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Rumours are currently flying that Brock ‘The Beast’ Lesnar will make a surprise return to the WWE before the year is out.
The 20-year veteran was last seen in the ring at SummerSlam 2022, where he made yet another claim for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. During the nail-biting last man standing match for the belt, he ultimately lost to Roman Reigns, leading some fans to believe that he’d be hanging up his wrestling boots for good.
While the big man is more focused on fighting for the big titles, we have gotten hold of official information from the WWE that may indicate a couple of different scenarios for a potential Brock Lesnar return.
Brock Lesnar is one of those athletes who was born with star quality. Right from his NCAA wrestling days, he had what WWE recruiter Jerry Brisco describes as “that sports entertainment look that you couldn’t really take your eyes off of”.
During his 3 decades of combat sports, Lesnar has been responsible for some of the greatest moments in the history of both wrestling and MMA. Who could forget that bout with the ‘Demolition Man’ Alistair Overeem back in UFC 141? Or his intense rivalry with Frank Mir?
Meanwhile, in the WWE he’s generated a wave of destruction since his melee debut, defeating the legendary Kurt Angle for WWE gold at SmackDown ‘03, besting The Undertaker in Hell in the Cell and even breaking Triple H’s arm at WrestleMania 29.
Little wonder, then, that fans are clamouring for the return of the former world champion to the ring.
According to wrestling insiders, Brock Lesnar’s official WWE contract won’t expire until mid-2023. Furthermore, he can be clearly seen on the promotional material for both WWE Day on 1st January 2023 and the 2023 WWE Royal Rumble, which is likely to take place later that same month.
One of the hottest rumours involving the legendary athlete is that he may well return to fight before WWE Day next year. The WWE Crown Jewel has been booked for November 5th in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and there are whispers that this will be the event in which Lesnar makes his much-anticipated return.
It certainly makes sense on a business level for both Lesnar and the promotion: Saudia Arabia events guarantee a substantial payday for athletes and booking Lesnar would generate a massive fan response. The only issue with this scenario is that the Crown Jewel wouldn’t actually mean anything significant to a titled fighter like Brock Lesnar.
Most of the Saudi events the WWE has run so far have been exhibition ones; the return of Shawn Michaels and The Fiend being dominated by Goldberg are just two examples of the rather baffling programming that’s taken place.
If Lesnar fights in November it’s likely to be a short, brutal bout that will see him dominate a currently popular name. As satisfying as that would indeed be to watch in the moment, it’s hardly a fitting legacy for a fighter of The Beast’s calibre to leave behind.
Instead, a more appropriate scenario – and one that would ensure maximum fan engagement – would see Lesnar return during Day 1 to challenge Drew McIntyre for the Universal Championship belt. The pair were engaged in a feud for the ages in the build-up to Wrestlemania 36 and McIntyre’s win was a tough pill for Lesnar to swallow. There's unfinished business there that needs to be resolved, especially if McIntyre wants to cement his place as the worthy world champion.
While the feud between Lesnar and the Smackdown Superstar is one that we’ve been enjoying in 2022, real fans know that it’s the rivalry between Lesnar and Roman Reigns that is the one which will go down in the history books. And Roman himself is inclined to agree.
Interviewed recently by Logan Paul, the Tribal Chief confirmed that the Beast has “been this far my biggest rival”. The two fighters have clashed for almost a decade, first going to war in Wrestlemania 31 and culminating in this year’s SummerSlam
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