Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena vs. Seth Rollins Proved WWE Champ Is Needed Long-Term
Following Brock Lesnar's spectacular performance in the Triple Threat match at the Royal Rumble, it is abundantly clear that Vince McMahon needs the star to stick around through 2015 and beyond.
Per recent reports from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t MMAJunkie.com), people in management are working under the assumption that Lesnar will return to the UFC once his contract runs out after WrestleMania.
However, letting the performer go back to MMA would be a significant mistake on WWE's part.
Lesnar may not be a regular performer on television—he can go weeks and even months at a time without making an appearance—but when he does show up, he almost always delivers. Sunday night illustrated that perfectly.
Lesnar offered an explosive, physical and dynamic performance in the bout, which ended with him retaining his world heavyweight belt. The champion was a crucial part of why the match was so enthralling and an early Match of the Year candidate.
Lesnar also helped Seth Rollins look like a massive star by being willing to sell for him. The Spanish table spot—Rollins did a flying elbow off the top rope while Lesnar laid on the desk—was breathtakingly good.
Considering the dismal and disappointing ending of the Battle Royal, Lesnar may very well have rescued the pay-per-view from total disaster, as one fan commented on Twitter after it was over:
People in WWE may wonder if a part-time performer like Lesnar is truly worth the money and hype. Perhaps they are more than happy to let the star return to the UFC.
For one thing, the company's new WWE network model of business jettisons the emphasis on pay-per-view buys, meaning the star's skills as a draw are not as valuable as they once were.
But, really, Lesnar does have skills simply beyond that of a pay-per-view attraction—particularly if he's turning babyface.
Frankly, WWE isn't having much luck with babyfaces in the main event right now.
Roman Reigns’ victory at the pay-per-view received scathing boos from practically everyone in the area. Even if WWE was willing to push him in a credible manner, Daniel Bryan has a bad neck. John Cena has had injury problems, too, over the past few years and probably can’t be fully relied on in the future. Dean Ambrose has been booked into oblivion.
The list goes on.
Lesnar may very well be the antidote to WWE’s babyface woes. He’s—relatively—young, healthy and the fans are itching to get behind him. He could take off in a big way as a good guy, especially if management can convince him to do more dates.
The company may as well try to renew his deal and give him a solid and lengthy run as a main event babyface.
As noted, the writers really don’t have too many other options right now. His talents might be expensive to acquire, but he is worth it.
Following the Reigns/Royal Rumble debacle, WWE’s future looks a little uncertain. But things would certainly look a lot more promising if McMahon found a way to keep his champion around long-term.
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