Brock Lesnar at WWE WrestleMania 33: 7 Potential Opponents for Beast Incarnate

As we enter the final few weeks of 2016, speculation has already begun as to which matches WWE fans could witness at WrestleMania 33 on April 2. And it's safe to assume that Brock Lesnar will be involved in one of the top matches on the blockbuster card.

For the past four years, Lesnar has battled a number of elite athletes at The Show of Shows, including Dean Ambrose, Triple H, Roman Reigns and The Undertaker. In fact, he was responsible for breaking Undertaker's 21-0 undefeated streak at the event at WrestleMania 30.

Come WrestleMania 33, however, it's unknown whether Lesnar will have his sights set on becoming champion again or settling his score with Goldberg from Survivor Series. We have not seen him since his loss to Goldberg at the November classic, but he will re-emerge in time for the Royal Rumble next month.

Right now is the most crucial time of year in WWE, as the stage will be set for several matchups at The Showcase of the Immortals. Lesnar's dance partner at the upcoming installment remains unknown, although quite a few Superstars would serve as compelling rivals for him.

Ahead of the spring spectacle, let's look at seven potential opponents for The Beast Incarnate at WrestleMania 33.

Goldberg

Credit: WWE.com

When it was initially announced that Goldberg was returning to WWE for one more match against Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series, all signs pointed to it being a one-night deal. He would come in to lose to Lesnar before riding off into the sunset and potentially being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame over WrestleMania weekend.

As things tend to do in the wrestling world, plans changed, and instead, Goldberg squashed Lesnar in less than two minutes at the November classic. Needless to say, it took almost everyone by complete surprise, as it marked Lesnar's first decisive loss in more than three-and-a-half years.

Lesnar returning to target anyone but the former WCW heavyweight champion would be illogical, so Goldberg seems to be Lesnar's most likely opponent for WrestleMania 33. From a storyline standpoint, he will want to exact revenge on the man who embarrassed him in front of millions and put Goldberg into retirement once and for all.

Both behemoths have already been announced as participants in the 2017 Royal Rumble match, so it could be there that they cross paths and then go their separate ways. Or it could be the next chapter in their ruthless rivalry before they go to war one final time at WrestleMania.

We weren't given much of a match at Survivor Series, not to mention their initial encounter was a total disappointment, so Goldberg vs. Lesnar III could blow those bouts away and be Goldberg's swan song from active in-ring competition.

AJ Styles

Credit: WWE.com

On paper, AJ Styles is no match for Lesnar. But the two would contest a killer match at WrestleMania 33 if given the chance.

Look no further than Seth Rollins, who went toe-to-toe with Lesnar in the summer of 2015 despite the massive size difference between them. Rollins stood his ground against Lesnar more often than not, and although he was largely dominated in their Battleground bout, seeing him sell for Lesnar's offense was a blast.

Styles is no different, as he would give Lesnar one of the best wrestling matches he has had in years. If The Phenomenal One proved anything in his debut year in WWE, it's that he is the best wrestler on the roster.

Styles has had such a stellar 2016 that it would be criminal for him not to be involved in a marquee match at WrestleMania, especially considering his roots in Orlando, Florida, as a TNA original. He doesn't have to contend for a championship, but he should appear near the top of the card.

WrestleMania is known for its inter-promotional matches, and there wouldn't be a better representative of the blue brand for The Beast Incarnate to face off with than Styles.

The Rock

Credit: WWE.com

It's incredible to think that, following the success of their first match at SummerSlam 2002, The Rock and Brock Lesnar have never collided in a rematch. It was at that event where Lesnar captured his first WWE Championship and became the megastar he is today.

Interestingly enough, WWE did plan on having the two go at it again at WrestleMania 30, according to The Rock during a Twitter Q&A in 2013. However, the night they were supposed to set up the bout after WrestleMania 29, Rock was sent home due to injuries he had suffered previously.

Rock was largely absent from WWE programming from that point forward, and as a result, WWE went with The Undertaker as Lesnar's opponent that year instead. In April, it will have been three years since Rock vs. Brock was supposed to happen, and we have yet to see the anticipated rematch.

Save for a brief bout versus Erick Rowan this past year, Rock has appeared in non-wrestling roles for the last three WrestleMania installments. He is due at least one more match at some point, and few stars on the current roster are more bankable than Lesnar.

How good the match would be from an in-ring standpoint 15 years removed from their initial encounter is anyone's guess, but it would be a top attraction for The Show of Shows and an effective use of Rocky.

Kevin Owens

Credit: WWE.com

Royal Rumble 2016 marked the last time Brock Lesnar contended for the WWE World Championship, and it's quite possible he would have regained the title had The Wyatt Family not cost him the contest. He fell short of qualifying for the title match at WrestleMania 32 the following month at Fastlane and hasn't gone for the gold since.

