumble PPV in Saudi Arabia later this month. There’s every reason to believe that Brock will lose the gold and finally be on his way, but we’ve been fooled into thinking that multiple times now. The rematch makes no sense on one hand. Roman, the challenger, lost his title opportunity in New Orleans, therefore he should have to earn another shot. Then on the other hand it makes a little sense. WWE want Reigns to win the belt and receive a great reaction from the crowd. He is inexplicably adored in countries like India and Arabia, so his victory will go down a treat and leave Vince McMahon stroking his ego some more, thinking we have all taken to Reigns finally. It’ll be interesting to see how much the boo’s and jeers intensify 3 nights later when WWE return to the States…

However, all may not be well with WWE’s relationship with Lesnar. We’ve seen various reports from reliable sources in recent weeks that Lesnar and Vince had a heated backstage confrontation after the curtain fell at WrestleMania which supposedly led to the champ throwing his Universal Championship belt at the boss. Something like this coming out can only serve to cause damage to the WWE Universe’s already poor perception of Lesnar. It is well documented that he has very little time or respect for people both inside and outside of the company, so adding into the mix his diva like behaviour will surely convince WWE to finally act and cut ties.

I for one will be thrilled to see Lesnar leave. Part timers and nostalgia still have a large part to play in WWE, but with Lesnar it has always felt different. Whenever Stone Cold, The Rock or Undertaker return you can see how pleased they are to be back. Lesnar doesn’t give even the smallest of fucks. He is widely perceived as entitled and lacking any sort passion for the business. He simply can’t wrestle and relies on brute strength with no real move set to speak of. He has failed to distance himself from his MMA background and operates as if he is still in the Octagon of UFC. WWE tried their best to use these well-known facts to help get Roman over. He spent weeks calling out Lesnar over his inadequacies during the build to their showdown, though it did little to help Roman’s cause. Despite all of this, the main source of distaste towards Brock will forever come from his limited work schedule. Regardless of your feelings towards Reigns, at least we will see the title every week once it is around his waist.

This image is seared in my mind forever. I struggle to perform sexually because of it.

Throughout the last 16 months, Lesnar has competed in only 21 matches. That’s spread over roughly 70 episodes of RAW, monthly PPV’s, Big 4 PPV’s and any live shows along the way. By comparison, WWE champion AJ Styles has competed in over 200 matches in that same period. Lesnar’s sporadic appearances have often forced WWE to work around him, to focus less on the main event scene and close the show with mid carders. For guys like The Miz it was a blessing in disguise. His 2017 was out of this world, but it says something when the Intercontinental Championship scene is having to take centre stage in the absence of your ‘top guy’. The build to SummerSlam last year was great, with Samoa Joe, Braun Strowman and Reigns putting in all the hard work, but it always felt like it was lacking something. Simply put, its difficult to build a proper storyline when your champion is never around.

The worst thing about Lesnar for me is that even when he does show up, his matches are almost always trash. They aren’t even close to being main event quality considering the absurd amount of money he receives for them. In a day and age when WWE can regularly churn out 5 star matches from the likes of Styles, Seth Rollins, Nakamura and Finn Balor this doesn’t sit well with us fans. The frustrating thing is that Lesnar is capable of putting on good matches from time to time. His champion vs champion meeting with Styles at Survivor Series last year was phenomenal (pun intended) and the fatal 4 way at SummerSlam was a match of the year contender. These instances are so few are far between that even when they do come around, it’s still very hard to justify his prolonged absence. Not to mention that his opponents, especially in the case of Styles, must put in almost all the groundwork to protect Lesnar.

When he eventually does turn up and puts on an underwhelming performance in a main event or showcase match, as he did with Reigns at WrestleMania, it’s infuriating. It’s all too easy to conclude that the majority of that is due to a lack of effort. You see it in every sport in the world. LeBron James or Cristiano Ronaldo can have bad spells but will always eventually come good, they know their poor performances can have negative effects on others around them. This has far too often been the case with Lesnar in recent times. His matches with Strowman, Goldberg, Joe, Reigns and all others have failed to live up to the hype, but he does nothing to improve. He’ll take 3 months off, come back and let the other guy do all the work.

