“The Beast” Brock Lesnar returned last night at WWE’s Crown Jewel event, becoming the first ever two-time WWE Universal Champion in the process by defeating Braun Strowman in controversial fashion.
Though many fans were unhappy with the outcome – and the scenario that led up to it – there is one person who couldn’t be happier that Brock Lesnar is not only back, but has reclaimed the Universal Championship.
That man? The King of Bros, Matt Riddle.
Riddle, himself a former UFC fighter, took to Twitter in order thank Lesnar for returning and giving him the opportunity to try and accomplish what he’s wanted for a surprisingly long time: retire Brock Lesnar.
His Tweet read, “Thank you Brock for coming back and winning the universal title! You’re right where I need you bro,” which is a clear statement of intent over Riddle’s future goals.
Having only just successfully debuted for NXT, Matt Riddle has even set himself an ambitious timeframe to work towards, stating that he intends to “retire you [Lesnar] in a few years.”
This isn’t the first time the King of Bros has spoken about facing Brock Lesnar. On a recent edition of “The Ariel Helwani MMA Show” he said the following:
“In my perfect world I’m champion in like, three months,” Riddle said. “And then I’m on the main roster and I’m challenging Brock Lesnar. And I want to retire Brock Lesnar. That’s the perfect world. Maybe Brock Lesnar, main event [at] WrestleMania for the Universal Title, and if he loses he retires.”
It’s good to have goals.
Is this a match you’d like to see? Who would win if it were to go down? Can you see Matt Riddle being the one to retire Lesnar?
Brock Lesnar is once again the WWE Universal champion. What was originally expected to be a triple threat match, Lesnar ended up in a one-on-one showdown with Bruan Strowman to determine a new champion after Roman Reigns was forced to surrender the belt following the revelation that his battle with leukemia was happening again after going into remission several years ago.
With Reigns out of the match, the WWE moved forward with a singles contest between Lesnar and Strowman.
All signs seemed to point towards Strowman finally ascending to the top of the WWE Raw roster with Lesnar expected to return to the UFC in early 2019 to compete for the heavyweight championship.
That plan may still very well happen but for now Lesnar is champion again after a very short match with Strowman on Friday.
In a carbon copy to many of Lesnar’s most dominant victories in WWE, he landed several ‘F-5’s on Strowman including one where he tossed the behemoth outside the ring. Finally, Lesnar landed one final F-5 that put Strowman down and out.
Lesnar was crowned WWE Universal champion and then just a few moments later his next match was officially announced.
At WWE Survivor Series on Sunday, Nov. 18, Lesnar will return to the ring to face current WWE heavyweight champion A.J. Styles from Smackdown Live.
Obviously, Lesnar is sticking around WWE longer than anyone expected with his plans to return to the UFC in 2019. There’s still plenty of time for the title to change hands before Lesnar would return to the Octagon.
There are also rumors that Lesnar may make a surprise appearance at UFC 230 in New York on Saturday night where Cormier defends his heavyweight title against Derrick Lewis in the main event but nothing has been confirmed as of yet.
Matt Riddle has signed with WWE, and there are some high expectations for his career with the company. Even from Riddle himself. Riddle was an indy darling for several years, making the transition to professional wrestling from mixed martial arts (MMA). After working for some of the top promotions around the world, WWE inked Riddle to a deal earlier this summer.
Riddle is now competing on NXT, and fans are expecting to see him on the main roster sooner than most young talents. Recently, Riddle was interviewed on “The Ariel Helwani MMA Show” to discuss his journey in wrestling. During the interview, Riddle was asked about his expectations for his run with WWE. Riddle offered up a very interesting answer.
He noted he’d like to win the NXT Championship three months from now. After that, he’d like to be called up to the main roster, with his sights set on Brock Lesnar. Not only does Riddle want to headline WrestleMania with “The Beast” for the Universal Title, but he wants to end Lesnar’s professional wrestling career:
“In my perfect world I’m champion in like, three months,” Riddle said. “And then I’m on the main roster and I’m challenging Brock Lesnar. And I want to retire Brock Lesnar. That’s the perfect world. Maybe Brock Lesnar, main event WrestleMania for the Universal Title, and if he loses he retires.”
Up next on #HelwaniShow: Very excited to speak to @SuperKingofBros about his rise to wrestling stardom and life after MMA
UFC heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier has remained adamant that he has two fights left in his mixed martial arts (MMA) career. Brock Lesnar may no longer be a part of those plans. Recently, it was announced Cormier would be headlining the UFC’s upcoming card from Madison Square Garden.
