End of the Brock Lesnar Era in WWE Has Been Underwhelming Disappointment

Despite WWE Crown Jewel being a hot topic of conversation recently, the Universal Championship match between Brock Lesnar and Braun Strowman at the event is the last thing fans are talking about going into the event.

The blockbuster bout was originally supposed to see Roman Reigns defend against both of his long-time rivals in a Triple Threat, but Reigns being forced to relinquish the title following the announcement that his leukemia had returned caused the contest to become a standard singles outing. Even before Reigns was removed from the picture, the matchup still lacked fanfare and hardly felt important.

Worse yet, this should be more than just another opportunity at the championship for Lesnar, considering it isn't known when he'll be back in WWE. It was widely believed months ago that SummerSlam would be his final on-air appearance for the foreseeable future, but his shocking return at Hell in a Cell indicated that he had signed some sort of extension with the company.

Although Lesnar interrupting the Hell in a Cell main event ended the evening on a high note, he has yet to be involved in anything of note since then. In fact, his appearance on this past week's Raw was the only time he's been seen in the buildup to Crown Jewel.

A hot angle might have been enough to salvage the poor build to this bout, but instead, WWE opted to simply have Lesnar lay Strowman out with an F5 and nothing more. It was a weak attempt to generate excitement for what should be a marquee match.

WWE gradually moving away from Lesnar as the go-to top attraction on Raw was inevitable, but The Beast Incarnate deserves better on his way out.

What's interesting is that WWE hasn't said outright that Crown Jewel will mark Lesnar's final-ever match in WWE. It's apparent officials are hoping for him to return sooner rather than later once he's done with UFC, perhaps in time for WrestleMania season next spring.

However, Lesnar competing at The Show of Shows is far from a lock, so WWE should be making the most of Lesnar for as long as they have him. Relegating him to throwaway segments on Raw and matches we have seen before is a waste of his star power, to say the least.

After everything the former WWE and Universal champion has accomplished in the company, WWE should have done a better job of showcasing his dominance and celebrating his career instead o virtually ignoring him altogether.

It could be argued that the better part of WWE programming since 2012 has revolved around Brock Lesnar. Granted, he hasn't been around as often as fans would like, but he has constantly been a central focus as a main-event player and a perennial world championship contender.

With Lesnar likely leaving WWE indefinitely after Crown Jewel, his upcoming outing with Strowman at the event should be built up as his swan song from the company, thus giving it more meaning.

Lesnar taking the title with him to UFC as he prepares to vie for Daniel Cormier's UFC Heavyweight champion would be be an intriguing approach. While WWE has attempted to tell that story before with him, it would be better than not giving Lesnar any motivation to regain the gold (like lately).

It will basically be the end of an era at Crown Jewel when Lesnar takes part in what will probably be his last match with WWE for many months if not years, and unfortunately, it couldn't feel any less significant.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, is an Endicott College alumnus and aspiring journalist. Visit his website, Next Era Wrestling, and "like" his official Facebook page to continue the conversation on all things wrestling.