Every time Lesnar has chased the championship in the last two years, someone or something has prevented him from winning it. Goldberg is the only obstacle at this year's Rumble standing between him and a Universal Championship match at WrestleMania.

If The Beast Incarnate can come out on top in the annual Battle Royal, he and Kevin Owens would be awesome opponents for each other on The Grandest Stage of Them All. Aside from Goldberg, Owens is perhaps the sole Superstar who could be considered a threat to Lesnar on Raw right now.

From Seth Rollins to Sami Zayn, Owens has knocked off every challenger to his Universal Championship for the past four months. He will walk into the Rumble with the title in his possession if he can somehow find a way to overcome Roman Reigns at Roadblock: End of the Line on Dec. 18.

Similar to AJ Styles, Owens deserves to be a part of a marquee match at WrestleMania, and it doesn't get much more high-profile than KO vs. Lesnar. While Owens has cleaned out most of the Raw roster of late, he has yet to defend against a competitor the caliber of the four-time WWE champion.

Shane McMahon

Credit: WWE.com

Shane McMahon wrestled all of two matches in 2016, but both bouts were of extreme importance. He returned to the ring at WrestleMania 32 in a Hell in a Cell match against The Undertaker before joining Team SmackDown Live to take on Team Raw at Survivor Series.

The Deadman more or less squashed him back in April, but at the latter event, McMahon had a strong showing versus the Raw roster and lasted longer than anyone expected him to. It was only after eating a vicious spear from Roman Reigns that he was eliminated from the contest.

Months earlier, at SummerSlam, he came down to the ring to confront Brock Lesnar after The Beast Incarnate brutalized Randy Orton, a SmackDown Superstar. In standing up to Lesnar, McMahon fell victim to an F-5 and had to be helped to the back.

McMahon later said on an episode of SmackDown that it was far from over between him and Lesnar and that he has yet to seek any sort vengeance. Perhaps he's biding his time before striking at the most opportune moment?

That's unlikely, and McMahon wouldn't be the best opponent for Lesnar on such a stage like WrestleMania. But if the match does come to fruition, fans can't say it is illogical; their history speaks for itself.

Braun Strowman

Credit: WWE.com

Of all the top-tier talent featured on this list, Braun Strowman is the odd man out. When you take a moment to think about a potential match between Brock Lesnar and Strowman, however, it isn't all that far-fetched.

PWInsider.com (h/t Marc Middleton of Wrestling Inc) reported at the onset of 2016 that there were plans in place to do a Lesnar vs. Strowman match at WrestleMania 32. Something along those lines seemed to be the direction WWE was headed, given that Lesnar had a few run-ins with The Wyatt Family around WrestleMania time.

Following Fastlane, WWE went in a different direction with Lesnar that saw him face Dean Ambrose instead, which was for the better. Strowman was relatively inexperienced at that point and was far from being on the same level as Lesnar.

One year later, the former Wyatt Family member has been embarking on a path of destruction, annihilating everyone who has stepped up to oppose him. He has yet to meet his match and thus refers to himself as the most unstoppable force on Raw, but Lesnar might have something to say about that.

It may sound silly on paper, but in a few more months, Strowman vs. Lesnar could well be a realistic match for WrestleMania. If nothing else, it would be something new, and Lesnar should be facing fresh faces and not the same old Superstars as he winds down his WWE career.

Samoa Joe

Credit: WWE.com

Prior to Goldberg, there wasn't anyone on the active roster who stood a chance of beating Brock Lesnar after all the opponents he has decimated with ease over the years. Down in NXT, though, awaits a ruthless monster named Samoa Joe.

Say what you will about Joe being past his prime, but the truth of the matter is that he is the best bad guy on any roster right now in WWE. From the way he carries himself to how he walks to the ring to his phenomenal facial expressions, Joe is the dominant heel he should be.

He may not be as tall as Lesnar, but he matches him in pure strength, and their similar in-ring styles would make a match between them nothing short of sensational. Joe has gone on record in saying he has wanted Lesnar for some time, though he tweeted following Lesnar's Survivor Series loss that there's a "new target in play."

Either way, Joe should be bound for the main roster by Royal Rumble at the latest. After recently losing the NXT Championship to Shinsuke Nakamura at a live event in Japan, Joe has nothing left to accomplish on the black-and-yellow brand.

One can argue that, by that point, it would be too soon to rush into a Joe vs. Lesnar feud in time for WrestleMania 33, but if anyone can face off with The Beast Incarnate and somehow escape unscathed, it's The Samoan Submission Machine.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, is a Digital Journalism major at Endicott College. Visit his website, Next Era Wrestling, and "like" his official Facebook page to continue the conversation on all things wrestling.

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