In a similar vein to how we used to discuss who could/would/should be the next victim of the Undertaker’s WM Streak, it might be appropriate to begin discussing who could/would/should be the next WM opponent for Brock Lesnar. Lesnar only has a handful of WMs left. And given how JBL on Sunday was going on about Brock now being the perfect, unbeatable fighter, which feeds the perception that Brock is > the World title (where was he in the #1 contender’s quasi-tourney for HIAC winners?), it’s becoming apparent that Brock’s matches at WM have maybe replaced the Streak matches as the top attraction for that event.
So, who could/would/should draw the Beast at WM Star?
For a brief time, some thought it’d be Stone Cold, based on teases that weren’t teases (unless “hunting trip” is the new carny for “working a match together”).
Rock has been talked about for a couple years now. And ooh, Brock did say he hates People on the Stone Cold Podcast.
Can Reigns’ image be repaired enough in time for a rematch? Is generating excitement for such a match even possible given the current state of affairs and the ever shortening time window?
Daniel Bryan has publicly expressed a desire to wrestle Brock at WM multiple times, which means he won’t.
Out of the pool of remotely realistic candidates, these four are the most likely, I think. I have my own thoughts on an opponent, but it is pure fantasy, as in it is not even the least bit possible, so I’ll keep it to myself and out of this thread.
What do you think? Who am I missing?
We’re a week and a half away from the on-sale date for an event in freaking AT&T Stadium, and there’s not even the slightest tease of a money match. So, good luck with that guys.
- Vince moved Lesnar/Undertaker to Hell in a Cell and put Lesnar over strong because -- he had a new, better(?) idea for Lesnar's match --- and came to the obvious conclusion that Rock should wrestle Brock and not Triple H.
Except that is of course ludicrous. So,
- Vince moved Lesnar/Undertaker to Hell in a Cell and put Lesnar over strong because -- he had a new, better(?) idea for Lesnar's match, --- in addition to Rock/HHH which is already a perfect idea, ---- so they are putting the belt on Roman Reigns now instead of at Wrestlemania, Reigns will go into WM as champion, and Lesnar will win the Royal Rumble. which will protect Reigns from having to win the Rumble and by the time he gets to Mania he will be more accepted as a babyface against Lesnar (due to all the good bookings they will do!)
I'd rather watch Lesnar-Reigns 2 than Rock-Reigns and it's not even close. I really enjoyed their first match together. Plus pairing Helmsley and Rock means you get kill two birds I could care less about with one stone. I'd like to think there is an outside shot at getting Owens-Lesnar, but whatever.
Raines got the name when he was in rookie camp, as he looked as hard as a rock. He later admitted to using cocaine, even during games, and many people mistakenly assume that's how got the 'Rock' name.
(British Flag is because your IP is showing up as being from the UK. Got a VPN running?)
Dream option: Daniel Bryan. WWE isn't willing to let Bryan wrestle full-time, so maybe transition him to a part-time role for big matches?
Realistic option: Randy Orton. It's hard to believe WWE hasn't matched these two up yet in Lesnar's second run. Say what you will about Orton, but he's a legit big name for this era and the casual fans would eat up an Orton/Brock match. Push it as the RKO or Punt being the only moves that can possibly stop the Beast.
George Michael weighed his options. Maeby had chastised him for not taking risks, and what would be a bigger risk than perpetuating a lie about software just to ignite the passions of a woman? Of course it would be a lie, and since Maeby wouldn't know it was a lie, he wouldn't appear to be taking a risk. Perhaps the bigger risk was to tell his father he was lying, that he came up with it because he wanted his father to leave so he could enjoy what remained of his senior year. After all, he wondered, wouldn't that be the course of action taken by an overtly sexual man, a man who owns a pair of matador pants? He had not responded now for 41 seconds according to his unfailing internal clock, and it was time to come clean.
I'd be interested in Brock vs Sheamus. Simply because it'd be a crazy brawl.
They obviously need to rebuild him first as his current gimmick of just walking around is...well nothing.
The short list of Brock vs. would be Sheamus Cesaro Owens Reigns Simply because it allows for a big big brawl. A very different but fun match would be against Seth Rollins. They've done it before but maybe this time they could make it a more serious match. Let Seth bounce around and use his speed to eventually wear down Brock.
Modern-Age Brock Lesnar Matches we haven't gotten and probably won't get and it's borderline criminal negligence:
1. Orton (complete insanity that this hasn't happened in the Modern Age - they can either completely ignore the Silver Age Orton vs. Lesnar match like they used to with HHH vs. Undertaker at X-7 or they can let Heyman work it in. F5 vs. RKO is the ultimate finisher match-up. Brock sitting up and laughing and Orton going to punt him? Come on.)
2. Cesaro (Swiss Superman vs. Doomsday!)
3. Sheamus (Sheamus is at his best as a brawler who can throw bombs and displays Realistic Battle Damage during fights. He'd be able to go all-in on Brock and we could have a side bet on what color Sheamus would be after the match.)
4. Ziggler (Everyone on this list would genuinely get the mythical "looks great in defeat" rub vs. Brock, but nobody would get it more than Ziggler. Dolph's "reward" for ending The Authority Forever last year should have been a match vs. Brock at the Rumble. Ziggler would sell Brock's offense like a cartoon cat getting filled with helium and then deflated around a room.)
