The June 17 episode of WWE SmackDown is history and something went down after the show.
This edition of SmackDown featured an Undisputed Universal Championship match between Roman Reigns and Riddle. Reigns retained his championship in an action-packed match. As a result, Riddle can never challenge Roman for the gold again.
Vince McMahon also appeared for a very brief promo. Many believe this was a ratings ploy with Vince capitalizing on the news that he has stepped away from CEO and Chairman duties amid allegations.
Once The Broadcast Ended
There was no dark match when the show went off the air. Instead, Brock Lesnar simply posed for the crowd and gave some high fives.
Lesnar had returned to WWE TV after Roman defeated Riddle. He fooled Reigns into giving him a handshake and planted him with the F5. Lesnar also sent The Usos packing.
After SmackDown ended, WWE announced that Brock Lesnar will challenge Roman Reigns for the Undisputed Universal Title.
Roman Reigns’ WWE SummerSlam opponent has been revealed.
Reigns made his latest defense of the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship against Riddle in the main event of Friday’s episode of SmackDown. Brock Lesnar also made his return. It had the stipulation that if Riddle loses then Riddle can’t challenge for the title as long as Reigns is champion.
The match saw Reigns dominate the majority of it until Riddle made a comeback with Randy Orton’s signature moves. At one point, Riddle hit an RKO for a near fall. Reigns hit a spear for the win.
Post-match, Reigns said there is no one left and he wrecked Riddle then he’s leaving. Lesnar walked out to have a face-to-face with Reigns before extending his hand and Reigns went to shake it before Lesnar hit an F5.
This marked the first televised title defense for Reigns since he unified the WWE and Universal Championships at WrestleMania 38. It was also the first time we saw Lesnar on TV since Mania.
Riddle earned the title shot when he beat Sami Zayn in the main event of last week’s SmackDown with the stipulation that he would earn the shot at Reigns with a win. However, Riddle would be banned from SmackDown with a loss. Riddle pinned Zayn with an RKO. Post-match, he fought off an attack from The Usos.
Originally, Reigns was slated to defend the title against Riddle at Money in the Bank, but WWE nixed plans for Reigns at the show once they moved from Allegiant Stadium to the smaller T-Mobile Arena due to weak ticket sales.
Reigns’ next PPV title defense will be at SummerSlam and it’ll be against Lesnar as WWE announced once SmackDown went off the air. It’ll be a Last Man Standing Match.
Brock Lesnar is perhaps the most successful WWE Superstar to be deemed a ‘Paul Heyman Guy,’ having won several World Championships alongside his advocate.
In March 2002, Heyman debuted Lesnar on WWE TV and it would be mere months later that the “Next Big Thing” captured the WWE Undisputed Championship.
While the two would split at that year’s Survivor Series, they would reunite upon Brock’s return to the company in 2012.
Lesnar’s career will always be tied to Heyman, who now serves as the special counsel to Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns, but there was someone else considered for Heyman.
The Other Paul Heyman Guy
Speaking to Inside The Ropes, Heyman said that while he eventually got to work with Lesnar, WWE at first wanted him to be the manager of Chris Benoit (via Sportskeeda)
“I was off-air, I was behind the scenes. I was supposed to come back on the air, in 2002, at WrestleMania, with Chris Benoit.”
Paul Heyman.
Heyman had last appeared on WWE TV on the Raw after Survivor Series 2001, where the WWF defeated the Alliance in a Winner Takes All match.
While McMahon had seemingly forgiven Heyman, this was a ruse, as the WWE Chairman fired Heyman and replaced him on commentary with the returning Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler.
Benoit had missed the entire Invasion storyline after a serious neck injury that occurred during a TLC match on the May 24, 2001, SmackDown.
There has been a lot of chatter online on whether or not Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar will be attending this year’s WWE Money in the Bank event.
Both Roman and Brock were featured in the advertisement for WWE Money in The Bank set for July 2.
After announcing that the show will be moved from Allegiant Stadium to the MGM Grand Garden Arena, Reigns and Lesnar were removed from the ad.
