Brock Lesnar’s return to the pro wrestling world has been a roller-coaster ride, to say the least. His unexpected comeback was one of the most exciting things to happen since the return of The Great One to host WrestleMania and start one last run as WWE Champion. The energy and electricity felt through that arena when his music hit was something that hadn’t been witnessed in a long time. But Brock certainly hasn’t made the splash that many die-hard fans had hoped for; as his part-time schedule and limited contract hindered the way he was used. Sure, Brock can still put on one hell of a show, but at what cost to the rest of the roster?
Did bringing back Lesnar help put someone over? Did it solve the ratings issue? How well did it help the WWE Network? Well, the younger roster is still stuck in a mid-card traffic jam, the ratings still continue to be low, and the Network has not taken off as much as envisioned at only $9.99. In my opinion, the Brock Lesnar experiment has failed partly because of the way he has been used and advertised, especially for the months preceding his Championship win. How can you have a Champion who doesn’t make live shows? How can you have a PPV without a world Championship match?
The only thing that seemed to work was the Undertaker story-line and how he beat the streak. This was completely unpredictable and played out perfectly. Yes, the battles with John Cena were interesting as it played into the “I hate Cena” audience, but in the end the fans seemed to lose interest in a man they could never see. If he defended the title for a steady 2 to 3 months, cut more promos, and showed up at a few live events it probably would have been viewed as more of a success.
Now I am sure, as a business venture, Vince still made money over the last 2 years because of the publicity Brock Lesnar still commands. Unfortunately, the bigger picture is the WWE brand and product that continues to be misrepresented. I am not going to waste my time on the debate of bringing back part-time wrestlers in order to get rating spikes, but it still is a concern. In reality, Lesnar’s story-line could have changed in several different ways if the injuries to Daniel Bryan and Roman Reigns didn’t exist.
Now, both of these wrestlers are back and healthy, leaving us all to speculate on what the outcome of the Royal Rumble will be. I, for one am intrigued by the triple threat match and think it could lead to many scenarios. Will Cena Win the belt back and then get screwed by the Authority? Will Lesnar win and lead the way up until WrestleMania 31? Will Rollins cash in and become Champion?
At any rate, it seems as though the Brock Lesnar run is coming to an end. I think the majority of us agree that it could have been so much more, but still enjoyed the added excitement that came with his return. The series of broken arms, steel chair shots and German Suplexes will forever give him the identity of the beast incarnate that left destruction in his path. Even though his return did not go as advertised, Brock will forever be a beast, a Paul Heyman guy, and the man who beat the streak of a Deadman! Thoughts?
***Come follow my sports site www.fantasysportsaddiction.com and all my editorial articles along with many interesting minds at eWrestlingnews.
Heat Ratio Sports 