Brock Lesnar Retires from UFC: Why the WWE Needs Brock More Than He Needs It

Let the Brock Lesnar-to-WWE speculation begin...er, resume.

However, this time the speculation is far from synthetic Internet fodder fueled by some wrestling tabloid, but rather logical conjecture, the source of which came from Lesnar's very mouth. 

Well, kinda. 

On December 30, Brock Lesnar suffered his second consecutive first-round, post-diverticulitis loss inside the Octagon. This time to MMA stalwart and how-do-you-like-Strikeforce-now purveyor Alistair Overeem. 

This was Lesnar's third fight coming off of at least one corrective surgical procedure where a significant portion of his intestines were removed.

In all three fights, Lesnar was pounded mercilessly in the opening round with little to no defense for each predatory onslaught. Lesnar's lone victory came at UFC 116 against a punch-drunk Shane Carwin. Brock was somehow able to withstand a barrage of strikes from the knockout specialist before submitting what was left of him in the second round.

Lesnar may have retired Friday night, but his mixed martial arts career very well may have been over the minute a scalpel broke his skin. 

Lesnar just didn't look the same out there. From seemingly going through the motions during the pre-match introductions to inexplicably standing with Overeem—a world-class kickboxer whose perceived weakness against Division I wrestlers such as Lesnar had yet to be tested—for much of the abbreviated bout. 

With every crushing knee to the body from Overeem, the story of Lesnar's UFC career was being hastily written. Every strike decisively removed him from the category of the MMA's elite while forcibly thrusting him into the dirtsheet headlines he so often used to frequent. 

It is only fair that questions of Lesnar's imminent return to the hand that fed him be raised. He seemed to have already changed his tone about the "wrecking-lives leader" as his camp recently brokered a business deal with the WWE for him to appear in their newest and most critically acclaimed wrestling game WWE '12. 

During pre-fight press conferences, instead of grumpily swatting away obligatory questions about his WWE career and a potential return like he has been known to do in the past, Lesnar left much more of an open door than he typically does, even going so far as to say, "I don’t think anyone in their right mind would turn down money, do you?"

While a return to the WWE in some capacity is now borderline inevitable, to think that Lesnar is now tripping over his bear-skinned rug to come work for Vince McMahon again is borderline delusional. 

Afterall, the wear and tear on Lesnar's body has obviously been precipitated by two extensive surgeries, to the point where the former UFC Heavyweight Champion's 265-pound frame didn't even seem equipped to take a knee to the body—albeit a series of devastating knees delivered by a world-class fighter.

Taking bumps in a ring is not so much of a picnic either, even on a limited basis. While Lesnar's in-ring style and presence rarely accommodated too many bumps from his end, it would still be a necessary evil should he ever agree to participate in a full-length match worth the price of admission. 

Before anybody asks just when Lesnar may be coming back to the WWE, the more important question may inquire whether he truly wants or needs to. 

Lesnar, notorious for his exclusivity and abhorrence of fame, spent much of his pay-per-view career as a main-event draw and used his proceeds to get as far away from the spotlight as possible. 

With the WWE hemorrhaging star power and continuously failing to produce new main-event draws on an annual basis, the one-time star-making promotion has found itself throwing money at superstars of the past to return each year for WrestleMania. 

Should Brock decide to come back to the Fed, all he has to do is patiently wait for another year to go by with start-stop booking, Michael Cole detrimentally burying up-and-coming talent on commentary as the lead announcer and an overall broken WWE formula that serves as a hindrance to the ascension of a next generation. 

The subsequent and familiar desperation by the WWE to make their product interesting via imported talent would net Lesnar another million dollars overnight. 

In a perfect world, Lesnar disappears into the abyss of a multi-acre, snow-covered farm in Minnesota where he can spend time with his family, hunt and eat—in that order. 

Brock refused to be chewed up and spit out by an unforgiving profession. He has made his money, and as a result he will be calling the shots as it pertains to any possible WWE return.

The unrelenting scrutiny and grand inquisitions surrounding a possible Brock Lesnar return may involuntarily thrust the former WWE Champion back into the squared circle. 

But when the Lesnar family cell phone rings with a panicked Vince McMahon on the other end after the Raw Supershow did a 2.3 rating, the decision to return to the ring will be strictly on Brock's terms. 

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