This has led some to speculate that two of WWE’s top attractions won’t be featured at MITB this year.
Will WWE’s Heavy Hitters Appear?
(via WWE)
Dave Meltzer took to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter to report that as of now, the status of Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar for Money in the Bank is up in the air.
Meltzer had initially reported that Reigns was on tap to face Riddle and Randy Orton this summer. The order in which he would face them was said to be interchangeable.
Now, it’s unknown if that’s still the plan. Riddle has said on WWE TV that his feud with The Bloodline isn’t over and he called Roman Reigns a “Tribal piece of trash.”
Dave also reported that WWE knew that reaching 50,000 tickets sold wouldn’t be feasible when MITB was scheduled for Allegiant Stadium.
With that said, the company was hoping for 30,000 tickets sold but it seems that number wasn’t going to be attainable either.
Bobby Lashley has officially thrown out the challenge to Brock Lesnar for a WrestleMania 39 match next year in California.
Lashley was recently a guest on WWE’s “The Bump” this week, and talked about a showdown with Lesnar at “The Show Of Shows” next year. “The Almighty” said it’s going to be a huge stage, and he and Lesnar still have a score to settle.
“We’re in L.A. next year, right, for WrestleMania? If we’re in Hollywood it’s a big matchup.
“For me, I’ve always had these really tough challenges going into WrestleMania, which, of course this one- it has to be another big one.
“Me and Brock [Lesnar], we still have a little score to settle. I have a win over him and then he ended up winning my title back but we’re not done. We’re not done.”
Lashley has been calling out Lesnar for a match for years now. He’s even suggested the pair compete against one another inside the mixed martial arts (MMA) world, as both are decorated inside the cage.
However, their paths have never crossed in either sport. Currently, Lashley is feuding with Omos and MVP on Monday Night RAW. Lashley will face Omos at the upcoming Hell In A Cell event in Chicago.
Lesnar hasn’t competed or been on WWE TV since his WrestleMania 38 defeat to Roman Reigns in Dallas, Texas this past April. He dropped the WWE Championship to “The Tribal Chief,” who now reigns as the WWE and Universal Champion, working both brands.
Should WWE decide to book a match between Lashley and Lesnar next year at WrestleMania, the potential is certainly massive.
It will be interesting to see if the two monstrous athletes ultimately cross paths before their time in the professional wrestling business is done. Lashley is currently 45-years-old, while Lesnar is 44.
Former WWE Superstar Zach Gowen says WWE wanted Brock Lesnar to F5 him off the SmackDown fist during their 2003 feud.
Luckily for Gowen, the spot never happened. According to the one-legged wrestler, WWE was unable to hammer out the logistics.
On Friday, Gowen replied to a tweet by the official account of McDonald’s. The burger chain asked, “bring back ______.” Gowen replied, the SmackDown fist.
This prompted him to reveal an interesting piece of information about the infamous angle that saw Lesnar throw a wheelchair-bound Gowen down a flight of stairs.
According to Gowen, WWE had other plans for Lesnar’s method of assault.
“Fun fact: The original plan was for Brock to F5 off the FIST through the stage, but we couldn’t come up with HOW we would get up there. The that plan evolved into him throwing me down the stairs in a wheelchair.”
Fun fact: The original plan was for Brock to F5 off the FIST 👊 through the stage but we couldn't come up with HOW we would get up there. That plan evolved into him throwing me down the stairs in a wheelchair pic.twitter.com/UcGfl7NlpM
Brock Lesnar F5’ing Zach Gowen off the SmackDown fist would have been a sight to behold. However, the whole “shoving a man in a wheelchair down a flight of steps” still stands out as one of the most violent and surreal moments in WWE history.
For those who are wondering if Zach Gowen went down the steps himself, he didn’t. Gowen was smart of enough to use a stunt man, despite a thoughtful offer by Vince McMahon himself.
During a 2015 interview with Nick Hausman, Gowen reveals that Vince McMahon offered him the chance to take the stunt himself. He respectfully declined.