Even Paul Heyman is confused to why all Brock does is shout. The man is the living, breathing embodiment of ANGERRRRR

The first time I saw Lesnar take somebody to Suplex City, I loved it. It was a fun thing which you just knew was going to take off, especially with the live crowds. However, either a change in direction from WWE or Lesnar personally have led to this once coveted destination turning into a holiday from hell. Fans will now regularly boo Lesnar’s heavy handed offence and have stopped counting along to multiple suplex’s. The key reason for that must be Lesnar’s shift to a much less varied style. His matches have become droll parodies of themselves. It’s 10 minutes of German suplex’s and F5’s, sporadic bursts of direct punches and unnecessary violence accompanied by potato faced screams.

With everything in mind, it’s impossible not to want WWE to bid farewell to Lesnar. His departure would change the landscape of WWE in a huge way and lead us to a new dawn where the main event on the biggest night of the year doesn’t get drowned out by “this is awful” chants. A RAW without Lesnar could be centred around a younger and more talented superstar who is available every night of the week. Rollins and Balor have both shown what they can do in a main event spot, Joe and Strowman are two of the most over superstars in recent years with bags of potential and NXT houses tonnes of future stars. For now, the most obvious plan is to have Reigns dethrone Lesnar and open a bevy of top tier challengers coming forward to claim their spot.

The roster is currently the best that it has ever been. So good in fact that WWE opted to have John Cena v Undertaker, two of the biggest names in the company’s history, be a last-minute WrestleMania add-on. The women’s division, despite dipping recently, has been outstanding for the last couple of years. NXT is without a shadow of a doubt the A show right now, with younger and hungrier talent chomping at the bit.

WWE do not need Lesnar. They didn’t last time, they don’t this time and they certainly won’t need him going forward. The Next Big Thing is no longer Brock Lesnar. The Next Big Thing is waiting in the wings…

About Chairshot Radio Network

Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!

MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)

TUESDAY - Musical Chairs (music) / Hockey Talk (NHL)

WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling)

THURSDAY - Keeping the news ridiculous... The Oddity / Chairshot NFL (NFL)

FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)

SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast

SUNDAY - The Front and Center Sports Podcast

CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS

Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history)

TheChairshot.com PRESENTS...IMMEDIATE POST WWE PLE REACTIONS w/ DJ(Mindless), Tunney(DWI) & Friends

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Classic POD is WAR

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Opinion

Chairshot Staff Picks: Money In The Bank

Extra, extra read all about it… Chairshot Staff picks are in!!!

Published

2 weeks ago

June 6, 2025

PC Tunney

Sing it with me… money money money money moneeeeeeeeeyeeeeee… everybody’s got a price! MONEY IN THE BANK is here!!! How money will our staff picks be?!?

AJ – Roxanne Perez
Andrew – Stephanie Vaquer – *Bubba Sparxxx Impression* I don’t tell stories, I let them tell theyself.
Dave – Guilia – A stacked field but I just like her here.
DJ – Naomi
DPP – Roxanne Perez
Jason – Alexa Bliss
Patrick – Roxanne Perez
Rey – Naomi – If Naomi loses, we riot!
Rob – Naomi
Greg – Alexa Bliss – Bliss has had huge reactions since returning and is moving a ton of merch. While I can see them wanting to build Roxanne Perez, Giulia, or Stephanie Vaquer, I think Alexa Bliss.

Tunney’s Take: Rhea Ripley – I’ll make my case short and sweet… Mami in the Bank! You can’t leave that money on the table.

Chairshot Pick – Tie – Naomi 3 & Roxanne Perez 3 (Alexa Bliss 2, Giulia 1, Rhea Ripley 1, Stephanie Vaquer 1)

AJ – LA Knight
Andrew – El Grande Americano – Feels correct given his push and the fact he’s over.
Dave – Seth Rollins – Got to push that new faction.
DJ – LA Knight
DPP – El Grande Americano
Jason – LA Knight
Patrick – Solo Sikoa
Rey – LA Knight – Looks like another push, and he does have history with Cena.
Rob – Solo Sikoa
Greg – Seth Rollins – This company is extremely high in the El Grande Americano gimmick, but this match comes down to Seth Rollins or LA Knight. Given the Rollins storyline, it’s his briefcase to win.

Tunney’s Take: El Grande Americano – Picture this: Chad Gable wins the AAA Mega Championship and El Grande Americano wins MITB! WHAT A SATURDAY in LA!!!