The event goes down next month on November 3rd. Cormier will defend his heavyweight title against Derrick Lewis in the main event. Initially it was expected the final two fights of Cormier’s career would be against Brock Lesnar and Jon Jones. Lesnar confronted Cormier after his UFC 226 win this past summer. Even UFC President Dana White confirmed that was the fight he was attempting to make.
With Lewis fighting Cormier next, however, that means “DC” only has one fight left in him, as he tells ESPN:
“Counting the Lewis fight, I think I’m down to two fights left,” Cormier said.“Maybe this will be a blessing in disguise, the fact that I don’t have a crazy, long fight camp to beat myself down.
“That may prolong it for me, but right now, I think I have this one and maybe one more. I can still fight in March and hit my retirement date.”
In regards to fighting either Jones or Lesnar, “DC” admits a fight with Jones would mean more to him:
“The one opponent that would matter to me most is Jones, because he’s beaten me twice.”
What do you think will be Lesnar’s return fight to the UFC?
Many fans consider Finn Balor vs Brock Lesnar to be a dream match that has yet to happen within the WWE. Turns out the Demon King himself also feels that way.
Speaking with Kenny McIntosh for ‘Inside The Ropes,’ Finn Balor had a lot to say when asked about a possible matchup between himself and ‘The Beast Incarnate’ Brock Lesnar.
“Well, I don’t make that decision. I’m just very low on the totem pole with regards to who makes the matches. But obviously, I would love that Brock Lesnar match more than anyone. I think it’s the classic David vs. Goliath match,” he explained.
“[Lesnar] Destroyed The Reputation Of The Title Belt”
Balor’s words became more critical towards Lesnar at this point, as he reflected on his time in New Japan Pro Wrestling – a time that saw the two in the same company, albeit for a short amount of time.
“I don’t think it’s very much like a match I’ve had before…or he has had before, maybe? You know, someone who had a very brief crossing of the paths within New Japan. When I was in Japan as a young boy, he was in Japan as a Champion. He was the New Japan Champion. And do you know what he did? He walked out on the company and destroyed the reputation of the title belt.”
Finn relates this experience with Lesnar’s recent Universal Championship run, observing that “He’s kinda doing the same thing again now [in the WWE].”
Big Fight Feel
Despite this, however, he can’t deny the big fight feel that Lesnar exudes every time his music hits and the Beast stalks towards the ring.
“Despite all this talk about ‘he’s not there every week,’ ‘he’s not the best.’ I know that when his music hits and he walks out, I’m invested and I’m intrigued to see what is gonna happen. There is certainly an aura that Brock carries that nobody else carries. That’s the title aura that I want to be in the ring with and I wanna feel and experience it.”
He explains that it’s the atmosphere, the electricity of the moment that he wants – something he has experienced before with Roman Reigns at Extreme Rules and wants to feel in a match against Lesnar.
“[…] That feeling that Brock gives you when he walks to the ring, and that aura that Roman has when he walks to the ring. They are the type of moments that this business is built on.”
What do you think? Is this a dream match you would want to see? If not, who would you prefer Finn wrestle against?
Back in 2003 Brock Lesnar had one of the most memorable botches in professional wrestling history. It all happened in the midst of “The Beast’s” WWE Title match with Kurt Angle at WrestleMania 19. The finish of the match was initially set to be Lesnar hitting a Shooting Star Press on Angle for the win.
Instead, when Lesnar came off the top rope, he missed Angle’s body and landed right on his own head. Eventually, Lesnar went on to win the match and the WWE Championship. Today, Angle is a WWE Hall Of Famer while Lesnar is one of the biggest draws in combat sports.
The former Olympic Gold Medalist took to his Facebook profile and held a Q&A with fans. One of the questions was if he and Lesnar exchanged words after the both at WrestleMania 19. In his answer, Angle revealed the spot was actually his idea:
“Well, it was my idea to do the shooting star…Brock misjudged the flip and landed on his head. It was a scary moment.
“But nothing was said between us about it. The match spoke for itself regardless of the failed flip. If anything, it became one of the most popular Wrestlemania moments.”
What do you think of Angle coming up with Lesnar’s Shooting Star Press spot?
Brock Lesnar will be making his in-ring return at WWE’s Crown Jewel event in Saudi Arabia. The ‘Beast Incarnate’ interfered in the main event of the Hell In a Cell PPV. Lesnar will now be in a triple threat match against Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman.
After Lesnar lost his Universal Title against Roman Reigns it was expected that he would return to the UFC. The former UFC Heavyweight Champion appeared at UFC 226 and shoved current Heavyweight Champion Daniel Cormier. If the bout takes place then it will be for the UFC Championship in early 2019.
