Brock Lesnar's Hell in a Cell Absence Is Testing Fans' Patience

This year has seen Brock Lesnar destroy The Undertaker’s undefeated streak at WrestleMania and annihilate John Cena for the WWE World Heavyweight Title. The latest news surfacing is that Lesnar will not be making an appearance in the upcoming pay-per-view Hell in a Cell, reported by The Wrestling Observer via Nathan Birch at uproxx.com. Assuming this information is accurate, it may not be long before the fans grow tired of the Champion.

It is no secret that The Beast Incarnate is on a part-time contract with WWE, and it must be said that so far the WWE has been handling this excellently. Nobody even entertained the idea that somebody with such fleeting dedication to WWE could end the streak of one of the most respected, passionate and long-standing wrestlers still involved with the company. At SummerSlam, even those that predicted a Lesnar victory would not have anticipated how one-sided the beating would be. Appearing infrequently and destroying everything in his path has led to an aura around Lesnar that makes his rare attendances must-see occasions.

Lesnar’s impending absence from Hell in a Cell, however, could be seen as too blase even for him. The fans have been willing to accept his absence from many episodes of Raw but with the Champion opting to shun a PPV, how long will it be until the fans become disgruntled with the nonchalant ex-UFC star?

As is often a tactic with part-time stars, Lesnar has made no effort to cover up the fact that he doesn’t intend to show up week-in week-out like stars such as John Cena. In an interview with Michael Cole he confidently summed up the fact that he sees himself as somewhat of a showcase attraction:

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I’m a prize fighter, alright? I come to Monday Night Raw to promote fights.

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This idea of Brock Lesnar being best deployed at PPVs was summed up rather more eloquently by silver-tongued manager Paul Heyman in an interview with The Miami Herald as reported by Sean Reuter at cagesideseats.com:

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If you present Brock Lesnar 52 weeks a year and you have Brock Lesnar defend the title 12 times a year, you're losing money. You're not making money because you are watering down the unique opportunity that the audience can have to see an once-in-a-lifetime athlete on the rare occasion that he dons the tights and laces up the boots and goes into the ring to beat people within an inch of their lives.

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Heyman makes a compelling argument, though it’s worth noting he could make Heath Slater sound like a legitimate No. 1 contender if he tried. Whilst there is logic in withholding a huge asset to avoid saturating his appeal, there is a fine line between knowing what’s best for the fans and taking them for granted.

The WWE Network has thus far struggled to make the impact the company would have hoped for, as reported by the BBC. This has led to some shameless in-ring championing of the $9.99 price tag that is second only to the demonization of Russia and Vladimir Putin via Rusev in WWE’s most obvious propaganda. With John Cena and Brock Lesnar headlining the previous two PPVs, many customers will have opted into the six-month minimum contract.

How will these fans then feel having made a commitment to WWE only for the company to leave out the leading star and current Champion at the very next PPV? Will we only see a spike in the line-up of PPVs another four to five months down the line as the subscriptions of those who signed up to see Lesnar expire? As The Layfield Report’s Scott Fishman and others reported, the Cena vs. Lesnar rematch seemed too soon. Who wouldn’t have rather seen Cena make a slower comeback, with increased build-up, resulting in the two going head-to-head in a Hell in a Cell match? A cynical view might be that WWE forced the back-to-back Lesnar PPVs to lock in WWE Network subscribers without a solid view to Hell in a Cell.

Eric Jamison/Associated Press

Brock Lesnar takes pride in his craft but he will never have the doting loyalty to the WWE that many of its leading stars have shown over the years. This is a man that quit in 2004 to try his hand at UFC, moved to New Japan Pro Wrestling, won the UFC title and then returned to WWE on a part-time contract. If rumours from the likes of ABS-CBSnews.com are to be believed, a return to MMA is still a very real possibility for the former UFC Heavyweight Champion. Is this really the time to consolidate Lesnar’s seeming indifference to the company by omitting him entirely from Hell in a Cell?

Kayfabenews.com describes the Internet Wrestling Community as “a subculture known for jaded cynicism and frequently shifting tastes.” It does not take a lot to change a star from hero to villain almost overnight. Whilst Lesnar is currently a huge draw and being handled fairly well—especially with Paul Heyman aptly filling in for his absences on Raw—a persistent absence from PPVs will surely lead to WWE fans quickly falling out of love with their new Champion.