5. Owens (Would be higher, but his eligibility window didn't open until recently. A bully drawing the wrath of the single biggest, toughest bully in the world? Owens has the skill to work this as a face or heel and the ability to hang if not seem like he could outright steal the match. They'd just have to start putting those interviews he does backstage that get pushed to the web on Raw, which they should be doing anyway.)
6. Dean Ambrose (Should have been Dean last year with the hand they were dealt. Dean winning that match salvages the Rumble AND Roman's character. And Dean Ambrose: Insane Hobo Who Maybe Has A Knife vs. Brock would have been a match you could sell. Ambrose as the one guy too crazy and too dumb to stay down against Brock, and a guy who might conceivably do something so nuts that even Brock and Heyman recoil is a great story to tell.)
7. Bray Wyatt (Wouldn't have said this even a month ago, but now I'd be kinda curious to see it. Brock is basically all three Shield members combined into one guy, so Lesnar vs. the Wyatt Family could probably recapture those first two epic Shield vs. Wyatt standoff moments. Weirdly, this also feels like the most likely possibility to actually happen in the relatively near future on my list. Like, it won't, but theoretically, it should, right? If the Wyatts can capture Undertaker and Kane, why would they not want to kidnap Brock and hook him up to the same interdimensional nexus power draining machine they have those two strapped into in order to destroy the multiverse?)
8. Rusev (Pre-Cena'd Rusev, ideally, but Rusev is one of the few guys who looks like he wouldn't be afraid to go talk shit to Brock, and we've since learned he could carry his end on the mic for a Lesnar match better than Roman.)
9. Big E (Wouldn't have necessarily said this before, but Big E could get a ton out of hanging with Brock, and he's finally getting to show enough of his boundless real-life charisma to make it possible. Also, Heyman vs. New Day. Also also, Brock would eat the trombone.)
10. Miz (This one is here for me. Just imagining Miz being suplexed literally to death while his father looks on impassively at ringside. But I kinda think Miz could have made this work.)
Honorable Mention:. Neville (Basically here to stand in for two guys who would be topping this list if they were healthy, but Neville doing the handspring cartwheels to avoid Brock would be great, and the pop for Neville hitting a Red Arrow to tease the upset would blow the roof off.)
Disqualified: A. Bryan (Injured. Would be #1, and they were in all likelihood going to do this anyway had fate not intervened) B. Zayn (Injured. If healthy, he'd fill the Bryan spot and knock Neville off the list, though I'd rank him below at least Owens and Cesaro in the "shareholders should be screaming at Vince during calls for not doing this and doing three HHH matches, three Undertaker matches and two Big Show matches instead" order of things) C. Christian (Dead.)
BUT!
Most likely:
1. Roman Reigns 2. Roman Reigns 3. Roman Reigns 4. John Cena 5. The Rock 6. Roman Reigns 7. Roman Reigns 8. Roman Reigns 9. HHH, wearing the skin of Seth Rollins whom he will have already killed. 10. Roman Reigns (It's gonna be Roman in a rematch. It is. Why are we even talking about this? And, to be fair to Roman, if we did this list a year and a half ago, Roman would have been at #2 behind Bryan. And when it did happen, it was Roman's best singles-ish match to date. And he really, genuinely look good in defeat. Better, even, than had he won. I mean, I still don't necessarily want this, but it technically makes the most sense for the track they've put down, and if they're smart enough to put the belt on Roman first and book a Rumble that's just Brock literally killing 29 dudes, they're already on better footing than last year.)
Final addendum: Had they not done and basically wasted Rollins vs. Lesnar, that would be the Best Possible Lesnar Match. Cena vs. Lesnar vs. Rollins was maybe the best WWE match of last year, and Rollins vs. Lesnar should have been amazing, but it basically wasn't even a match. Rollins as dazzling high-flyer/deceptively strong guy, Rollins as brilliant evil architect and Rollins as desperate coward are all A+++ matches for Brock on paper, but they booked the third one so poorly it's basically a non-starter no one would really pay to see now, and how damning is that?
Oh! Christian got moved into the alumni section the other day, so he's now officially dead and we can hold the funeral and everything. Or maybe he's about to make his shocking and exciting return to TNA?!?! (No.)
3. Sheamus (Sheamus is at his best as a brawler who can throw bombs and displays Realistic Battle Damage during fights. He'd be able to go all-in on Brock and we could have a side bet on what color Sheamus would be after the match.)
I want Brock to exclusively work half of Sheamus' body so we can get an homage to Piper at WMVI without going full racist.
The two I would LIKE to see: Owens or Cesaro. Both could take the beating, give a beating, and come off as rock stars. Cesaro especially, as I can see him lifting Brock and throwing him around too. Imagine, if you will, Cesaro reversing a suplex and taking BROCK to Suplex City five or six times in a row. Made for life.
More likely: Roman, our new lord and savior.
Outside shot: Rock.
Alternately: Taker again. The final time, but for real this time!
Ambrose would be my pick. His offense is the only one on the roster who could match it. Cesaro is tough til he isn't and Owens is such a pussy on the main roster, I am not seeing how he lasts past the five minute mark. Ambrose's just absorbs beatings and has a chaotic offense it would make sense for Brock to lose to him.
I just want whoever it is to be a main roster guy who has a big future. The WWE gets nothing out of those loses for Brock. They kinda got something out of it with Rollins, but they fucked it up.