Timing of The Deals
According to the Wrestling Observer, the option to bring in Lesnar for Crown Jewel was not a last minute deal. The Lesnar camp reportedly expected that Vince McMahon would make a huge play for Brock. The deal was for appearances at both Crown Jewel and WrestleMania next year. Lesnar has/had not not yet signed a UFC contract which could’ve blocked any sort of WWE appearance. UFC and WWE are not “operating as enemies” and UFC may not have even stood in the way of such a big potential payday even if he was under contract to the MMA promotion.
Brock Keeping to Short Term Deals
What is now clear is that Lesnar is signing short term deals. With UFC and WWE having a hefty chequebook and the box office appeal of Lesnar he can essentially play both camps. When Brock appeared at Hell in a Cell he was visibly smaller due to his training regimen in preparation for a UFC bout in early 2019. This match was originally expected to be against Cormier but with Jon Jones recently being cleared to compete by USADA then the UFC might pull the trigger on this ‘dream’ MMA bout between Lesnar and Jones.
Brock Lesnar is reportedly in line for a seven-figure payday when WWE returns to Saudi Arabia on November 2nd.
Lesnar made a surprise return at Sunday’s Hell in a Cell pay-per-view. During the main event between Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman, Lesnar’s music hit and The Beast Incarnate hit the ring. Lesnar kicked down the padlocked door, entered the cage and went berserk. He laid waste to Reigns and Strowman and the main event ended in a no contest.
After the pay-per-view went off the air, fans in the arena chanted, “This is bullsh*t” at the inconclusive match finish (Video). It was Lesnar’s first appearance for WWE since dropping the Universal Championship at SummerSlam.
WWE Returns To Saudi Arabia
The live event on 11/2 is part of WWE’s lucrative 10-year deal with the country. The Greatest Royal Rumble back in April was a financial windfall for WWE. Based on WWE’s quarterly business statement, the show brought in an estimated $45 million. The show was more profitable than even WrestleMania 34. There is a ton of money being thrown around and WWE plans to stack the show with as much A-list talent as they can find.
According to Dave Meltzer (via MMAFighting.com), Brock Lesnar will be making “well into the seven figures” to wrestle in Saudi Arabia. Expect to see Lesnar involved in the Universal title picture on that show. He could face Roman Reigns in a single match or be part of a 3-way match involving Braun Strowman.
WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels is also rumored to be coming out of retirement in Saudi Arabia. Michaels is being advertised as the special guest referee for the Triple H vs. Undertaker match at Super Show-Down on October 6th.
For more on Shawn Michaels coming out of retirement, check out:
The likely main event for WWE’s next event in Saudi Arabia has been announced that involves Brock Lesnar.
As seen on this week’s episode of Monday Night RAW in Dallas, TX at the American Airlines Center on the USA Network, RAW General Manager Baron Corbin officially announced that Roman Reigns would defend the Universal Title against Lesnar and Braun Strowman in a triple threat match.
This also marked the official announcement of WWE holding an event, which is titled, “Crown Jewel,” on November 2nd in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia that will air on their streaming service, WWE Network. As noted, Lesnar is expected to earn some big money as a result of working this match.
This match came about after the angle that WWE booked at Sunday’s (September 16, 2018) pay-per-view event in San Antonio, Texas at the AT&T Center on the WWE Network that saw Lesnar make his return during the Hell in a Cell match between Reigns and Strowman. This match ended in a no contest once Lesnar kicked in the door then attacked both stars with a piece of a broken table followed by hitting the F-5.
Reigns beat Lesnar to win the Universal Title at the WWE SummerSlam pay-per-view event, which marked Lesnar’s last match in a WWE ring.
WWE officials wanted to have a surprise for those fans who attended Sunday’s (September 16, 2018) Hell in a Cell pay-per-view event in San Antonio, Texas at the AT&T Center that aired on the WWE Network.
As noted, Brock Lesnar returned during the Universal Title match between Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman that saw WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley serve as the special guest referee. Lesnar would kick in the door then attacked both stars with a piece of a broken table followed by hitting the F-5.
Dave Meltzer stated on the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio that the reason Lesnar made his return is to set up a match at the upcoming WWE show in Saudi Arabia on Friday, November 2nd where he’ll be wrestling.
It was noted that the finish of this match was always part of the plan as WWE made a deal with the former WWE Universal Champion that was not put together at the last minute but rather had been in the works for a little while.
The longtime pro wrestling journalist noted in an article on MMAFighting that despite the fact Lesnar has been in the USADA testing pool while preparing for his UFC return, he has not yet signed a deal with UFC. Lesnar is set to fight Daniel Cormier for the heavyweight title in January.
