The current epoch in the chapter of the WWE has been termed as the New Era, and rightfully so. The old guard is crumbling only to see the new blood rise and take over the reigns of carrying the mantle forward. But while the gifted crop of the roster is slugging it day in and day out to leave their mark on the annals of pro wrestling history, baptized as the New Era, we can’t deny the fact that WWE has been and will be, for the foreseeable future, in the Brock Lesnar Era.
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At this moment, the WWE roster is split into three halves – the up-and-comers, the veterans, and a certain Beast in the form of Brock Lesnar. From the day Brock Lesnar clobbered the life out of Big Show in a match that can best be described as a how-to video on using a chair in a bout, the Beast has been nothing short of unstoppable.
From breaking the mythical streak of The Undertaker – that drew comparisons to the shock of the infamous Montreal Screwjob, to making a joke out of John Cena’s storied knack of coming out on top in every match by dominating him at SummerSlam 2014, thus becoming the WWE World Heavyweight Champion – Brock Lesnar has been reserved the special booking, and also a biased treatment if his recent exemption from WWE’s wellness policy is taken into account.
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Every victim that steps into the ring with Lesnar inevitably goes on an all expenses paid trip to suplex city with no resistance whatsoever. Roman Reigns came close to breaking the aura of Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 32 all thanks to his superhuman booking, only to see Seth Rollins pull off the ‘hiest of the century’ in the dying stages. That has been the only instance where the Beast looked vulnerable apart from his defeat (courtesy of a low blow) at the hands of The Undertaker at SummerSlam 2015.
Ever since then, he has continued to be the most feared man on the roster with the recent TKO victory over Randy Oton underlying that very fact. Brock Lesnar brings the element of realism to the WWE as he may be the only legit thing in the kayfabe world of sports entertainment today.
Who will thus, break the infrangible semblance of the Beast Incarnate? There are a host of names, who if pitted against Lesnar, would make for a memorable and wholesome feud for the fans mark out on. The superstars listed in this slideshow going over Lesnar could be a fitting way of ending Lesnar’s dominance in the WWE.
1- Braun Strowman
Starting off with the most obvious choice on the list is the mountain of the WWE, Braun Strowman. The dawn of the New Era has brought back the infamous squash matches. Ever since being separated from his Wyatt brethren, Strowman has been booked as the monster heel laying waste to local jobbers on a weekly basis on RAW.
Anyone who can put two and two together and understands Vince McMahon’s psyche can figure out the end result of this – the inexorable match between Strowman and Lesnar. The said match has been on the drawing board for some time now but had been put on the backburner for various reasons. While there’s no doubt that the behemothic clash would be intriguing to watch, there are quite a few loopholes here which need to be addressed.
Strowman is still quite green in the ring, and while running over jobbers is helping him gain confidence inside the squared circle, dancing with the Beast is a whole different ball game. The match could very well end up being reminiscent of Lesnar's final outing during his initial run in the WWE at WrestleMania 20 against we all know whom.
He needs to be fed a few hopeless and directionless souls from the roster to build his resume up before he eventually goes toe-to-toe against the Beast. Another factor that works against Strowman is his mic skills, which are hitherto unknown. It would be an understatement if I say that Paul Heyman would absolutely annihilate Strowman with his legendary promos.
But Strowman, at the end of the day, is the only superstar in the WWE that makes for a sensible option because of his strongman physique. Lesnar would be an underdog going into the match, and that is something we haven’t seen in a long while. Strowman could come out of the match as the monster heel WWE has envisioned him to be, but are there better options than him? You’re damn right there are!
2- Kevin Owens
If you would have asked me about the feasibility of this match happening about a year ago, I would have just blamed it on Vince McMahon and buried all hopes of it ever coming to fruition. But here we are today with the Kevin Owens Show taking the pro wrestling fraternity by storm and the plausibility of this match headlining a PPV have never been so real.
KO has himself mentioned Brock Lesnar as his dream opponent countless times before, and while the WWE management briefly entertained the idea, they nixed it saying Owens was yet to build up his resume in order to face The Beast. Now, he has the top prize around his waist and WWE’s cash cow waiting for a shot at it.
Brock Lesnar has been accused of not producing 5-star matches over the course of his 2-year run as a wrecking machine, but that could all change if he works with Kevin Owens. If the ovation Owens gets every night on RAW is any indication, then the fans wouldn’t have a dilemma in backing the Prizefighter to go over Lesnar. The guesstimate at this moment is WWE may grant Lesnar a title shot at Royal Rumble, and if KO hangs onto the strap until then, we get the match that deserves to happen.
The burning question that flashes across instantly is whether Owens goes over Lesnar, which could very well happen as KO is Triple H’s project and for the fact that Lesnar takes into consideration The Game’s way of perceiving things.
Another tantalizing aspect is the back and forth between Owens and Heyman could go down as reference material for Roman Reigns and the rookies who can’t cut a promo to save their lives. Heyman can castigate Owens for his butterball physique and plug his client as The Beast who devoured the streak, John Cena, Randy Orton and many others on his path to near invincibility.
Owens should be the boss he is on the mic with his razor sharp promos directed at ripping apart Lesnar and his advocate. He could declare himself as a veteran of the industry who began his career on his 16th birthday and has never looked back ever since, to counteract the accomplishments of Lesnar.
A solidifying win over Lesnar would catapult Owens’s star power into another stratosphere and an added moment of Lesnar giving KO the respect he warrants at the end of the match would be the icing on the cake.
3- Big Cass
Vince McMahon’s fixation with wrestlers having the arbitrary ‘look’ (big guys with chiseled bodies and long locks) is no secret and Big Cass ticks all boxes. The fans, the folks backstage, and the boss himself are quite high on the 7 ft tall New York native. Big Cass has all the makings of being a top tier talent and thus, makes for a viable opponent for Lesnar.