“Right before the stunt man is about to take the fall, I’m standing up there watching them film it,” said Gowen. “Vince McMahon looks at me and he says, ‘You know, kid, if you want… you can take the bump. You can do it yourself if you want.’ I said, ‘No thanks, man!” I know I’m stupid, but I’m not that stupid! I’m not going to fall down two flights of stairs in a wheel chair. I’m not trained to do that.”
Brock Lesnar was recently pulled from WrestleMania Backlash advertisements earlier this week, leading many to believe he had been yanked from the card.
However, according to a report from Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Lesnar was never actually booked for the show. Meltzer chalked everything up to a “different kind of false advertising” that WWE usually does. The report added that this is not a situation where WWE changed its mind and decided to pull “The Beast” from the show.
WWE apparently knew Lesnar wasn’t ever going to be at WrestleMania Backlash, but decided to advertise him anyway. It should be noted that, as of this writing, WWE is still advertising Lesnar for the upcoming Money In The Bank show from the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday, July 2.
Brock Lesnar dropped the WWE Championship to Roman Reigns in the main event of Night Two of WrestleMania 38. Now, Reigns rules as both WWE Champion and Universal Champion, appearing on both SmackDown Live and Monday Night RAW. There’s currently no news on whether or not WWE plans for Lesnar and Reigns to meet again somewhere down the line. For now, it seems like Lesnar won’t be getting a rematch anytime soon.
Aside from a potential rematch, there’s no news on Lesnar’s WWE future at all aside from WWE advertising him for Money In The Bank. It will be interesting to see what’s next for Lesnar now that he’s seemingly out of the World Title picture for the time being.
Brock Lesnar might not get his rematch with Roman Reigns for the WWE Championship after all.
Lesnar dropped his WWE Title to Reigns in the main event of Night Two of WrestleMania 38 in Dallas, Texas earlier this month. While WWE WrestleMania Backlash is usually supposed to be focused around WrestleMania rematches, “The Beast” might not be on the show at all. Initially, Lesnar was advertised for both WrestleMania Backlash and Money In The Bank later this year.
Although he was still advertised for both shows shortly after WrestleMania, now, WWE has updated their events page, and Lesnar is no longer being advertised for Backlash. As of this writing, Lesnar is still being advertised for Money In The Bank, which is slated to go down from the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday, July 2.
It remains to be seen what’s next for Lesnar in regards to his professional wrestling career. There are currently no reports as to whether or not a rematch between he and Reigns is even on the table creatively. Currently, Reigns is on both Monday Night RAW and SmackDown Live, now holding the WWE and Universal Championships. He seem to be focused on accumulating as much gold as possible for The Bloodline, urging The Usos, already the SmackDown Live Tag Team Champions, to unify the Tag Team Titles with RAW Tag Champs RK-Bro.
It will be interesting to see who WWE decides to pair Reigns with for the WrestleMania Backlash event with Brock Lesnar now seemingly being pulled. WrestleMania Backlash will go down live from the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island on Sunday, May 8.
The highly anticipated Winner Takes All Title Unification match between WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns and WWE Champion Brock Lesnar took place in the main event of WrestleMania 38 – night 2.
After Lesnar went for Heyman, Reigns speared Lesnar through the barricade. Reigns with a spear and two superman punches. Lesnar hit some german suplexes. There was a referee bump and Reigns hit a low blow. Reigns with a title shot to Lesnar for 2. Reigns with a spear to the back. Lesnar reversed a spear into a kimura. The finish saw Lesnar go for an F5, but Reigns blocked it and hit a spear for the win.
Their first match took place at Crown Jewel where Reigns retained the Universal Championship over Lesnar when he hit him with the title after interference from The Usos.
After Crown Jewel, Lesnar was given a storyline suspension for attacking WWE officials and damaging a camera while beating down Reigns. They were originally planned to have multiple matches during this latest installment of their feud.