As of this writing, there’s no word yet on if Lesnar will face Reigns for the title in the main event or it would be a three-way match involving Strowman in Saudi Arabia. We should get clarification about that on this week’s episode of Monday Night RAW.
Former WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar made his return to WWE programming as he returned at the Hell in a Cell event.
As seen at Sunday’s (September 16, 2018) pay-per-view event in San Antonio, Texas at the AT&T Center on the WWE Network, Lesnar returned during the Universal Title match between Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman that saw WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley serve as the special guest referee. Lesnar would kick in the door then attacked both stars with a piece of a broken table followed by hitting the F-5. The show closed with Reigns and Strowman laying in the ring while Lesnar and Heyman walked to the back. This match was ruled a no contest.
Reigns beat Lesnar to win the Universal Title at the WWE SummerSlam pay-per-view event in Brooklyn, New York at the Barclays Center back on August 19, 2018. Lesnar hasn’t been seen since then on WWE TV.
The original belief was that SummerSlam marked Lesnar’s last appearance in the WWE for the near future as he heads towards his return to the UFC inside of the Octagon. If you recall, back in the main event of the UFC 226 pay-per-view event in July, Daniel Cormier was able to score a KO win over Stipe Miocic to win the UFC heavyweight title and after the fight, Cormier invited Lesnar inside the Octagon with Lesnar accepting the invitation and shoving Cormier in the process. Lesnar then cut a promo on the heavyweight division and Cormier.
UFC President Dana White has already gone on record by stating that plans call for DC to fight Lesnar with the heavyweight title on the line in January.
WWE Hell in a Cell takes place in just a matter of hours. In case you haven’t already, there is still time to check out our WWE Hell in A Cell Predictions.
In what could turn out to be a big spoiler for tonight’s show, SEScoops can confirm that former WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar is currently backstage at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. The news of Lesnar being backstage was first reported by PWInsider. Lesnar is said to be walking around in plain sight, so WWE is not making any efforts to hide that he is there.
We will find out soon whether or not Lesnar appears on television tonight. He might be there to do a run-in during Roman Reigns’ Hell in a Cell match against Braun Strowman. If not, it is possible he is at Hell in a Cell to discuss his future with WWE.
Brock Lesnar was last seen at SummerSlam, when he lost the Universal Championship to Roman Reigns. He was advertised for WWE Raw the night after SummerSlam, but did not appear. On the post-SummerSlam edition of Raw, Brock Lesnar’s advocate approached Raw GM Kurt Angle and stated Brock Lesnar wants his rematch against Roman Reigns. Angle refused, which was done to write Lesnar off television.
Lesnar is currently gearing up for a return to UFC. He is expected to fight UFC Heavyweight Champion Daniel Cormier in early 2019.
Join us here tonight for WWE Hell in a Cell Results & Live Coverage.
WWE Hall Of Famer Goldberg was interviewed by Inside The Ropes and discussed several professional wrestling topics.
Goldberg discussed Brock Lesnar’s eventual UFC return during the interview. The former Universal Champion will challenge Daniel Cormier for the UFC heavyweight title. The UFC hasn’t announced a date for the fight as of this writing. However, it’s looking like it will be early 2019:
“Show me another guy who can do [UFC],” said Goldberg. “You gotta have cojones, you gotta have a special ability, you gotta have a desire to do certain things. Brock is a different human being.
“Brock is a guy who reinvents himself all the time and who capitalizes on opportunities that others don’t have the cojones to capitalize on.”
The former WCW World Champ then offered his thoughts on Hulk Hogan. “The Hulkster” was reinstated into the WWE Hall Of Fame this year. Goldberg offered a rather blunt response to the matter:
“Well if WWE didn’t think it could be a positive thing, he never would have been reinstated,” Goldberg said.
Discussion: What do you make of Goldberg’s comments? Let us know in the comments section below!
Brock Lesnar’s WWE run is no more and the Beast Incarnate has his sights set for a UFC return.
It was last month that Lesnar was sporting a new physique as he lost a lot of weight. Lesnar dropped the Universal title to Roman Reigns and is now focused on making his MMA return. While it’s been speculated that Lesnar will face Daniel Cormier in the near future no paperwork has been signed making the fight official.
According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the Lesnar and Cormier fight has not been made official yet. Lesnar is preparing to face Cormier in the year to come but the bout will not be Cormier’s next fight. Cormier is expected to defend the UFC Light Heavyweight championship before facing Lesnar.
Speculated Fight Date
While it is too early to predict when Lesnar vs. Cormier will take place, there has been speculation that the bout will take place during NFL Superbowl weekend, Saturday, February 2nd.
