Brock Lesnar, Jon Stewart, WWE Divas and More from the Part-Time Mailbag

Brock Lesnar wasn't at the TNA tapings, so his relationship with WWE can't be all that broken. His widely reported argument with Vince McMahon sounds like it was two egos clashing. Those who feel he's on his way to UFC should stay tuned for a photo finish.

But is he worth all of this headache?

Brock Lesnar: Best for Business?

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@ThisIsNasty do you thinks it's best for business to resign Brock Lesnar after WM31?

— Declan Ebanks (@DickleberryDec) March 4, 2015

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Anything Brock Lesnar touches is best for business. That's why he constantly has an array of options despite his mercurial quirks. You have to be Brock Lesnar or The Undertaker—Vince McMahon's favorite WWE Superstar, according to Muscle and Fitness (h/t WrestlingInc.com)—to show up in UFC while under contract without incident.

As damaged as his relationship with WWE may be at the moment, per The Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t WrestlingInc.com), I expect WWE to fight until the bitter end for his services. The promotion will have the tall task of filling up a 100,000-seat stadium in Texas at WrestleMania 32. The current roster is still in a transitional phase and will not be equipped to draw that kind of audience in just one year.

Part-time stars such as Lesnar, The Rock and The Undertaker will be needed to make this the most attended WrestleMania in the promotion's history. WWE will have a hard enough time drawing a six-figure house with part-time stars on the roster. 

It'll be nearly impossible to do so without them.

Question of the Week: Every question featured in the mailbag is a good one, but some are better. Each week, one particular inquiry will be awarded the question of the week.  

The NXT Championship in WWE Developmental?

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@ThisIsNasty As NXT gains more popularity and momentum, do you think a mid-card title will/should be introduced?

— Kyle Bubb (@kylebubb) March 5, 2015"

No. WWE has lightning in a bottle with NXT and a drastic change, like adding another championship, would just dilute the product. NXT soars with a minimalist formula. One hour, one major championship for the NXT Superstars and Divas and one tag team championship.

Each championship is presented as meaningful, as everybody in that particular division wants it. Everybody is constantly judged by why they did or didn't become a world champion. Heel turns are consistently fueled by a desperation to capture or retain the NXT Championship.

Championship	NXT Superstar/Diva	Alignment
NXT Championship	Kevin Owens	Heel
NXT Women's Championship	Sasha Banks	Heel
NXT Tag Team Championship	Buddy Murphy and Wesley Blake	Heel

Although it's the top title in the promotion, the NXT Championship is already the equivalent to a midcard title. One can easily argue it holds more value than the Intercontinental Championship, especially since Kevin Owens hasn't had it stolen.  

Everything that happens in NXT matters because there is such little time and the producers are picky with each segment. Compare that to a promotion like TNA, which crammed as much crash TV as possible into its one-hour show years ago on Spike.

The closest NXT should come to having another championship is an annual tournament to determine a No. 1 contender or an NXT star to watch. The less belts the better.

WrestleMania Feuds Going Solo?

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@ThisIsNasty With lack of Sting and Taker can Triple H and Wyatt build up the feuds enough heading into Wrestlemania?

— Lachie Brown (@LBrownTweet) March 4, 2015"

Bray Wyatt can, but Triple H needs to beat Sting up for at least one segment before WrestleMania. We get it—Triple H is a heel.  He bullied Booker T, he shoved Ric Flair. But every time Sting comes around, he upstages Triple H. Sting still hasn't explained why he's in WWE, so Triple H's claims that he's trying to destroy the company are open to interpretation.

WWE is coasting on the laurels of what this feud means on paper. WCW vs. WWE; Assassin vs. Icon. But the buildup is underwhelming in its most basic and important dynamic: hero vs. villain.

There's no reason for a payoff if Sting, the babyface, proves to be superior to Triple H throughout the entire build.

At Survivor Series, Sting's involvement ousted WWE's top executives. The regime changed on a week-to-week basis, and at one point, the general manager was a corrupt laptop. Was WWE better off then than it is with The Authority in power? How, exactly, did Sting's involvement help anything? Why was he involved in the first place?

Sting is entering his fourth month in WWE. WrestleMania is less than four weeks away. Triple H's aggressive behavior needs to be directed at Sting himself so fans can really connect with that conflict. If the current pattern continues and Sting remains silent, how will fans know he isn't out to destroy WWE?

Wyatt, on the other hand, is in the perfect position for the feud he's in. If Undertaker isn't seen or heard until WrestleMania, the timing literally wouldn't be any better.

Wyatt and Taker are very similar characters, so pairing them together would resemble a bootleg Paranormal Activity film more than an intriguing wrestling feud.

Wyatt is playing it straight as a heel, taunting the beloved Undertaker while the mysterious Deadman remains dormant.

This is pretty much the SummerSlam storyline of 1994, which also featured a feud between identical characters—Undertaker vs. Undertaker.

Jon Stewart for General Manager

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@ThisIsNasty Obviously knows @wwe very well and pays attention to the product. He would actually make a good GM or manager.

— Fighting Talk (@UFCisRAW) March 4, 2015"

This wouldn't be the first time somebody came out of retirement to return to wrestling.

Stewart was excellent this week on Raw. Wrestling fans are among the toughest crowds in entertainment for outsiders, especially the hardcore contingent in New Jersey.

Stewart did everything one needs to do to placate that fanbase: mention how good the product was 15 years ago, then name-drop WWE legends and Hall of Famers. It didn't hurt that he is from the area.

WWE's use of Stewart is exactly how every celebrity should be booked. Stewart did not derail the program to promote a movie or television show. He was written into WWE's storylines, not the other way around.

Stewart wouldn't quite work as a general manager because it would turn Raw into a comedy show. Wrestling fans tend to take themselves too seriously, and they would eventually grow tired of that format. Stewart is too likable and couldn't be taken seriously enough to be a heel manager, while babyface managers are typically useless.

Stewart's role as a goodwill ambassador for WWE who brings mainstream press to the product during its hottest period works just fine.  

#GiveDivasAMatch

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@ThisIsNasty with AJ Lee being back, what can we expect to see in the way of a Divas match at mania?

— Stephanie Yaffe (@Stephanie_Yaffe) March 4, 2015"

An actual wrestling match. A living, breathing, real-life wrestling match involving women. None of this transparent, let's-fit-as-many-WWE-Divas-in-one-match-as-possible booking.

The #GiveDivasAChance movement is ironic in that WWE is now focused on the Divas division (for now), but this will result in less Divas earning a WrestleMania paycheck.

Event	Participants	Match Type	Winner
WrestleMania XXVIII	Kelly Kelly and Maria Menounos vs. Beth Phoenix and Eve Torres	Tag Team Match	Kelly Kelly and Maria Maria Menounos
WrestleMania 29	N/A	N/A	N/A
WrestleMania XXX	Various WWE Divas	Vickie Guerrero Invitational Match	AJ Lee

In all likelihood, only four Divas will compete at WrestleMania. Of course AJ Lee, a top Diva, was vocal via her Twitter account (WrestlingInc.com) about Divas being used more. Focusing on less Divas isn't going to affect a star like her. I'm sure Cameron, on the other hand, was fine with this arrangement.

This will ultimately be a good thing for the Divas division. It's a meritocracy (for now). If the current crop of Divas don't deliver with the time they are given, WWE can call up a handful of NXT Divas at a moment's notice. The increase of competition and exposure is going to elevate a division in need of a boost.

Will the NXT Divas render WWE Divas extinct? Listen for more on PodNasty!

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