The second match at Day 1 in January was nixed due to Reigns pulling out of the match after testing positive for COVID-19. Lesnar was later added to a multi-man match where he won the WWE Title only to lose it at Royal Rumble to Bobby Lashley and later winning it back the following month at Elimination Chamber.
What are your thoughts on Roman Reigns winning the match? Was this the right call by WWE officials? Sound off in the comment section.
WWE Champion Brock Lesnar seemed to enjoy speaking about his winner take all title unification match with Universal Champion Roman Reigns at WrestleMania Sunday in an interview with ESPN as he gave some great one-liners.
Lesnar has been saying on TV leading up to this match that he’s coming for blood after an angle at Madison Square Garden where Reigns busted him open as part of an attack.
Lesnar stated that he plans to give Reigns a country beating.
“I will solidify them tomorrow. If Paul Heyman wants to get his nose dirty, we’re going to get dirty. I’m coming for fucking blood and that’s what I’m gonna do. I’m riled up about this. I had to find peace in all this when Roman stuck his nose in and changed the rules at Madison Square Garden, he didn’t have to do that. Roman Reigns is threatened by Brock Lesnar. Brock Lesnar is the black cloud.”
Lesnar was asked if he watched the clip of the attack.
“100 times. That’s why I have goosebumps, that’s why I’m pissed. That’s why it’s personal to me. You don’t draw blood on Brock Lesnar and get away with it.”
Lesnar added that unifying the titles will be his legacy in WWE and the gloves are coming off when Reigns gets a ‘country ass-kicking.’
WrestleMania is usually the PPV where big WWE storylines conclude. For someone like Brock Lesnar, it signals the start of another hiatus until he is needed to pump the ratings again.
Though it appears that things are going to be different this year. We’re going to see a lot more of The Beast Incarnate than we are used to after the Show Of Shows.
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter recently provided some update on Lesnar. He revealed Brock’s post Mania PPV schedule.
The WWE champion is expected to work at least two of the next three PPV events post-WrestleMania 38, according to the wrestling journalist.
This includes the WrestleMania: Backlash event scheduled for May 8 from Providence, RI, and the Money In The Bank PPV on July 2 from the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
Brock Lesnar is currently scheduled to face the Universal champion Roman Reigns. This winner takes all match will main event WrestleMania Sunday.
The former UFC champion’s PPV appearances would make a lot more sense if he comes out of Sunday’s event as the dual champion. Though whether or not it actually happens will only be revealed later this week.
Brock Lesnar and Gable Steveson have a lot in common. Both heavyweight athletes are accomplished amateur wrestlers with two Division I heavyweight wrestling championships under their belts.
Steveson has signaled the end of his collegiate career. Now that he is getting ready to enter the world of professional wrestling, there is even more he can learn from The Beast Incarnate.
The WWE newcomer talked about Lesnar during his appearance on MMA Hour. He also discussed Brock Lesnar’s current run as a lovable baybayface character.
Brock Lesnar Is Bringing A Personality Nobody Has Seen
The Olympic Gold Medallist mentioned how Brock Lesnar is usually portrayed as a serious guy, and said that it’s cool that the world is getting to see the real him.
“I love every second of it.” Gable Steveson said addressing Brock Lesnar’s new persona
“I mean, he’s bringing a new personality to the world that nobody has seen, you know. If you know Brock behind the scenes, you know that he’s always a cool dude. He’s funny. He talks so much.” said Steveson, “But like that in person, like [his] TV persona has been a lot different lately. I think it’s cool for everybody to see like, that’s how he really is and he’s putting it out to the world.”
The Raw star also discussed Lesnar’s longtime advocate Paul Heyman. He praised the former ECW owner saying that Heyman is a wizard. According to Steveson, Paul Heyman is a genius at what he does. If you watch his work with Brock or Roman Reigns, you’d realize the same.
If you use any quotes from the article please credit SEScoops with an H/t for transcription
The festive ring entrance meant a lot to Thunder Rosa, but it also reminded her of the time WWE and Brock Lesnar mocked Mexican culture on a 2004 episode of SmackDown.
