Brock Lesnar's Return Date, Sami Zayn on Vince McMahon and More in WWE Roundup

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe. 

Brock Lesnar Advertised For Rare Raw Appearance

Brock Lesnar is the holder of the WWE Universal Championship after defeating Braun Strowman at Crown Jewel to win the vacant title. Part of Raw's struggles in recent months is the fact the brand's top champion rarely shows up on Monday nights.

That's only going to remain true for another month with Chesapeake Arena in Oklahoma City announcing Friday the former UFC heavyweight champ will return Jan. 21:

Sean Rueter of Cageside Seats noted it's going to be the first time The Beast Incarnate will have been on Raw since Nov. 12. That means WWE will have gone nine consecutive weeks without the titleholder on its flagship show.

At a time when fans are clamoring for new faces to receive much-deserved opportunities—as highlighted by the rise of Becky Lynch in the women's division—it's a wonder why the company continues to let Lesnar enjoy extended championship reigns with an extremely limited schedule.

The Beast is set to face Strowman for the universal title at the 2019 Royal Rumble on Jan. 27. So his appearance in OKC will likely be a one-off to promote that match alongside manager Paul Heyman.

Sami Zayn Discusses Vince McMahon's Booking Decisions

Sami Zayn believes Vince McMahon receives a lot of unfair criticism for his handling of WWE's booking direction because there are far more variables involved than the average fan realizes.

The former NXT champion said during an appearance on Talk Is Jericho (via Felix Upton of Ringside News) he's always given a reason when the WWE chairman shoots down one of his ideas.

"He factors in a lot of stuff that you don't factor in," Zayn said. "You know I've gone to him before with what I thought was a really good idea and he was like, 'Oh, but it doesn't work and here's why.'"

The 34-year-old explained to Jericho that professional wrestling is a "field where people don't know what's going on, but they still rip it apart."

"Yet, I know the truth. I know how it really works, I know what happened," Zayn said. "I know why my segment came out this way, why my match came out this way. These millions of people who watch it don't know and they form an opinion about it and I just gotta be OK with that because they don't know."

The Canadian journeyman has been sidelined by double shoulder surgery since June.

NBA Star Enes Kanter Delivers Chokeslam To Curt Hawkins

Enes Kanter recently paid a visit to the Create-A-Pro Wrestling Academy where Curt Hawkins operates as a head trainer under his real name, Brian Myers.

The New York Knicks center was flanked by Dana Brooke and proceeded to extend Hawkins' long-term losing streak during an impromptu match via an impressive chokeslam:

In October, Kanter told Michael Pina of Vice Sports he's legitimately considering a switch to wrestling once his basketball days come to an end.

"I'm actually talking to the people over there now. Vince McMahon, he knows me," he said. "I had dinner with [Heyman] two, three days ago. I asked him how long he's gonna do this and he said 'as long as Brock goes, I go, and then I'm with you.' I'm like yes! Seriously. I'm really serious about it."

It was only one move and he showcased how "green" he is by hooking the wrong leg on his pin of Hawkins, but Kanter did put some real potential on display with the vicious chokeslam. With his size and athleticism, it wouldn't be a surprise to see WWE at least give him a chance in the future.