Another factor that could stop the fight from happening altogether is that Lesnar is still apart of the USADA drug testing pool and must pass all mandatory drug tests in order to be eligible to fight Cormier. Not to mention that Lesnar still has a little over four months left of his suspension remaining.
WWE Ties
Dropping the title to Roman Reigns at SummerSlam this year was Lesnar’s final contractual obligation to the WWE. It’s been stated that the door is open for Lesnar in making a return but Lesnar’s goal right now is making his UFC comeback.
WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross recently took to his podcast, The Ross Report, to talk about several professional wrestling topics.
During the show Ross told the story of Vince McMahon first meeting Brock Lesnar. The meeting apparently took place at the 1999 SummerSlam pay-per-view (PPV) in Minnesota. This was just a few miles away from Lesnar’s old college, The University Of Minnesota.
Here’s how Ross said “The Chairman Of The Board” reacted when he first laid eyes on “The Beast” Brock Lesnar:
“It was the first time Vince McMahon physically laid eyes on Brock Lesnar. You’re not going to hear that in a lot of places. Brock came to the event. We were recruiting him. Jerry Brisco was recruiting him heavily. He was on him.
“He was our number one target and we got him. We got our guy. And he came to the show because, Brock, I don’t think he had been to a pro wrestling event in his life. He was not a fan.
“It didn’t mean he hated it. He just was occupied with working on the farm, playing football, and wrestling at a high, high level. So I remember that.
“I remember Vince walking out of his office and down [the hall] and I said, ‘Brock Lesnar is here’ and I had to refresh his memory about who that was. No face, no name – Vince didn’t know.
“And so, I said, ‘he’s standing out here’ and when Vince walked by, he gave him a little wave. He saw, ‘wait a minute, is that what I think it is? Is that 6’3?, 280 [lbs.]? Is that blonde hair?
“Looks like an angry Viking or a heifer bull.’ So Vince made a little detour, shook Brock’s hand, the rest, as they say, is history.”
Brock Lesnar was originally scheduled to be a part of this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw, and it shocked many when the Beast didn’t appear on the show.
His absence was especially surprising because Lesnar lost his Universal Championship just 24 hours prior to the show. So people expected the company to follow the storyline in some way the next night.
The latest edition of Wrestling Observer Newsletter sheds some light on the situation. According to it, the reason why Brock was not on Raw was because Officials couldn’t figure out a way to follow the title loss.
Why Was Brock Lesnar Not On Raw?
The last time Brock lost a title was in 2015 when Seth Rollins infamously cashed in his Money In The Bank contract at WrestleMania 31.
The next night on Raw, Lesnar demanded a rematch. When Rollins refused, he ended up attacking a number of ringside personnel and was suspended afterward.
Officials could have followed his Universal title loss the same way and suspend or fired the Beast, but the feeling was that it wouldn’t do the company any good.
They felt that this would put the focus on the former World Champion when he is on his way out of the company and has no dates left.
Having Braun Strowman beat him up would have not been a great choice either because they couldn’t follow the angle with a match anytime soon.
What’s Next For The Beast?
Lesnar’s WWE contract is set to expire in a few days and since they couldn’t come up with a better idea, the company apparently wrote him off TV with the Paul Heyman segment on this week’s Raw.
As far as his UFC return goes, the former World Champion has dropped weight and he is training with the idea of facing Daniel Cormier for the UFC heavyweight title in early 2019.
The door for the Beast Incarnate to return to the company somewhere down the line is still open, but as of now, it appears that he is done with WWE.
We have some more information on Brock Lesnar not appearing on RAW last night.
At SummerSlam over the weekend, Lesnar dropped the Universal Title to Roman Reigns. Before the match even started, Braun Strowman came out to the ring with his Money In The Bank (MITB) briefcase. He warned he’d cash-in on the winner of the match afterwards.
In the middle of the match Lesnar became distracted by Strowman’s presence at ringside. He exited the ring and attacked Strowman with an F5, a beatdown with the MITB briefcase and a steel chair.
Upon entering the ring again, Reigns delivered a final Spear to put Lesnar down for the three count and the title. While it was expected that Lesnar would drop the title at SummerSlam, it was also expected he’d appear on RAW the next night.
Lesnar had been advertised for last night’s episode of RAW from the Barclays Center for the past several weeks:
According to a report from PWInsider, Lesnar was not there at any point in the day as he flew home after SummerSlam ended on Sunday. There is currently no news on when Lesnar will return to WWE.
Lesnar’s UFC Return
It will likely happen after his expected return to the UFC. UFC President Dana White has announced Lesnar will challenge heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier for the title next.