In early 2004, then-WWE Champion Brock Lesnar was feuding with Mexican star Eddie Guerrero. In the build-up to their match, Lesnar came to the ring wearing a sombrero and orchestrated a mariachi band in the ring.
“I can tell you, I read about me bringing the Mariachi and I remember Brock Lesnar making fun of Eddie Guerrero with that,” she said. “And that hurts because they were making fun of my culture before. And on Wednesday, I represented our culture properly. With honor and with respect.”
She was especially hurt because she felt WWE was giving fans a license to make fun of Mexican people.
Brock went on to lose the WWE Championship to Eddie Guerrero at No Way Out 2004 in one of the more memorable title changes of the past 20 years.
WWE Champion Brock Lesnar recently revealed to SmackDown Superstar Natalya that he wanted to have a dream match with her uncle and WWE Hall of Famer, Bret Hart.
Speaking to the Sports Guys Talking Wrestling Podcast, Natalya revealed discussions backstage with the Beast Incarnate, saying that Lesnar vs Hart was a dream match of his.
“I like to go to Brock for advice and he does know what he’s talking about” Natalya revealed during the interview.
“He told me a dream match for him would’ve been to wrestle Bret Hart” the daughter of Jim Neidhart continued.
“We were talking last week and he said that would’ve been a dream match because I told him how much Bret was a fan of his work. I think Brock is awesome” Nattie concluded.
Brock Lesnar vs Bret Hart
Obviously, Bret Hart vs Brock Lesnar is not a match that could ever happen, but it is certainly an intriguing prospect.
Many other performers have listed Hart as their dream opponent, with the likes of CM Punk heaping even more praise on ‘The Best There Is, The Best There Was and The Best There Ever Will Be’ in recent months.
Kurt Angle has said in the past that he wishes he could’ve had a match with the Hall of Famer, and Hart himself reciprocated the idea in his autobiography.
Kurt Angle has looked back on the reaction that Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar from WrestleMania 20 received.
WrestleMania 20 took place 18 years ago. The show was held inside Madison Square Garden in New York City on March 14, 2004. One highly-anticipated match was Goldberg vs. Lesnar but things went south quickly as fans roasted both men for leaving WWE.
Backstage Reaction To Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar
During an episode of The Kurt Angle Show, the Olympic gold medalist revealed what the backstage reaction was to Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar turning into a disaster (h/t 411Mania.com).
“I was backstage watching it on the monitor and it was crazy. The fans really turned on those guys. They sh*t on the whole match. This was a big feature match, this was a money match for the WWE. It’s a dream match that everybody wanted to see, but because both guys were leaving the company, the fans didn’t want to see it anymore.
“They were surprised, but then again, they weren’t surprised. We do understand that the fans are loyal to us, as long as we’re loyal to them and I do believe they felt cheated that Brock and Goldberg were leaving. The boys, they weren’t laughing, but they were like, ‘Holy sh*t, I can’t believe this is happening.’ The match was such a big match, it was something everybody wanted to see.
“Even the boys wanted to see it. When the fans crapped all over it, it was like, oh gosh, this is crazy. Some guys were laughing, some guys were like, oh crap, this is horrible. Everybody treated it differently.”
Goldberg and Brock ended up leaving the company but returned under far more fan-friendly circumstances. Goldberg defeated Lesnar at the Survivor Series PPV back in 2016. They had a rematch at WrestleMania 33 and it was far better than their 2004 match. Lesnar emerged victorious in that encounter.
The Undertaker is sharing his pick for the WrestleMania 38 main event between Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar.
The Dead Man racked up an incredible 21 wins at WWE’s grandest event before that streak was broken by Lesnar (2014). He retired with a WrestleMania record of 25–2, with the other loss dealt to him by Reigns (2017).
The only two men to defeat The Undertaker at WrestleMania will clash once again on April 3rd at WrestleMania Sunday. Ahead of this epic encounter, The Undertaker spoke with WWE to share his prediction for the Winner Take All Championship Unification match.
