Predicting What to Expect from Brock Lesnar in 2016

WWE has been ravaged by injuries to some of its biggest stars in recent months, but there is one glimmer of hope on the horizon for the company.

It's approaching WrestleMania season for WWE, which means some of the biggest names WWE possesses will once again make their return to TV after a period away from it.

And of all the names WWE will lure into the ring for WrestleMania, there isn't anyone they need right now as much as Brock Lesnar.

Roman Reigns' last couple of weeks have offered hope that he could be onto something, but Lesnar is the big name the main event scene craves. But what is in store for Lesnar over the next 12 months?

First of all, we've got to map out his way back into WWE television scheduling. That return will surely come at the Royal Rumble, hopefully unannounced. One of WWE's most marquee matches has been desperately frustrating over the past two years, with disappointing winners and a lack of any real surprise.

Lesnar entering as a shock candidate would certainly light the touchpaper for that bout to take off, but what happens from there? Does Lesnar actually go on and win the title?

You'd certainly think he stands a great chance of success, but that depends on what's happening with Reigns, in fairness. Does Reigns still hold the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania? If so, it would be foolish to try to book Lesnar as a heel to take down Reigns.

Lesnar is massively over with WWE fans at the moment, and we can be sure to expect a huge pop when he does make his return to the company. But if he is going to go on and win the Royal Rumble, it needs to be booked in a way that the man he faces at WrestleMania is an all-out heel.

You could have something ludicrous like Sheamus taking on Lesnar at Mania, but that isn't the kind of match fans want to see. So in this instance, let's go with Lesnar not winning the Rumble but coming mightily close to doing so.

He's in the final two for the match but is suddenly distracted and beaten down by none other than Kevin Owens.

That sounds far-fetched and a bit out there in terms of a prediction, but imagine the prospect of Owens vs. Lesnar at WrestleMania. You would ensure Lesnar remains a true babyface and can cause some real carnage and entertain the fans, but you'd also get the benefit of Owens getting a truly phenomenal push.

He has all the makings of a big heel in WWE over the coming years, and a feud like this would be perfect for him. He doesn't even have to win the feud, either; he just gets the benefit of working with one of professional wrestling's most intimidating and enthralling athletes.

From there, Lesnar steps out of the limelight post-WrestleMania and takes stock. By the time it rolls round to June, Seth Rollins is back, and back with a bang.

He's taken the WWE World Heavyweight Championship away from Roman Reigns at this point, and Lesnar emerges on Raw to go in search of the title shot he never properly got.

A few weeks of back and forth builds things up nicely, before Lesnar is screwed out of the title at SummerSlam in spectacular fashion.

This prompts a huge reaction from Lesnar—the kind he dished out the night after WrestleMania earlier this year.

He gets his rematch with Rollins, and this time, he puts the champion away and reclaims the belt that truly belongs to him.

Lesnar can then go on a real run of dominance for the remainder of 2016, seeing off men like Rollins, Owens and even someone like Samoa Joe, if he was booked correctly.

As the end of 2016 approaches, Lesnar is still champion, and still untouchable. That sets things up for a dominating 2017, and with more TV dates in his contract than ever before, Lesnar can become one of WWE's most revered champions.