Due to Lesnar’s past failed United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) drug tests, he must deliver six months worth of clean testing before being eligible to fight again. There was a segment on RAW last night with Paul Heyman pitching to Kurt Angle to allow Lesnar his rematch for the Universal Title at the Hell In A Cell (HIAC) PPV.
However, Angle shot that idea down and said it would be a long time before Lesnar gets his rematch. With Baron Corbin being appointed the new interim General Manager of RAW recently, however, that could change.
Discussion: What do you make of Lesnar missing RAW last night? When do you think he’ll get his rematch? And will he return before the year’s end? Sound off in the comments!
For as long as anyone can remember, Paul Heyman has always stood at the side of Brock Lesnar.
This past weekend Lesnar dropped his Universal Championship to Roman Reigns at SummerSlam. Now, Lesnar will prepare for a UFC heavyweight title opportunity against Daniel Cormier.
He’s expected to return to the UFC early next year. Lesnar’s advocate, Heyman, did an interview with Sports Illustrated over the weekend to promote SummerSlam. During the discussion, Heyman made a rather interesting comment.
The Brock Lesnar Business
Heyman claimed that he’s not in the business of WWE, professional wrestling or sports entertainment. Paul Heyman is in the Brock Lesnar business:
“I think there are a lot of people who would argue that I have not been in the WWE business, the pro wrestling business, the sports entertainment business, et al for quite some time, and that I’ve arrived at a place in my career where I am in the Brock Lesnar business. Please feel free to develop your own conspiracy theories based on that.
“Evolution is the DNA of a continued existence. Those who don’t evolve become the subject of a ‘Whatever Happened To’ story. I can only hope that I’m a very different person and performer, some would suggest the different person aspect is most important, but I digress, than I was a decade ago.
“And I hope to be a much different person and performer a decade from now as well. I’ve been blessed with a long enough career that I’ve been allowed to grow into this role..
“The concept? Keep a Brock Lesnar experience as a rare occurrence, so when it happens, it’s not only ‘Can’t miss’, it is ‘Must see!’, and hopefully, that takes us back to the WWE/UFC business philosophy of Brock Lesnar, which then translates into ‘Must pay!’
“Let’s keep in mind, whether it’s WWE, UFC, boxing, Major League Baseball, the NFL, NHL, NBA; it’s a business. And it’s a business of rights fees and box office.”
Last night at SummerSlam, Roman Reigns finally captured the WWE Universal Championship.
Reigns got his fourth crack at attempting to dethrone Brock Lesnar from World Champion status. Braun Strowman came to the ring before the match started, and declared he’d cash-in his Money In The Bank (MITB) briefcase on the winner.
After Lesnar attacked Strowman at ringside, Reigns hit “The Beast” with a Spear for the three count. Reigns is once again on top of the WWE mountain, and is happy to have the title back on RAW full-time.
Shortly after the PPV, Reigns’ uncle and WWE Hall Of Famer, Rikishi, congratulated his nephew. Rikishi took to Twitter and offered a congratulatory message to “The Big Dog”:
Finn Balor hopes Brock Lesnar stays in WWE after SummerSlam last night.
“The Demon King” returned to squash Baron Corbin in a Singles match at “The Biggest Party Of The Summer.” Prior to the event, Balor spoke to The Gorilla Position to talk about several professional wrestling topics.
Balor offered his thoughts on now-former WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar. Although Lesnar dropped the Universal Title to Roman Reigns, Balor doesn’t want to see “The Beast” walk away from WWE. In fact, he hopes Brock Lesnar stays in WWE:
“When [Lesnar] comes out, it’s a different feel,” Balor said. “Everyone’s like, ‘oh no, what’s gonna happen? We don’t know what’s gonna happen.’ I love it, I love watching Brock. I’d love to get in the ring with Brock.
“He is an attraction and he’s been an attraction since day one. People tend to forget that, they’re like ‘oh he comes and goes,’ but Brock’s the real deal. He was New Japan champion, people forget that, you know he’s been doing it [in WWE] for years, NCAA — he’s the real deal man… UFC, duh how’d I forget that one?
“When Brock walks to the ring there’s something special there happening that night. Regardless of if it’s good or bad, people like it or don’t like it they’re all paying attention and that’s what we need — we need more of that in pro wrestling.”
With Lesnar’s loss at SummerSlam, he’s likely to return to the UFC and challenge Daniel Cormier for the heavyweight title. That could mean a long WWE layoff for “The Beast.” When asked if he wants Lesnar to return to WWE, here’s what Balor had to say:
“I hope so,” Balor said. “You never know. You know everyone said he’s out the door after WrestleMania, last SummerSlam he was going. This SummerSlam he’s going. People just make up stories in their head because it sells newspapers or clickbait or whatever.