The Undertaker thinks it could go either way, but feels The Tribal Chief will be victorious.
“I’m going to go out on a limb, I say, Roman, what possibly would be an upset.”
– The Undertaker’s WrestleMania 38 Prediction
The Phenom says Roman Reigns was on the rise when they wrestled. He was still ascending to where he is now. Today, Reigns has a calmer demeanor, but still possesses lots of energy and charisma, as well.
“It’s really entertaining to see guys that size be able to move the way they can and be able to do the things that they can—physical, brutal, especially on Brock’s end,” said The Undertaker. “Roman, much more calculated, but again, explosive athleticism, really athletic big man.”
There’s been a long standing rivalry between Riddle and Brock Lesnar, with the current WWE Raw Tag Team Champion having long advocated for a match against the current WWE Champion.
Riddle has called Lesnar out on social media on numerous occasions. The two even had what was reported to be a backstage altercation at the 2020 Royal Rumble
With both men having a history in the world of MMA, a potential match has a uniqueness to it that could certainly sell tickets and be a memorable encounter. So far, though, Lesnar has had zero interest in facing the young star in a singles match. They both were involved in the recent Elimination Chamber match for the WWE Championship in Saudi Arabia.
During a new interview with Adam’s Apple, Riddle brought up the topic yet again when asked about possible opponents.
“I would really like the one on one match with, you know, Brock,” Riddle said. “That would be good. But there’s a lot of talent out there. You’ve got the Edges, you know, me and Randy are partners, you never know we might wrestle one day. There’s a lot.”
Of course, a match between these two seems like it would be down the road several months, if at all. Lesnar is currently embroiled in a feud with Roman Reigns that will culminate in the main event of WrestleMania 38. Meanwhile, Riddle and Randy Orton hold the Raw Tag Team Championships; their team will eventually split and spill into a feud of its own.
The matches confirmed so far for the two-night WrestleMania 38 event include:
WWE Universal Championship vs. WWE Championship Match (Main Event for Night Two) Roman Reigns (c) vs. Brock Lesnar (c)
WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship Match (Main Event for Night One) Charlotte Flair (c) vs. Ronda Rousey
WWE Raw Women’s Championship Match Becky Lynch (c) vs. Bianca Belair
WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship Match Queen Zelina Vega and Carmella (c) vs. Sasha Banks and Naomi vs. Liv Morgan and Rhea Ripley
Dominik Mysterio and Rey Mysterio vs. The Miz and Logan Paul
Drew McIntyre vs. Happy Corbin
Johnny Knoxville vs. Sami Zayn
Edge vs. AJ Styles
Pat McAfee vs. Austin Theory
Would you like to see a match between Riddle and Lesnar? Let us know in the comments section below.
Check out the Top Rope Nation wrestling podcast for your weekly dose of pro wrestling talk featuring interviews, analysis and exclusive news: Apple – Spotify – YouTube.
Brock Lesnar has shared his take on Logan Paul having a presence within the WWE Universe.
Paul ate a Stunner from Kevin Owens at WrestleMania 37 last year and he’s returning to “The Grandest Stage of Them All.” At WrestleMania 38, Paul will team with The Miz to take on Rey & Dominik Mysterio. The match will be featured on night one of the event on April 2.
Brock Lesnar Supports Logan Paul
Brock Lesnar will be headlining night two of WrestleMania against Roman Reigns in a title unification bout. Speaking to the NY Post, Lesnar said he digs what Logan Paul and his brother Jake Paul have been able to do.
“Great for YouTube. I’m happy for those guys. They worked at something. They built their name up. They thought outside the box, they promoted themselves.”
As far as whether or not Logan can hang with WWE superstars, Lesnar thinks it’s possible.
“Can he become a professional wrestler? Maybe if he puts as much ambition into that.”
One celebrity who has garnered the respect of the WWE locker room is Bad Bunny. Many have praised the Latino music star for his dedication to the wrestling business. Randy Orton has gone as far as to say he considers Bad Bunny a full-fledged WWE superstar.
