Brock Lesnar's list of potential opponents is growing thin in WWE

Brock Lesnar out of opponents?

Brock Lesnar lost what many believed was the rematch of his career to The Undertaker at SummerSlam. The Beast Incarnate was on a mission to silence The Deadman, to prove once and for all just who the better man is.

The match itself was likely much better than fans believed it would be, as the two veteran stars gave everything they had in the name of entertaining the fans. But now that it’s over and WWE is focusing on Night of Champions, the question becomes what’s next for Lesnar? The fact is his supply of potential opponents is wearing very thin.

The most obvious answer is a third match with The Phenom. The popular rubber match to decide the feud is surely on the booking sheet somewhere down the line though no one seems to know when exactly that is. It is bound to happen, of course, as there is a definite air of uncertainty surrounding the outcome of the SummerSlam bout. What did it prove? Who was truly the better man?

The fact is it proved nothing other than setting up the third and final showdown; that’s when the better man will be decided.

But until that happens, nothing is happening. Both Taker and Lesnar are off TV once again and that means there is no work being done to further the rivalry or extinguish it. It’s just kind of sitting there with no resolution at all. There’s nothing necessarily wrong with this but for fans of the former UFC champion, a pattern has certainly emerged and it’s one that will probably not be changing anytime soon; Brock works the top veterans and that’s it.

This doesn’t include Roman Reigns or Seth Rollins naturally but in both instances, Lesnar’s presence was merely the conduit to another direction being taken.

Roman Reigns faces off against Lesnar at WrestleMania 31

WrestleMania 31 was supposed to have been the rise of Roman, the man to eventually supplant John Cena as the face of the company. The debate as to whether or not he deserved that spot had been raging for quite a while and still continues to this day. But there was no better stage than Mania to make such a move and there was no better opponent than Brock to make it happen.

Fans were wrong on both fronts.

Instead of Reigns taking a massive step toward Cena’s throne, he was thrown out of the castle as Rollins got involved and won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Roman was better for the experience while Seth was two steps higher and Brock was exactly where he was before. There was no change for him, other than losing the belt and the loss merely gave him a new target in Rollins.

Battleground was supposed to have been the night The Beast finally got his revenge on the champ, as Rollins’ time was out. It was another swing and a miss for fans however as The Undertaker interfered just as it appeared Brock was moving in for the kill. Apparently 15 months was quite enough time to endure Paul Heyman’s boasting of his client’s win at WrestleMania 30 that ended the streak.

Taker wanted vengeance, but Lesnar was hell-bent on showing the world that no one can beat him in a straight-up fight.

But then Taker got the unfair advantage and the win. The Phenom’s character had perhaps never had so many unanswered questions from fans regarding his motivations and mindset, however he never answered any of them. Now there is more mystery surrounding him than ever before.

Once again, Brock is just sort of there. He made no forward progress as the result of either match and he really did not lose anything either. He’s still a monster babyface and the next time he does appear on WWE programming, he will certainly blow the roof off the place. But until that happens, the question remains what’s next or more importantly perhaps, who’s next?

The truth is no one is. Brock has a history of working top level talents, guys that have similar drawing power as him that can sell out arenas and get the ratings up in the process. Triple H, John Cena, and CM Punk all stood up to The Beast and each one went down to him as well.

The match with Big Show was good, but it wasn’t exactly epic.While the matches with Roman and Seth were more about facilitating another direction, they were both still very entertaining. But after that, it’s anyone’s guess.

The Rock could be the next man up for Lesnar but if that does happen, it will likely be at WrestleMania 32. Chris Jericho is a possibility, but there seems to be little reason for that match to even take place. Goldberg is still in tremendous shape and if the right offer came along he might be willing to do business. However, no one has forgotten WrestleMania 20 and that includes Goldberg; why step back into that situation again?

Daniel Bryan’s health is still unknown though the company may be keeping his return under wraps for a later date, but he’s probably not facing Lesnar. Stone Cold Steve Austin versus Brock Lesnar would surely pack any house they’re booked in, but Austin has no interest in a comeback.

The list is not only thin, it’s practically nonexistent.

Of course, if WWE decides to use Brock against more rising stars then all of that will change. Ryback, Sheamus and Kevin Owens are all potential candidates to fill the spot and there’s always Samoa Joe in NXT. Brock could give each guy the rub and help them get to the next level if WWE goes that route. Lesnar’s character has stayed the same despite who’s he worked thus far so why not use him to help others along?

It doesn’t mean he has to start losing, only that WWE is thinking long term for its newer stars. The fact is the Conqueror has conquered and now his era of dominance has come to a stand-still. But The Beast will grow hungry again, it’s just a matter of who will be the main course the next time around.

Edited by Staff Editor