“They just like to talk to hear themselves talk or make themselves feel like they have an opinion, but we’re all just guessing. Because it’s all media hype. Nobody knows until it actually happens… I don’t think [WWE] even knows.”
Discussion: What do you think about Balor hoping Lesnar stays in WWE? Let us know in the comments!
Roman Reigns defeated Brock Lesnar for the WWE Universal Championship in the main event. Prior to the match, Braun Strowman came out to the ring with a microphone. He said he would challenge the winner of the match after its conclusion with his Money In The Bank (MITB) briefcase.
At one point in the match, Lesnar sent Reigns crashing into Strowman outside. Lesnar proceeded to attack Strowman with an F5, the MITB briefcase and a steel chair. Once he got back into the ring, however, Reigns hit him with another Spear for the three count.
Reigns celebrated on the top rope as the show went off-air. After the show, Reigns continued to celebrate in front of fans at the Barclays Center. Strowman then stood up as Reigns left to the back.
He limped to the top of the entrance ramp and picked up his MITB briefcase, which Lesnar threw earlier. Strowman took one last look back at the crowd before heading back backstage.
It should be interesting to see how the storyline between Reigns, Lesnar and Strowman progresses on tonight’s episode of Monday Night RAW.
Discussion: What did you think of last night’s SummerSlam PPV? How do you feel about Reigns winning the Universal Title? Sound off in the comments below!
Last night’s main event of SummerSlam crowned a new Universal Champion. Roman Reigns finally defeated Brock Lesnar to win the World Title. During the match, however, fans began chanting something rather interesting.
A chant of “a**hole” broke out while Lesnar was taking Reigns to Suplex City. It turns out, a SummerSlam security guard confiscated a beach ball that was brought out by some fans. WWE has had several issues with beach balls in the past and have really been cracking down on them at shows.
Another notable chant that broke out during the show was “TNA” during the WWE Championship match between AJ Styles and Samoa Joe.
Discussion: What do you think about WWE’s issues with beach balls? Should they be banned? Let us know in the comments!
Lashley Congratulates Reigns
As mentioned, Roman Reigns won the Universal Title in the main event of SummerSlam last night. In his fourth World Title match-up against Brock Lesnar, Reigns finally got his hand raised.
Reigns’ former rival and Universal Title hopeful, Bobby Lashley, took to Twitter to congratulate Reigns. Lashley gave Reigns props for “slaying The Beast”:
It looks like Brock Lesnar is preparing to pass USADA testing ahead of his rumored UFC return.
Daniel Cormier, the reigning UFC Heavyweight and Light Heavyweight Champion rumored to be fighting Lesnar in his Octagon return, took to social media last night to comment on the size of “The Beast Incarnate.”
While watching WWE SummerSlam on Sunday night, Cormier took to Twitter to comment on Lesnar “looking smaller [through] the middle.”
“Old Brock is looking smaller thru the middle,” wrote the UFC double-champ while watching SummerSlam. “He getting ready to really come and get that ass whipped!!!! Have fun in this [WWE] title match because when we clash I’m in that ass!!!!”
Following the conclusion of the match, which saw Roman Reigns defeat Lesnar to capture the WWE Universal Championship, Cormier returned to Twitter with one more Lesnar-tweet.
“No more title now he can come and chase mine!!!! Sorry [Brock Lesnar] result will be the same!!!!”
Lesnar has several months remaining on his outstanding USADA/UFC suspension, and will be tested regularly leading up to his Octagon return. Lesnar vs. Cormier is rumored to go down in the UFC in the first-half of 2019.
Make sure to visit our MMA affiliate website MMANews.com for the latest news and rumors regarding Brock Lesnar’s UFC return.
For complete WWE SummerSlam results from Sunday night, click here.
What are your thoughts on Brock Lesnar and his rumored UFC return? How about the Lesnar vs. Cormier fight? Sound off in the Comments section below.
Old Brock is looking smaller thru the middle. He getting ready to really come and get that ass whipped!!!! Have fun in this @Wwe title match because when we clash I’m in that ass!!!!
Two-time WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair had some high praise for Roman Reigns recently.
Reigns is preparing to challenge Brock Lesnar tonight for the WWE Universal Title. The action goes down from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York at SummerSlam. This will be Reigns’ fourth attempt at dethroning Lesnar from a World Title position.
Flair Praises Reigns
“The Nature Boy” was recently a guest on fellow Hall Of Famer Jim Ross’ podcast, The Ross Report. The pair touched on tonight’s SummerSlam pay-per-view (PPV). Flair praised Reigns for his lack of fear towards Lesnar, an ex-UFC heavyweight champion:
“One of the things that’s cool about Roman is that he’s not afraid of Brock. You know what I mean?
