WWE Needs to Re-Sign Brock Lesnar Before WrestleMania 31

There are few wrestlers in the history of the sport who have the star power that WWE world heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar has right now.

It should be the company’s top priority to re-sign him before WrestleMania 31.

At the pay-per-view presentation of UFC 184 on Saturday night, Lesnar made an appearance and was photographed while speaking to UFC president Dana White, according to UFC Vice President of Public Relations Dave Sholler:

After CM Punk’s departure and subsequent signing with the UFC, the WWE does not want to lose another one of its top draws to the mixed martial arts company. As much as Vince McMahon wanted to claim WWE is not in competition with the UFC during the Steve Austin Show, there is no doubt that both companies are targeting similar demographics.

Watching Lesnar depart and sign with the UFC would be a bad sign for the WWE and would set an unfavorable precedent for other Superstars considering the same career path.

As Dave Meltzer of MMA Fighting reported, Lesnar walked out of Monday’s Raw before making his scheduled appearance due to a contract dispute. While negotiations for a deal can be strenuous, WWE must do whatever it takes to re-sign Lesnar.

Since returning to the company in 2012, Lesnar has been one of the biggest stars on the roster.

Not only has he brought prestige back to the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, but he has also added interest and intrigue to every PPV card he was on. Lesnar has the mainstream clout few other wrestlers have ever had.

While the WWE Network has changed the way traditional PPVs are viewed for the company, there is no denying Lesnar’s impact on the numbers.

During Lesnar’s UFC career, he headlined four events that reached over 1 million buys and holds the record for the two most purchased MMA events in history, according to MMA Manifesto.

The recent success of the WWE Network, as noted by Forbes' Mike Ozanian, could also play into the decision to re-sign him as well. With the company having more wiggle room to negotiate, there will be no excuse for not getting a deal done unless Lesnar simply doesn’t want to return.

Lesnar dominated the UFC for a stretch and won the company's world heavyweight title.

When he returned to the WWE, he brought validity to wrestling and a brutal style that made it easy for the fans to suspend disbelief.

Whether it was ending Undertaker’s vaunted WrestleMania winning streak or destroying John Cena and taking his championship, there are few men in the history of wrestling who have looked stronger than Lesnar heading into WrestleMania 31.

Whether you like Roman Reigns or not, he won the 2015 Royal Rumble and is going on to main event WrestleMania against Lesnar. The champion understands the business of wrestling and is very savvy to proper booking and what makes the most sense for the long-term betterment of the company.

If/when Lesnar ultimately puts Reigns over and drops the title, it will only underline the need for WWE to bring him back for another run with the company.

Lesnar putting over fresh faces would help build the stars of the future.

The hope is that the WWE can come to a contract agreement before Lesnar’s deal runs out and he becomes a free agent. Allowing him to walk because of a disagreement about money would be the worst-case scenario.

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