Chairshot Pick – LA Knight 4 (El Grande Americano 3, Seth Rollins 2, Solo Sikoa 2)

AJ – Becky Lynch – Sadly
Andrew – Becky Lynch – I still don’t care about Lyra.
Dave – Lyra Valkyria – Starting to warm up to her and Becky has a lot to do with that.
DJ – Lyra Valkyria
DPP – Becky Lynch
Jason – Becky Lynch
Patrick – Lyra Valkyria
Rey – Becky Lynch – Put some fire on the Irish Beef.
Rob – Becky Lynch
Greg – Becky Lynch – I don’t think you do a rematch here just to have Becky lose again. Unless Bayley shows up to help Lyra.

Tunney’s Take: Becky Lynch – A big part of me feels that winning this title checks off a major box for Becks in her HOF career.

Chairshot Pick – Becky Lynch 8-3

AJ – Cena & Paul
Andrew – Rhodes & Uso – Easy way for Cena to lose without eating the pinfall.
Dave – Rhodes & Uso – Get the QB back on the winning track.
DJ – Rhodes & Uso
DPP – Rhodes & Uso
Jason – Cena & Paul
Patrick – Cena & Paul
Rey – Rhodes & Uso – Heels usually lose these kinds of matches. Logan takes the pin.
Rob – Cena & Paul
Greg – Rhodes & Uso – I hope Jey isn’t an afterthought here like Cody was last fall when he was paired up with Roman. I think Cody pins Cena to set up Cody-Cena 2 at SummerSlam.

Tunney’s Take: Cena & Paul – I don’t think Cena is involved in another loss until he loses the WWE Championship. I also think Logan Paul is NOT done trying to capture Jey Uso’s World Heavyweight Championship. …Travis Scott in the house?

Chairshot Pick – 6-5 Rhodes & Uso

In closing I want to thank everyone on the panel for participating with their picks! You can follow each prognosticator/podcaster on X @ the handles below. We all enjoy Pro Wrestling so remember three things… be respectful of others, comparison is the thief of joy and HAVE FUN!

AJ – @PhenomenalAJB
Andrew – @IWCWarChief
Dave – @AttitudeAgg
DJ – @TheMindlessPod
DPP – @itsmeDPP
Jason – @JediFett
Patrick – @WrestlngRealist
Rey – @itsreycash
Rob – @rbonne1
Greg – @gregdemarco44
PC – @PCTunney
TheChairshot.com – @ChairshotMedia

prowrestlingtees.com/TheChairshot – a PLETHORA of GREAT designs…MAKES A GREAT GIFT!

About Chairshot Radio Network

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FRIDAY – DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)

SATURDAY – The Mindless Wrestling Podcast

SUNDAY – Keeping the news ridiculous… The Oddity / The Front and Center Sports Podcast

CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS

Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE’s PPV/PLE history)

TheChairshot.com PRESENTS…IMMEDIATE POST WWE PLE REACTIONS w/ DJ(Mindless), Tunney(DWI) & Friends

Patrick O’Dowd’s 5X5

Classic POD is WAR

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About Chairshot Radio Network

MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)

TUESDAY - Musical Chairs (music) / Hockey Talk (NHL)

WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling)

THURSDAY - Keeping the news ridiculous... The Oddity / Chairshot NFL (NFL)

FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)

SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast

SUNDAY - The Front and Center Sports Podcast

CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS

Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history)

TheChairshot.com PRESENTS...IMMEDIATE POST WWE PLE REACTIONS w/ DJ(Mindless), Tunney(DWI) & Friends

Patrick O'Dowd's 5X5

Classic POD is WAR

Chairshot Radio Network Your home for the hardest hitting podcasts... Sports, Entertainment and Sports Entertainment!

All Shows On Demand

Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!

Opinion

Chairshot Staff Picks: Backlash St. Louis

Chairshot Staff picks!!!

Published

1 month ago

May 9, 2025

PC Tunney

May is upon us and with that, so is Backlash from St. Louis! What does the first PLE after WrestleMania have in store for the WWE Universe? Let’s see if the Chairshot Staff can properly interpret the crystal ball of rasslin’ future.

