WWE has a problem on its hands with Brock Lesnar.
Lesnar is back, yet fans would hardly know it because, beyond the initial wow pop of the return from a hiatus, the Beast Incarnate himself…hasn’t done all that much.
It’s a losing situation for WWE, but there’s a way for WWE to get things back on track and really make the most out of Lesnar’s limited appearances:
Make Lesnar all about the future through names like Oba Femi.
Nothing else has worked. Look at Lesnar’s timeline over the last few years. Before his extended hiatus, he had that weird handshake-sendoff-thing with Cody Rhodes.
Upon his return last year, Lesnar, for some reason, crushed John Cena in front of a bunch of crying kids in under 10 minutes. WWE has tried to massage the whole thing with glitzy ramblings about the rivalry since, but it was a one-off mess meant to hype up Netflix viewers.
After that, Lesnar was at Survivor Series WarGames on a team of monsters, including Drew McIntyre, Bron Breakker and others, yet needed the help of interference from Austin Theory, of all people, to get the win.
Other than these befuddling, if not rage-inducing showings, Lesnar’s been best known for his entrance moments and the viral falling-down-during pyro thing.
Lesnar feels like a product from a different era thrown into the pro wrestling mix right now. And funnily enough, that’s perfect storyline material.
A monster like Femi debuting and simply targeting Lesnar during ‘Mani season would suddenly make the veteran must-see material. Nobody will care if it’s a rehash of what McIntyre did to him all those years ago.
In fact, that’s a genuinely exciting idea. The 27-year-old Femi hitting the main roster and going Lesnar head-hunting on the biggest stages of all would be super fun. And it would force all of those casual fans tuning in for things like the rumble and ‘Mania to pay attention to Femi, too.
Ideally, that would be the perfect line-straddling move for WWE. Appease the hardcore online fans who are here year-round by anointing Femi as a big deal, while also using Lesnar’s draw to get a next-generation talent over with casual audiences.
This logic doesn’t only apply to Femi, either. Breakker is the obvious shout. But other monsters who look like main-eventers should get this type of look, too. We’re talking Bronson Reed and perhaps especially Jacob Fatu.
And very much to his credit, Lesnar has been amazing in this role in the past. He’s low-key one of the best sellers ever. Longtime fans will recall some of the epics he put on with the likes of “smaller” guys like Daniel Bryan, Finn Balor, CM Punk and AJ Styles years and years ago. Those were not a case of opponents carrying Lesnar.
Lesnar selling in a big way for the next generation can work. Heck, some fans might remember the smallest of major nods he gave one Keith Lee back in the day:
Right now, Lesnar just isn’t that main-event guy. There’s no need for him to be around a top title. And there’s no need for him to be in the main event at all. That scene continues to build up Breakker and spotlight deserving names like McIntyre.
For a while now, Lesnar has been great in that show-opening role. So putting him in a position where he’s hunted down by an up-and-coming star is not just compelling television, but the best use of his person right now.
None of this is a bad thing, either. Lesnar’s return has been a flop, but WWE’s one obvious-feeling call away from turning it into a major success story that uplifts the next generation in a way only he really can, given his stature and history.