The dynamics of the feud go up a notch when you shift your assiduity towards the insanely gifted men who’d do all the promo work – Enzo Amore and Paul Heyman. The mere thought of Enzo’s jibes at Lesnar and Heyman, and the subsequent rejoinder from the god of promo-cutting himself makes the smark in me mark out.
The new kid on the block taking on the most badass entity in the WWE who destroys the faces that run the place is a simple, yet effective story. Getting one over Lesnar, at this moment, is bigger that any Championship win or reign could yield, and props have to be given to the WWE for building up Lesnar in such a magnanimous way.
Although Big Cass has a long road ahead of evolving into a credible singles competitor, he has what it takes to eventually reach the desired level. At that stage, if Lesnar is still at his unconquerable best, then Cass could go over The Beast, guaranteeing a long-lasting spot in the upper echelons of the WWE food chain.
4- Shinsuke Nakamura
If there is any wrestler from the ‘Land Of The Rising Sun’ who deserves all the prestigious accolades in the WWE, that man is undoubtedly the King Of Strong Style, Shinsuke Nakamura. The former IWGP Champion was welcomed into the WWE by Vince McMahon himself the day he came to the WWE HQ at Stamford, Connecticut, and from there on, the ‘Child of God’ has remained undefeated in NXT en route to capturing the NXT Championship.
In case you didn’t know, Lesnar and Nakamura faced each for the IWGP Championship for New Japan Pro Wrestling. This was the time when all the big ticket wrestling promotions in the world were lapping up to sign the hottest free agent in the world at that time, Brock Lesnar. Their match was what you’d expect it to be – a classic encounter. This was when Lesnar still was an ingenious technical wrestler and not the MMA fighter we see in his matches off late.
The rematch makes sense on many levels, both stylistically and storyline wise. Nakamura’s wrestling style that includes cringe-worthy kicks and intricate holds is the perfect match to Lesnar’s free-for-all suplex party interspersed with Muay Thai. Rest assured, the fans would be treated to one of the most hard-hitting and physical encounters to have graced a WWE ring making Sheamus vs Cesaro a mediocre affair.
The fascinating aspect about this feud is the double turn that would send shock waves across the wrestling fraternity. Paul Heyman turning on his most resolute and lucrative client to align with Nakamura would be one heck of a pleasant shock.
Heyman has mentioned the desire to manage Nakamura once he makes the jump to the main roster, and we can only wish it eventually happens sooner than later. A heel Nakamura with Heyman by his side going over a face Lesnar! What more could you ask for?
Nakamura needs Heyman as much as Heyman needs a new client, and having the King Of Strong Style and the King of Mic-Work together avoids WWE’s biggest lapse – the burial of talents primed for greatness, courtesy of Vince McMahon and co.
When asked about the possibility of the much-anticipated rematch happening in the WWE in a recent interview, Nakamura said, If I get a chance, I would be up for that. My body would need to be ready because he is tough. Ouch.”
5- Samoa Joe
Samoa Joe vs Brock Lesnar is a match that would give the IWC wrestling oriented wet dreams. The Beast vs the Samoan Submission Machine is a match that makes so much sense on paper. As in the case with Nakamura, Joe’s style is a faultless combination with Lesnar’s current way of going about doing things in the ring.
Samoa Joe is due a main roster call-up and much to the delight of the fans, the Paul Heyman connection has been a heavily rumored scenario. Samoa Joe is one of the names apart from Nakamura, who Heyman showed interest in managing and I’m totally up for either of the two. Samoa Joe and Lesnar would no doubt blow the roof off the joint if given the freedom and time to showcase a no holds barred contest.
The stipulation of a submission match is another alluring prospect and an instant five-star classic in the making. There is no ambiguity whatsoever about how the match would pan out to be if WWE books it evenly, and adding the Paul Heyman factor, we have ourselves a fiery feud deserving of headlining a major PPV.
With AJ Styles winning the WWE title, the preconceived notion of Vince McMahon being unfavorable towards TNA alumni has started to change for the good, snowballing the chances of Joe beating Lesnar, clean or controversial.
Joe could try to prove a point of being the scariest and most intimidating man on the roster when he gets called up. There's no better way to substantiate it by killing the legend of Lesnar for good, but the probability of it happening are quite low if you scrutinize things from Vince McMahon’s perspective. Nevertheless, this could be a memorable rivalry.
6- Honorable mentions: Roman Reigns and Baron Corbin
This is unsurprisingly a very unpopular choice, but it is painstakingly obvious that WWE wants Reigns to go over Lesnar sometime down the line. Originally, I wasn’t going to add the Big Dog in this list, but felt compelled as it could end up being the reality the WWE Universe would have to deal with in the coming years.
Yes, Roman Reigns did give Lesnar a run for his money in their previous bout, but it’s hard to imagine the fans getting behind Reigns anytime soon. Maybe in a couple of years, but not anytime soon. A win for Reigns over Lesnar would do a world of good for the 3-time WWE Champion for his resume, irrespective of him being a heel or a face. And if it does transpire, I can only aspire seeing Reigns as a loved face or as the condemned heel after the monumental win. How does a partnership with Paul Heyman sound, eh?
No prizes here for guessing why Baron Corbin could overpower the Beast. The lone Wolf has the quintessential look, has a boxing background and is destined for big things in the WWE in the time to come. The only thing that puts him back is a relatively uneventful main roster run to boast of as of now. Eventually, when he does sanguinely work his way up the ranks, Lesnar could make for a felicitous opponent for him to boost his career.
Who would you like to see doing the honors of taking Brock Lesnar down?
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