Sports
Breaking Down How WWE Must Book Brock Lesnar Ahead of WrestleMania 36
WWEWWE did the borderline unthinkable over the weekend at Royal Rumble. Not only did a fresh superstar win the men’s match in dominant fashion, that star—Drew McIntyre—is now on a collision course with Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania. Now the trick is getting the whole thing right during the break between the rumble and ‘Mania. Easier said than…
WWE
WWE did the borderline unthinkable over the weekend at Royal Rumble. Not only did a fresh superstar win the men's match in dominant fashion, that star—Drew McIntyre—is now on a collision course with Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania.
Now the trick is getting the whole thing right during the break between the rumble and ‘Mania.
Easier said than done, though it's hard not to feel encouraged after the main-event match itself. It not only told a story, it was edge-of-seat material throughout while cementing it as one of the best performances in years…all while setting up McIntyre as the next top dog of the company.
Seriously: Lesnar came out and was unstoppable, even when Kofi Kingston and friends teamed up on him, even when two big hosses in the form of Braun Strowman and Keith Lee were in the ring and tossing him around in almost effortless fashion.
Lesnar only went over the top rope and into elimination territory once he was hit with a low blow by Ricochet, then Claymore'd into oblivion by McIntyre.
And that right there is the key to Lesnar's booking for the brief break that takes up the time between now and WrestleMania.
Not McIntyre…Ricochet.
We already know McIntyre and Lesnar will have a few staredowns and the challenger will end up in multiple battles of words with Paul Heyman, if not getting his hands on Lesnar's mouthpiece while the Beast isn't around to protect him.
But given the pump-up-new-talent nature of the Royal Rumble and general vibe of WWE yet, this little break is a good time for Lesnar to occupy his time with Ricochet and make him look like a million bucks.
It's not like Lesnar hasn't been willing to do this in the past. He's had unforgettable one-offs with guys like Samoa Joe, AJ Styles, Daniel Bryan and Finn Balor. Richochet could merely be the next in a long line of superb Lesnar matches that work to keep him fresh in the minds of fans as a force, but also put over up-and-coming talent.
And if we're being honest, Ricochet needs the help. WWE has flirted with throwing him into the main-event scene in the past but his promo work just didn't cut it and his character…there wasn't much there.
But this time is different. Ricochet looked good on the go-home episode of Raw in standing up to Lesnar, only to receive a low blow for his efforts. He reciprocated in the Rumble match itself and cost Lesnar everything. That's fun character development for Ricochet away from his aw-shucks good guy status and shows he's willing to strike back when prodded.
Even better, Lesnar has every motivation to get after him in the worst way. He got embarrassed after doing the embarrassing and now he's going to want revenge. Given the contrast in styles, it makes for a fun match and an even better career moment for Ricochet, as everybody knows he can look good in the ring while taking the inevitable loss.
That's not the only extent of Lesnar booking to theorize between now and ‘Mania. WWE has to fill the Super Showdown card in Saudi Arabia at the end of February, where maybe fans will get some weird rematch with Cain Velasquez or an encounter with a Tyson Fury-type.
But there's also an Elimination Chamber event to fill in early March and that's prime big-feud territory. If Lesnar's going to be active in that one, Ricochet would make some sense.
Otherwise, the booking doesn't have to deter too far from the usual stuff here. Lesnar is hardly going to show up at every show between now and ‘Mania. That's for the better, as it would get stale. But the usual give-and-take with McIntyre and a splash of another up-and-comer like Ricochet could keep things fresher than usual.
The end payoff, through an optimistic lens, is the massive ascension of both McIntyre and Ricochet to occupy the very top of the card. That, in turn, could mean more meaningful, must-see episodes of the Raw brand.
That hopeful slant all hinges on the proper usage of Lesnar in this critical three-month stretch. So far, so good.
Subscribe to Centenunlimited news
We hate SPAM and promise to keep your email address safe
