SummerSlam Hype Points to Brock Lesnar Becoming WWE Champion

With hints, hype and concentrated focus, WWE is readying fans for the idea of Brock Lesnar winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at SummerSlam.

The company painting him as a destroyer in promo videos and allowing him to intimidate a ring full of legends are signs of that. The spotlight is burning hotter on Lesnar than even WWE's longtime top dog John Cena, which is more reason to believe that Lesnar's time is coming.

Monday's Raw centered around Lesnar's pursuit of the title, as has much of the build toward SummerSlam.

The show began with Lesnar scowling alongside Paul Heyman. The lengthy segment featured Heyman describing the beating that was coming to Cena and that Lesnar would conquer the champ at Staples Center.

After Heyman dropped the mic, Lesnar silently urged him to continue.

The Beast Incarnate apparently wanted everyone watching to know that the WWE was his house now.

It's certainly not the first time a challenger has predicted their own victory. It won't be the last occurrence of a heel cockily describing how he's going to win the title from the hero.

The difference is how often and prominently this message has been displayed.

Shortly after Monday's Raw concluded, the WWE Network presented an original special hyping Lesnar vs. Cena. There are moments during the video where Cena is made to look like a warrior, but much of the time, the camera is aimed at Lesnar.

The special reflects back on Lesnar toppling The Undertaker at WrestleMania 30, the latest reminder of that feat.

Heyman compared that win to not just being elected president of the United States but being elected God, as Pro Wrestling News recalls:

The WWE Network special flashed back to Cena vs. Lesnar at Extreme Rules. Heyman explained that his client hadn't fully recovered from diverticulitis, while Lesnar sounded dumbfounded as to how Cena managed to beat him.

It felt as if the company was trying to dismiss that result and hint that SummerSlam would end much differently.

The special borrowed heavily from a hype video that aired on Raw on Aug. 4. Both productions share the ratio of focus on Lesnar.

That look at the Lesnar-Cena rivalry featured Lesnar calling himself an ass-kicker, talking about how much he enjoys hurting people and, of course, more images of him trouncing Undertaker at WrestleMania. 

The video's focus is not evenly distributed. Cena doesn't even appear until almost two minutes into it.

Lesnar's sneer is more prominent throughout. His beatdowns of Triple H and Mark Henry are shown more than Cena's moments. One of the final images is that of Lesnar holding up the WWE title back in 2002.

It's an image WWE clearly wants fans to get used to.

Monday's Raw ended in a way that signaled that Lesnar is no ordinary Superstar, that even Cena won't be able to stop him.

Hulk Hogan celebrated his 61st birthday with a long list of famous friends, including Ric Flair, Roddy Piper, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash and Paul Orndorff. Lesnar, in no mood for partying, stalked the legends. He bumped into Piper and stared down Flair until he backed away.

The powerhouse then told Hogan, "Party's over, grandpa."

It's hard to imagine any other member of the roster that WWE would have put in this role. Lesnar is on a tier of his own, one that has him insulting a collection of Hall of Famers, leaving them all hesitant to step to him.

Cena's arrival soon inspired Lesnar to retreat. That left the current stretch of the rivalry without either man having attacked the other, leaving the violence for SummerSlam.

Even with that act of cowardice from Lesnar, he enters the upcoming pay-per-view with an aura of intimidation around him. WWE's production team has put together a string of images of him at his most destructive. He is the prowling predator awaiting his prey.

Cena's other challengers have not had this type of hype. They have not been made to look like such a monster.

Bray Wyatt didn't get a Network-exclusive special leading up to his matches with Cena. Mark Henry's WrestleMania conquests weren't shown onscreen time and time again. Ryback didn't leave Hogan, Flair and Piper nervous with just a glare.

Those men didn't win the title from Cena; Lesnar will.

Monday's Raw was the latest example of how much the star of this story is the challenger, not the champion. WWE looks ready to milk the momentum born from ending Undertaker's undefeated streak at WrestleMania.

That means letting Lesnar winning the world title, a triumph that Heyman has promised is imminent.