In Defense Of….Brock Lesnar’s Return

Rob breaks down why the return of Brock Lesnar shouldn’t be seen as some plight to integrity, but more of a creative opportunity!

One of the most talked about matches for Clash in Italy, and not all for good reasons, is the rematch between Oba Femi and the retired (in kayfabe) Brock Lesnar.  While there are some who are more than happy to see these two throw down again there are some real fears that Brock coming back and presumably winning a rematch will blunt Oba’s incredible momentum and ruin his future prospects.  If you’re in that group then this may look like the proverbial ‘top guy gets his win back after taking an early loss’ backstage power play or a classic case of the booker overthinking what should have been very simple.  While I agree that what we saw at WrestleMania was the perfect ending for Brock Lesnar’s career – I think that his last match, whenever it is to take place, should go exactly like that – I don’t share the sentiment that this is the end of the world, and here’s why:

• We got worked.  A lot of the IWC has been fantasy booking Brock’s retirement since he showed up again last year, whether it be because he named in Janel Grant’s lawsuit against Vince McMahon or because they just wanted him gone regardless.  A lot of people talked themselves into believing that with SummerSlam taking place in his hometown that it would all end there in some kind of fashion.  A whole dirtsheet driven narrative was formed that Brock would face the career killer Gunther in Minneapolis and that the Ring General would do to him what he’s done to Goldberg, John Cena, and AJ Styles.  And then the bookers ran with it.  Heyman came out on RAW to proclaim that Lesnar’s WrestleMania match every year was always as big as the main event, Oba answered the challenge, and then Brock laid his boots in the middle of the ring after losing to Femi at Mania.  And afterwards Heyman and others even played along a bit to suggest that Brock went off script and may have decided on his own to hang it up that night without consulting or informing anyone.  In other words, a two or three match series between Lesnar and Femi was always the plan and for a rare occasion we did not sniff it out ahead of time and thus, bought into the work.  So if you want to blame somebody go look in the mirror.  But here’s the thing – we’re supposed to get worked!  We’re not supposed to figure everything out before it happens.  In a world where it’s harder and harder to fool us, we should be happy when it’s done well and succeeds.
• Assuming Brock wins, it does us and the bookers the favor of not having a long undefeated streak to attend to.  I for one hate long undefeated streaks, because they are almost never resolved in a way that does not piss people off.  Goldberg in WCW, the Undertaker’s WrestleMania streak, Bianca Belair in NXT, Asuka in NXT and on the main roster, and Samoa Joe in TNA are all examples where no matter how good the streak is, the end will always leave a lot of people wanting.  Whether it’s the venue, the opponent, or the finish of the match, something always leaves a bad taste in a lot of people’s mouths. Doing it again with Oba would be no different.  If he were to win the world title this year like many people want him to and go all the way into next year without a loss, then who would beat him?  No matter what name you come up with, the honors will more than likely go to one of two people: Roman Reigns or Cody Rhodes.  Sorry guys, Oba is not going to go undefeated for a year and then put over Ilja Dragunov or Carmelo Hayes or Je’Von Evans to give them a rub.  His first loss is going to be to somebody at the top of the food chain like Roman, Cody, or……Brock Lesnar.  While a lot of bloggers and podcasters may love the idea of Ilja or Melo or Je’Von getting that big victory the majority of the audience would look at that and say ‘really?’  Oba’s first loss is gonna sting no matter when it happens so in my opinion it’s better to do it sooner and get it over with than later.  Then we can move on to the bigger plan.
• A three match trilogy is ultimately a better story.  Oba is going to potentially be around another 15 to 20 years.  As much as we love it now, he has to do more than just be awesome and beat people (we saw how quickly you guys got bored with the open challenges).  There have to be ups and downs, times where he just comes up short, etc. in order for us to stay interested enough for him to succeed as the top guy in the company.  Every ‘unbeatable’ superstar from Hulk Hogan to the Ultimate Warrior to the Undertaker to John Cena to Roman Reigns has tasted defeat and setbacks throughout their career journey.  You may not like Lesnar as the choice to deal him his first setback but you’re not going to like some of the future choices either.  What ultimately matters is that the stories are good; if they are then you’ll go back and rewatch them with the rest of us.

Before I go let me be clear – I wouldn’t have done this.  The WrestleMania scene was perfect, and I think that having that one singular moment is better than dragging it out and risking injury or whatever.  And as a fan it’s always a dicey proposition trusting the booker, any booker, to stick the landing on anything that lasts more than two weeks.  ‘Trust the process’ is not a thing to tell wrestling fans, ever.  On the other hand I’m not worried about Oba’s long term momentum because if one loss to Brock Lesnar is enough to permanently alter his career then he’s not that guy.  But in total I think that as long as this ends with one final victory for Oba then taking a few more months to get there isn’t a bad thing.  There’s more money to be made off of this and it would be foolish to leave it on the table.