Brock Lesnar Thriving as Shades of Grey Character Heading into WWE Royal Rumble

World Wresting Entertainment history is rife with characters more complicated and layered than Brock Lesnar's, but few are more effective than that of the indiscriminate ass-kicker that The Beast Incarnate has become over the last year.

In a sports-entertainment landscape riddled with generic babyfaces and heels, the arrival of a character at home in shades of grey is welcome.

Whereas characters such as Roman Reigns or John Cena are pretty clearly the "good guys," fighting for truth, justice and honor, and "bad guys" like Vince McMahon and Triple H are about corruption and absolute power, Lesnar is a suplexing machine worried only about the almighty dollar and championship accolades. 

He does not care about being morally correct or about ruling the world. He simply wants to destroy, to conquer his opponent, add championships to his resume and dollars to his bank account. It is an easy character to understand and one that resonates with fans who are tired of overly complicated storylines that end up going nowhere.

As Royal Rumble approaches, and WWE searches for the Superstars it can count on to lead the charge on the road to WrestleMania, Lesnar is thriving in his current role.

Older fans appreciate his destructive ways. They like seeing the former UFC star demolish opponents with a smile on his face. They like that he does not care whether he is pummeling Big E of The New Day or the heavyweight champion of the world, Reigns. As long as the legitimate badass is tearing through the opposition, they are entertained.

They want to cheer him. Another portion of the audience, not so much.

The younger fans see in Lesnar a monster, the stuff of legends and fairy tales. He is the unconquerable force who ended the mythical streak of The Undertaker and beat their favorite hero, John Cena. He has laid to waste the biggest stars to ever lace a pair of boots and will continue to do so unless someone puts an end to him.

He is the Goliath to Roman Reigns' David, the Bane to Reigns' Batman. He is the unstoppable force and immovable object all rolled into one.

As a character cloaked in grey, neither particularly good or bad, Lesnar appeals to a wide variety of fans, making him invaluable to a company in desperate need of stars. It is for that reason that he is the star with the most momentum leading into Royal Rumble, even though he has only been back on television for one week.

It is no surprise that, as the 30-man main event approaches, he is a favorite to walk away victorious, the new WWE world heavyweight champion. A performer whose star power is on a level unmatched by any other on the current roster, he is the man that will sell pay-per-views and subscriptions to WWE Network.

And much of the desire fans have to watch him compete is born of his no-nonsense approach to his character, to his in-ring work and business sense. 

He knows what he is, knows that fans of all ages can relate in one way or another to his persona and, more importantly, knows people will pay to watch him destroy. 

Reigns will get more television time, McMahon will be the lead villain and fans will speculate on surprise entrants as the Rumble match approaches. But make no mistake about it: Brock Lesnar is the biggest, strongest and most thriving Superstar entering the annual extravaganza.