Whether or not Logan Paul can obtain that same level of respect remains to be seen.
Brock Lesnar admits that he had a lapse in judgment when he attempted to land a shooting star press at WrestleMania XIX.
On March 30, 2003, Lesnar headlined the “Grandest Stage of Them All.” He challenged Kurt Angle for the WWE Championship. Lesnar won the match but he certainly didn’t walk away unscathed.
At one point during the match, Brock attempted to do the Shooting Star Press. While he landed the move frequently during his time at Ohio Valley Wrestling, Lesnar put on a significant amount of muscle since that time period.
It also didn’t help that Kurt Angle was quite far when Lesnar went up the top turnbuckle for the move.
Brock attempted the move and fell short, landing awkwardly on his head and neck.
Brock Lesnar Reflects On Shooting Star Press Mishap
Brock Lesnar was able to avoid a serious injury on that night but it doesn’t make the decision any less “foolish” as he puts it. Here’s what “The Beast” said about the near-disastrous botch on The Michael Kay Show (h/t Fightful).
“That was foolish on my behalf. You get people, producers, and people higher up in the company; they always want this WrestleMania moment, which would be fantastic. So I would practice it the night before. I was doing it in OVW when I was being trained. I’m 310 pounds, 6’3”, doing a front backflip off the top, hitting guys, and winning matches. Mr. Perfect Curt Hennig, bless his soul; you don’t need to do that. Stop doing that.
“Thankfully, I didn’t break my neck or anything. I shouldn’t have done it. I finished the match, had a concussion. Thankfully, that was the worst of it. Kurt helped me through and was talking to me. He should have rolled me over and pinned me, went off script.”
Keith Lee is grateful for the moment he shared with Brock Lesnar at the 2020 Royal Rumble.
The majority of the 2020 Royal Rumble match was controlled by Brock Lesnar. The Beast eliminated twelve competitors, back to back, by himself. Number 13 was the brand new NXT North American Champion Keith Lee. The moment that stood out to everyone was how shocked and impressed Brock was by the size of Lee. Lee then rocked Lesnar with a shoulder tackle which left him in shock. This showdown, no matter how short it was, was one of the most memorable parts of the match.
Keith Lee’s Royal Rumble Moment With Brock Lesnar
The new AEW superstar recently appeared on Talk Is Jericho. Lee told the story of finding out he’d be a part of the match and what his experience was like working with Brock.
The Limitless One explained, “He’s [Brock Lesnar] always been so cool with me. it’s not something you expect based on specific stories and what have you. The reality was, I didn’t even know I was in the Rumble until like two hours before. They bring in a bunch of people. I’m like, ‘I don’t want to be in the way,’ your back is against the wall, and then you find out you are on. ‘Here we go,’ I don’t know what’s going on and then they start sorting out everything and there is a meeting because the Rumble is basically built around Brock. I got to chat with him and we sorted things out.
They wanted a moment and I think that moment was probably between myself and Riddle, but he had at that time, so they gave it to me. We didn’t really do a lot. Just from the walk…here’s what made it, this Rumble happens and everyone has these ideas and Brock’s like, ‘Cool, awesome, sure thing,’ then the bell rings and he’s just chucking people. ‘Whatever you said you wanted to do doesn’t matter because I don’t remember or I don’t care.’
I’m backstage and I’m like, ‘That’s not what they said, that’s not what they said. I’m gonna have to fight him because I’m not about to lose my shit [laughs].’ My walk, I had gotten taped up because Undisputed ERA jammed my ankle the week prior. I’m so adrenaline hype because I’m gonna fight this guy. I’m walking out, not selling a thing. The walk wasn’t about the Rumble, it was about, ‘I might fight this guy.’
I get there and it’s like, ‘Oh, he wants to work. Okay! We’ll make it a show.’ You can feel it. He’s selling me coming down and I’m like, ‘That guy did more for me in four seconds than anybody can.’ I knew right then, ‘Let’s make this thing last. Take 40 seconds and stare at each other. Let him make the first move and follow.’ It was awesome. Paul (Heyman) is brilliant at what he does.
