WWE Royal Rumble 2021 Perfect Time for Brock Lesnar's Revenge on Roman Reigns

It's time for the big Brock Lesnar return.

January's Royal Rumble event is the perfect setting for WWE to pull off what would amount to one of the most shocking moments in recent memory. It has been all quiet on the Lesnar front for a long time, the main event scene needs it and his return would beat the tar out of other part-timer returns.

Call it poetic that Lesnar's big return to devastate the WWE locker room would happen at the Royal Rumble, too. It only feels right—the Beast Incarnate was the best thing going during an outright classic, unforgettable men's Royal Rumble match in 2020.

There, Lesnar was the star, bullying most challengers and looking unstoppable. He had some all-time classic interactions with guys like Keith Lee. The point wasn't to make Lesnar look good, either. Instead, it was a narrative device to yank Drew McIntyre out of midcard purgatory and make him look like a million bucks so he could dethrone Lesnar and become the guy who carries Raw on his back through the pandemic era.

And it worked. Even better, that was the start of something special for WWE, which rode the McIntyre train to great heights. The company also became open to newer, fresher ideas, like finally giving fans what they wanted by turning Roman Reigns heel.

That's worked predictably well, so much so Reigns is doing the best work of his career and making it happen with guys like Jey Uso, all while paired expertly with one Paul Heyman. He's become the final boss of sorts, the character who would only return every so often for title reigns—he's the new Lesnar.

Which is where Lesnar's return comes into play.

Lesnar's music hitting at some point during the Rumble itself would garner one of the biggest reactions in years, even if there are no fans in the arena. For the WWE Universe, the possibilities that coincide with hearing that music again in that match would seem endless.

So long as the match from that point is scripted similarly to the one at last year's event, few could complain if Lesnar looked dominant on his way to a win. And as sweet as his seeking revenge on McIntyre at WrestleMania might seem, there is something better: Lesnar turning his eyes toward Reigns and Heyman.

Rest assured fans have had their fill of this tale, as the two Superstars aren't strangers to each other. But the dynamic is all different this time with Reigns as a heel, never mind with Heyman in his corner. The big heel turn has made even well-trodden feuds seem refreshing if WWE decides to go those routes, so it's only natural the company would pull out the big guns for an event as big as 'Mania.

Part of the fun of the new dynamic is the sense anything could happen too. Lesnar could be the guy strong enough to put an end to Reigns' juggernaut streak and even things out a bit. Or Reigns could just squash him, making it all the sweeter when a main-roster type dethrones him.

Call this theory a luxury afforded to WWE thanks to smart booking over the past year. Back against the wall, the company has been willing to take risks, throw its weight behind full-time guys and turn stars like Reigns. It makes a Lesnar appearance less of a requirement for big shows—and makes it all the sweeter when it does happen in the biggest programs of all.