WWE Extreme Rules: Are We Seeing the New Brand of Professional Wrestling?

Last night’s main event at Extreme Rules still has me thinking that I was witnessing more than a wrestling match and that there was a man on a mission to destroy everything in his path because he was taught to fight a different style than most wrestlers in the business are used to today.

Brock Lesnar, whether good, bad or indifferent, is the new face of the WWE. While his weight does not carry as much excitement as it once did, you saw the raw power of a man who systematically took apart the WWE’s best marketing tool.

And it was done in easy fashion.

But while we are all used to seeing leg drops and arm bars and super kicks, we were introduced to kimuras and arm guards and striking in a fashion to which we were unaccustomed. It was brutal and scary and while we all watched in awe, it had me (and hopefully some of you) wondering if this was good for the business? Did Brock Lesnar just revolutionize the business or set it off into a stratosphere we are not yet able to handle?

MMA and the UFC produce a “real” concept of battle and the WWE or TNA product a “reality television” concept. While there are moments of suspended animation, we still know for the most part it is the “entertainment value” of the product people come to see, not the blood of it all. That is the mass appeal to the families that come to see it produced daily and weekly.

MMA has more of a hardcore following where adults plunk down their money to see the battle.

Lesnar’s approach to coming back to the WWE has been a “take no prisoners” attitude, which is similar to the days of the octagon, and rightfully, he should still implore that type of mentality.

To a fault.

Lesnar has always been the “bully in the school yard” and has taken on the best and beaten the best. The truth is, there are not many, if any right now, who can face Lesnar in a wrestling ring and do the things he does.

And bringing in MMA fighters like Tito Ortiz or a Rampage Jackson will not help the brand, it can only soil it.

I thought the pay-per-view last night was a solid “C” with the main event not being able to carry its weight. Cena had to win the match for many reasons. Cena had to restore peace in the WWE and claim his spot again as the best of the bunch. But make no mistake—Brock Lesnar kicked John Cena’s ass last night. And in nine more matches, the result would be the same.

And we don’t think Lesnar will change his tactics any time soon (at least until they write a new script or someone comes along who can handle him).

Where is a youthful Undertaker when you need him or a healthy Wade Barrett who can dish this out as well as take it?

My fear is the brutality of the brand from last night (and yes, I know it was Extreme Rules) will turn some people off, mainly those with children. The look on kids’ faces from the front row during the main event was all I needed to see to realize that Brock Lesnar, whether he is a fan favorite or a disappointment, may have just caused a huge problem for the WWE and right now, there is no way to repair it.