Brock Lesnar Deserves Less Respect from Fans Than Roman Reigns

Ever since the controversial ending to January’s Royal Rumble, fans have been hotly debating whether or not Roman Reigns deserves his shot at WrestleMania 31.

Many believe the opportunity has been handed to the ex-Shield member prematurely, and as a result, the former WWE tag team champion has had to endure some testing crowd receptions in recent outings.

Key arguments against Reigns include pointing out his lack of mic skills, experience, and in-ring ability, the latter highlighted by Daniel Bryan in a frank exchange on this week’s Monday Night Raw. With the two locking horns at Fastlane to decide who will face Brock Lesnar for the world heavyweight title at WrestleMania, the latest trend among fans has been to voice their opinion with either a "Yes" or "No" chant in favour of Bryan or Reigns, respectively.

The merits and drawbacks of Reigns can be debated at length, and this will indeed be the case on the Road to WrestleMania, but this overshadows the clearer realisation. With the spotlight on Reigns’ questionable credentials, and fans’ booing so intense it threatens to derail his character’s career trajectory, Lesnar has crept under the radar and avoided the backlash of fans. His continued disregard for the business means he deserves less respect than his WrestleMania 31 opponent.

To clarify, this does not mean Lesnar doesn’t deserve the fans’ respect as an athlete. He is a truly impressive specimen, and he is rightly touted as a prize fighter. His physique, entrance, ability, strength, intensity and unique set of moves all combine to make him the complete package and a must-see competitor.

His career hints at an entrepreneurial spirit, opting to consistently challenge himself in multiple sporting environments rather than settle for a big cheque in the form of NCAA, WWE, NFL, MMA and more.

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Yet when it comes to the WWE, Lesnar has demonstrated a continued disregard for the same business that has helped elevate him to new heights. After winning the NCAA Division I heavyweight wrestling championship, Lesnar was signed to WWE in 2000, trained at Ohio Valley Wrestling, and made his debut on Raw two years later. He quickly won the King of the Ring Tournament, hinting at the company’s faith in him as he followed in the footsteps of Steve Austin and Kurt Angle, among others.

However, things quickly turned sour for the 6’3 beast from South Dakota.

Just days before the biggest event on the WWE calendar, Lesnar handed in his notice. This led to the WrestleMania 20 debacle that was Lesnar vs. Goldberg, with fans booing both wrestlers given their imminent departures. Lesnar had simply had enough of being a WWE superstar and so decided to become an NFL player instead. As you can imagine, that was much easier said than done. He was cut in pre-season.

Despite signing a no-compete contract, Lesnar had no hesitance in filing a lawsuit against WWE in order to escape his commitment. WWE was ready to welcome him back, but Lesnar wasn’t prepared to settle for what he perceived to be an inadequate offer, per the Pro Wrestling Torch. He would eventually join New Japan Pro Wrestling in spite of his legal obligations and, after settling with WWE, move to UFC between 2008 and 2011.

Even when Lesnar did make his long-awaited return to the WWE, it was on a restrictive contract that only meant him attending a relatively small percentage of events. In spite of his part-time obligations, he was chosen in 2014 to be the first person to ever beat The Undertaker at WrestleMania, breaking a streak of 21 straight victories.

From there, he has gone on a tyrannical spell in which he has crushed everyone in his path. His destruction of John Cena to capture the title was particularly noteworthy given the company’s commitment to rarely let Cena lose clean.

WWE have given Lesnar dream booking after dream booking while pandering to his desire to only attend a handful of events, handing him the main event spot at WrestleMania 31 over superstars who put in the work week in and week out. Once again, rumours of a UFC return continue to plague Lesnar, leaving the fans in a state of purgatory.

In his recent appearance on the Stone Cold Steve Austin Podcast, which is available now on the WWE Network, Triple H spoke openly about how the modern era dictates that the writers must sometimes break kayfabe and blend real life with fiction due to an increased awareness from the audience: "Kayfabe is dead. ... The reality is the business now. The backstage and all that stuff crosses over so much so that you can’t deny behind the scenes anymore."

It is no doubt with this in mind that Lesnar and Heyman have openly boasted about Lesnar being a prize fighter, conveying an arrogance that suggests Lesnar is above the business. This would work perfectly as an angle were it not for the fact that it’s a little too close to home. Most wrestlers would kill for Lesnar’s opportunities, yet he gives the impression he’s doing the fans a favour simply by showing up.

As a third-generation superstar, Reigns was always set to be given a push at some point. Perhaps that push came a little too early, or perhaps it didn’t. Only time will tell.

Assuming Reigns beats Bryan at Fastlane to earn his WrestleMania main event slot for a second time, he will be waiting with bated breath to see how the crowd reacts to his involvement. Before fans judge a wrestler who is simply following orders and trying to make an imprint on the industry, they should consider whether his opponent, Lesnar, has really earned their undying adoration.