Brock Lesnar Returns to WWE Programming During Monday Night Raw

WWE World Heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar hadn't been seen since retaining his title against John Cena at Night of Champions, but The Beast is back.

Lesnar returned to WWE programming tonight on the Dec. 15 edition of Monday Night Raw, which likely signals the reintegration of the company's top title into the main event scene. He is scheduled to face John Cena at the Royal Rumble next month. 

WWE captured his return:

Lesnar made his presence known by hitting tonight's GM Chris Jericho with his patented F-5 before exiting the ring. 

WWE Broadcaster Kyle Edwards snapped a photo of how shocked Jericho looked to be by Lesnar's seemingly super-human ability: 

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Chris Jericho's shocked expression after Brock Lesnar effortlessly shrugs off the Codebreaker. #TheLittleThings #RAW pic.twitter.com/i9ouaVFHJ7

— Kyle Edwards (@KyleEdwardsWWE) December 16, 2014"

After ending The Undertaker's incredible undefeated streak at WrestleMania XXX, Lesnar once again shocked the world at SummerSlam by decimating Cena and becoming the new WWE World Heavyweight champion.

Although The Conquerer lost to Cena by disqualification at Night of Champions, he retained the title. After that, he disappeared from WWE television aside from some infrequent mentions.

Now that Lesnar is back in the fold, there is no shortage of Superstars potentially gunning for him. That is often the case for any world champion, but it is even truer for Lesnar due to his lone-wolf nature.

The Beast Incarnate was lucky to escape with the title in tow at Night of Champions, and Cena hasn't forgotten what transpired. When it was announced that Cena would face Randy Orton at Hell in a Cell with the No. 1 contendership on the line, he made it clear that Lesnar was in his sights:

Cena beat WWE's Apex Predator in that match, which means he is next in line for a shot at the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

At the same time, Orton couldn't have endeared himself to Lesnar during his absence. When confronted by Paul Heyman during the go-home episode of Raw prior to Hell in a Cell, The Viper hit both Cena and Heyman with the RKO, as seen in this photo courtesy of WWE Universe on Twitter:

In addition to Cena and Orton, Lesnar also has to worry about the presence of Mr. Money in the Bank Seth Rollins. The fast-rising Superstar attempted to cash in his Money in the Bank contract at Night of Champions by Curb Stomping Lesnar, although he was ultimately foiled by Cena.

As dominant as Lesnar has been, perhaps it shouldn't come as a big surprise that so many Superstars are keeping an eye on him. Heyman was somewhat prophetic prior to SummerSlam in predicting that his client would face a bevy of potential challengers upon winning the title, according to Ring Rust Radio:

"

I see Brock Lesnar defending the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against all comers. That could mean Randy Orton, that could mean Seth Rollins, that could mean Roman Reigns, that could mean Dean Ambrose, that could mean Big Show, that could mean Daniel Bryan. If there is anyone that wants to step up and try to take the title away, because that's the key. You're not going to just luck a victory over Brock Lesnar. You're going to have to beat Brock Lesnar in order to take the championship from him.

"

Regardless of what the immediate future holds for Lesnar, there is no question that the product is much better when the world titleholder is present. There seemed to be some resentment toward Lesnar from a cross section of fans due to his status as a part-time Superstar, but that should subside now that he is back.

The fact remains that Lesnar won't be on television every week and may not compete at every pay-per-view between now and WrestleMania, either. The popular assumption is that Lesnar will hold WWE's top prize until the biggest show of the year at the very least, and it will be interesting to see how WWE reacts to that if it comes to fruition.

Whatever the case, Lesnar and the WWE World Heavyweight Championship make the product feel that much more exciting and important. Because of that, there is now more hype surrounding WWE than there has been in quite some time.

*Quotes obtained firsthand

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