Brock Lesnar Returns to Raw, Brawls with Samoa Joe

Universal champion Brock Lesnar made his first appearance on WWE programming since the night after WrestleMania 33 on Monday night's Raw.

Following a lengthy diatribe by Paul Heyman, No. 1 contender Samoa Joe arrived to confront Lesnar in the ring. Joe made the first move, attacking Lesnar and sparking a brawl that required WWE security and then WWE wrestlers to help break up.

WWE shared a replay of the altercation:

"

.@BrockLesnar and @SamoaJoe don't want to wait until the @WWE Balls of Fire pay-per-view... they want to fight RIGHT NOW! #RAW #WWEGBOF pic.twitter.com/5MhK8cRYoJ

— WWE (@WWE) June 13, 2017"

ESPN.com's Tim Fiorvanti enjoyed the segment:

The Beast's return came just over one week after Samoa Joe won a Fatal 5-Way match at Extreme Rules to become the No. 1 contender for Lesnar's title and earn a match against him at Great Balls of Fire.

Lesnar largely came back in response to the Samoan Submission Machine choking out Heyman in the Coquina Clutch on Raw last week.

Lesnar won the universal title from Goldberg in emphatic fashion at WrestleMania on the heels of a decisive loss to his rival at Survivor Series.

Goldberg indicated after The Showcase of the Immortals that he was taking time away from WWE and perhaps even retiring, which left Lesnar as the unquestioned Superstar to beat on Raw.

Lesnar and Heyman called out Roman Reigns the night after WrestleMania, but they were interrupted by Braun Strowman, who revealed his intention to go after the Universal Championship.

The Beast Incarnate has been absent since that encounter, but it was assumed he would return to put his title on the line against either Reigns or Strowman.

On April 28, the American Airlines Center announced that Lesnar would make his first title defense at the new Great Balls of Fire pay-per-view July 9 in Dallas:

Strowman seemed to be the likely opponent after beating Reigns at Payback, but it was reported on May 8 by Ryan Satin of Pro Wrestling Sheet that the Monster Among Men was expected to miss between four and eight weeks due to an elbow injury.

That created some uncertainty until Raw general manager Kurt Angle booked the Fatal 5-Way and Samoa Joe emerged victorious.

While the absence of the Universal Championship on WWE television for long periods of time doesn't sit well with a portion of WWE's fanbase, it is difficult to deny the fact that Lesnar makes it feel important.

Now that he and the title are in the mix once again, they figure to be the focal point of Raw leading up to the PPV.

Lesnar is the biggest box-office draw WWE has to offer due to his crossover appeal into the MMA world, and his presence is likely to increase interest in the product on a weekly basis moving forward.

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