AJ – Pat MacAfee – Gunther has to start losing control and who better than an announcer.
Andrew – Pat MacAfee – Goldberg getting involved does seem correct here.
Dave – Gunther – He’s not losing to a broadcaster.
DJ – Gunther – Pat is sent to the shadow realm until football season is over.
DPP – Gunther – Post match beat down leads to Pat time off.
Jason – Gunther – One massive spot and or bump from Pat.
Patrick – Gunther
Rey – Gunther – RIP MacAfee, t’was a good life.
Rob – Gunther
Greg – Pat MacAfee – Why? Goooooldbeeerrrrrgggggg!

Tunney’s Take: Gunther – Seems like the right pick here. Pat may be getting some time off and Gunther needs more heat.

Chairshot Pick – GUNTHER 8-3

AJ – Lyra Valkyria – Becky’s hopefully putting her over, still mad about Dakota.
Andrew – Becky Lynch – I have no real interest in Lyra currently.
Dave – Becky Lynch – Lyra is boring AF!
DJ – Lyra Valkyria – Bayley interferes.
DPP – Becky Lynch – Becky cheats and steals the title.
Jason – Lyra Valkyria – Bayley costs Becks.
Patrick – Becky Lynch
Rey – Becky Lynch – Story needs to jump up a bit, Becky Charlotte’s Lyra.
Rob – Lyra Valkyria
Greg – Becky Lynch – It’s been fun, Lyra. (It kinda hasn’t)

Tunney’s Take: Lyra Valkyria – Bayley’s interference should set up some type of program with Becky as we head towards Summer(Slam).

Chairshot Pick – BECKY LYNCH 6-5

AJ – Jacob Fatu – Great way to put him over w/ two former WHCs and LA Knight.
Andrew – Jacob Fatu – He’s Jacob Fatu!
Dave – Jacob Fatu – Too soon to pull the belt off him.
DJ – Jacob Fatu – Priest and LA can’t decide who’s is bigger.
DPP – Jacob Fatu – Your hardcore match, tables and chairs involved.
Jason – Jacob Fatu – The Champ retains due to or in spite of Solo.
Patrick – Jacob Fatu
Rey – Jacob Fatu – All gas. No brakes. Ain’t losing.
Rob – Jacob Fatu
Greg – Jacob Fatu – Someone from The Samoan Dynasty ain’t winning a title just to drop it.

Tunney’s Take: Jacob Fatu – Uncle Mo is on Fatu’s side and other than Knight, I don’t see Drew or Priest holding the US title in the current circumstances of this title’s landscape.

Chairshot Pick – JACOB FATU 11-0

AJ – Dominic Mysterio – Judgement Day shenanigans just leading up to Finn turning on Dom later.
Andrew – Penta – Dom’s fine having a short reign, could also work for pushing AAA.
Dave – Dominic Mysterio – He’s probably more over than Penta.
DJ – Dominic Mysterio – Dirty Dom takes home the gold and the girl.
DPP – Dominic Mysterio – Big Head helps Dom pull out the win.
Jason – Dominic Mysterio – By hook and crook.
Patrick – Dominic Mysterio
Rey – Dominic Mysterio – Latino Heat keeps burning. Finn gets closer to the edge.
Rob – Dominic Mysterio
Greg – Dominic Mysterio – Someone from The Guerrero Dynasty ain’t winning a title just to drop it.

Tunney’s Take: Dominic Mysterio – That belt looks good with the king of chicken tendys. I can see Penta and Rey reforming as a tag team sooner than later.

Chairshot Pick – DOMINIC MYSTERIO 10-1

AJ – John Cena – Why? Cena wins, lol.
Andrew – John Cena – Shenanigans ensue so it’s not a clean win.
Dave – John Cena – The last time is now.
DJ – John Cena – Randy hears voices telling him he needs an Attitude Adjustment.
DPP – John Cena – Cena tries to cheat but the ref doesn’t call for a DQ.
Jason – John Cena – Nefarious means, Randy not ready for Evil John Cena.
Patrick – John Cena
Rey – John Cena – Cena just counting down the dates. Should be fun though.
Rob – John Cena
Greg – John Cena – You know they want Cody to be the hero in the end.

Tunney’s Take: Randy Orton – Once upon a time Randy got himself intentionally disqualified and it cost John. Saturday, history repeats itself with a 180-degree twist. Cena retains via Orton DQ victory. This time, Travis Scott’s appearance takes care of that task.

Chairshot Pick – JOHN CENA 10-1