“A lot of guys are and they can tell you they’re not all day long; but, Roman coming from his mom and his dad and his family – he wouldn’t be allowed in the house if he was afraid of Brock.
“You and I know that and know what that means. Me, when I had to wrestle Brock I wanted to kill you [Jim Ross] for even listening to Vince [McMahon] and book it.”
As for what should main event SummerSlam, Flair said Lesnar vs. Reigns should get the nod if the women don’t main event:
“If it’s gonna be the guys, it’ll have to be them.”
Lesnar vs. Reigns isn’t the only World Title match on SummerSlam’s card. From SmackDown Live, WWE Champion AJ Styles will defend his strap against Samoa Joe as well. In regards to steam behind the respective matches, Flair says it isn’t even close:
“There’s just no comparison in the amount of steam. It’s not the individual talent. It’s just the steam on this one.
“The last two weeks with Brock not even being advertised and doing that and [Paul] Heyman did a great job in the setup.”
Discussion: What do you make of Flair’s comments? Should Lesnar vs. Reigns main event SummerSlam? Sound off in the comments below!
Paul Heyman surprised the audience of Cheap Heat Live last night in New York’s Sony Hall theatre. The advocate for Brock Lesnar took time out of a busy Summerslam weekend to speak on topics ranging from WWE’s current product to naming a modern-day version of the Dangerous Alliance.
Perhaps the most notable question Heyman answered, however, was in regards to who he feels is the next big rebel in WWE today. The audience member cited guys like Shawn Michaels, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and CM Punk as rebels who launched WWE into very successful runs for the company.
Paul Heyman knows a thing or two about rebels, counter-culture and the X-factors that lead a talent to break away from the pack. Heyman said, “Seth Rollins. Seth Rollins because he continuously comes up with moves that are politically incorrect and they have to tell him to stop doing them but they become so popular that they end up saying to him ‘alright go ahead, we’ll deal with it, go do it.'”
Heyman continued to describe Rollins’ rebellious contributions to WWE. “It’s because he’s innovative and he rebels against the system that tries to be politically correct and he continues to be politically incorrect and when he came up with the saying of ‘Burn it Down,’ he was being honest about what he thought would be the constraints of what was being put on him, that he’s going to break through that and do things his way and innovate a style that you can only see in a Seth Rollins match.”
Paul Heyman on Working For Vince McMahon
David Shoemaker then asked Heyman how he feels about working for Vince McMahon. Heyman didn’t address the answer directly but rather corrected Shoemaker regarding who he works for.
“I really don’t consider myself in the Vince McMahon business, I don’t consider myself in the WWE business,” Heyman said. “I pretty much now have found a place in life where I am in the Brock Lesnar business.”
Paul Heyman’s New Dangerous Alliance
Heyman was also asked about the lack of factions in wrestling today. He was asked to put together a Dangerous Alliance 2.0. Heyman responded that there is already a modern version of the stable, however.
“Would you like me to tell you who’s in it?” Heyman asked. “Two members: 1) Brock Lesnar 2) Paul Heyman. That is as dangerous an alliance as you’re ever going to get in WWE.”
Heyman on running a wrestling promotion & more
The first question of the evening centered around the WWE Universal Champion’s torso tattoo. Heyman took a bit of time to berate the question and the person asking it before he gave his answer though.
“Obviously (he’s) trying to insinuate that the tattoo looks like a penis,” Heyman said. “Because, of course, that’s what would attract *points out question-asker* a p***y.”
Heyman was asked about what it’s like to run a wrestling promotion. He responded with a quote he heard from UFC President, Dana White.
“I think actually the person who said it best was Dana White,” Heyman said. “That when he wakes in the morning and his feet hit the ground he knows he’s already 100-miles deep in s**t to deal with.”
Someone in the audience asked Heyman about a member of New Day going solo and winning a single’s title. Heyman used the Shield as an analogy.
“Why would you break up that group?” Heyman asked. “Why would you take a group like that and split them up? It would be like splitting up the Shie… nevermind on that.”
After some murmuring from the crowd, Heyman continued, however. “Hey, when Roman Reigns was in the Shield you guys thought he was the coolest..” the crowd disagreed with this. “Yes, you did! Yes, you did!”
Heyman continued to say New Day were the most entertaining team aside from the Usos, which got some cheers. If he was a member of New Day and collecting their merchandise cheques, Heyman said, they’d have to sue him to break that group up.
As time ran out during the live show, the Hall of Pain music hit and Mark Henry entered the stage. This spelled the end for Paul Heyman’s eventful surprise appearance in the Sony Hall Theatre.