Triple H vs. Brock Lesnar: Schedule More Crucial Than SummerSlam Win for Lesnar

Brock Lesnar enters his SummerSlam match with Triple H in need of a victory after losing to John Cena at Extreme Rules followed by several months away from the WWE. But a win is not nearly as important as what his future schedule looks like after the marquee event.

Lesnar had lost nearly all of the crowd support he received when he returned to the WWE on the first Raw after WrestleMania.

A high-profile loss and then being written off television for an extended period of time will do that.

The creative team has done a nice job of building him back up in recent weeks, most notably with the attack on Shawn Michaels, which finally seemed to get the fans back involved. It's almost like the crowds have been reluctant to care about his storyline because he could leave again at any time.

And that's the difference between Lesnar and somebody like The Rock or The Undertaker. Those two fan favorites can make appearances at any time and have the WWE universe in the palms of their hands the entire time.

Lesnar isn't on that level. He needs to make more than a couple sporadic appearances every few months if the WWE wants him to become a huge draw for future pay-per-views.

That's why his upcoming schedule is so important.

Even if he beats Triple H on Sunday night, it won't have any type of lasting impact if he proceeds to take another extended break. It's a constant balancing act for the WWE when it comes to his limited appearances.

The company would love for him to become a gigantic star again in time for next year's WrestleMania build, during which he will probably be around almost every week. But it's tough to reach that status if all of his feuds are basically hit-and-run matches.

Paul Heyman does a nice job of filling Lesnar's spot during the times he's away, but it's simply not enough to supply a significant boost. When people think of Lesnar, they think of epic brawls. If he's not around to provide them, it's tough for him to build momentum.

So while Lesnar should get the victory at SummerSlam and the match itself has the potential to become one of the most memorable all year, it remains secondary in the grand scheme of things.

It won't be for a week or two afterward until we know if Lesnar will be able to build off the show or just fade away once again.