All of it made it a special three minutes. Him and Roman did that and made potential massive matches down the line and….oh well.”
Current Plans For Lee & Lesnar Respectively
Lee was a part of the November 4, 2021 WWE releases. He signed with AEW following his debut on the February 9 edition of AEW Dynamite. Keith defeated Isiah Kassidy, in his debut, to qualify for the Face of the Revolution Ladder Match on March 6 at Revolution.
Lesnar is scheduled to face Roman Reigns in a Winner Takes All, Title vs Title, Unification Match for the WWE and Universal Championships. The match will take place in the main event of Night 2 of WrestleMania 38.
H/T to Jeremy Lambert & Gisbert Guzzo of Fightful for the transcription
Brock Lesnar is one of the best if not the best professional wrestlers of the current era. His advice to young talents is not to do what everyone is doing and focus on storytelling more than the moves.
When asked if he will be willing to mentor young talents, Lesnar claimed that over the years he has helped talents that have caught his eyes. Though according to him, some of the young stars don’t have the same work ethic anymore:
“Some of these young kids nowadays, they’re so used to having everything they want at their fingertips with technology. I don’t know where the grassroots, hard work, and the ethic is anymore.”
Brock Lesnar then explained the younger wrestlers need to differentiate themselves from the rest if they want to be successful in the business:
“They need to do something different if they want to become successful. This business isn’t just about getting in the ring and being able to do moves, you know.
This is a business of storytelling and characters and being able to portray a passion about something. So either you have it, or you don’t. Otherwise you’re just a mid-card wrestler, or an indie wrestler, or an internet wrestler.”
Apart from this, Lesnar also discussed his MSG match with Goldberg at WrestleMania XX, beating The Rock to become the youngest WWE champion and more.
Roman Reigns can be considered the arch-rival of Brock Lesnar. The two have had many chapters in their rivalry and it doesn’t seem like it’s gonna end anytime soon.
However, despite their differences, The Beast Incarnate recognizes the talent of the Tribal Chief. According to him, the Universal champion has the ‘it’ factor.
Brock was asked about Roman and their upcoming WrestleMania 38 match during an interview with New York Post. He said that he sees a superstar in the Head of The Table:
“I see a f–king superstar, I see I guy who came into his own and is a real threat as person and as a character. … Roman has the It factor, has had it.” said Brock Lesnar, “It’s exciting to me. I get goosebumps just thinking about this match.”
Lesnar also talked about his current character. The WWE champion claimed that it’s the extension of his real-life self: “This is the real Brock Lesnar, I’m a country hillbilly f–k, and that’s who I’m am. I grew up the same way.”
Apart from this, the former UFC star discussed how he considered himself to be retired from wrestling after WrestleMania 36 and explained what brought him back.
Brock Lesnar’s contract ended in 2020, and he wanted to retire. However, the money was too good to refuse.
Following Brock Lesnar’s loss to Drew McIntyre at WrestleMania 36, he disappeared from television throughout the pandemic. Brock lost the WWE Championship to Drew, and then we didn’t see him on our screens again until SummerSlam 2021.
Many assumed that he was gone because there were no crowds. It now appears that Brock had retired.
Lesnar Considered Himself Retired
Brock has now come out and said that he believed himself to be retired after his match with McIntyre.
Lesnar appeared on the Michael Kay Show and was asked about how much longer he plans to wrestle for. The current and seven-time WWE Champion said, “When I was younger I thought, I wanna retire when I’m 40. I actually retired when COVID hit and my contract was up in 2020. Full circle Brock Lesnar story, I had my first wrestling match in Minnesota was in a garage with no people. 20 years later, had a WWE Title match at WrestleMania in a warehouse in front of no people. 20 years, full circle. I was like ‘I’m out.'”
Naturally, Brock was then asked what brought him back. He responded by laughing and saying, “Cha-ching.”
Since his SummerSlam return, Brock has been regularly highlighted on WWE TV on both RAW and SmackDown. He is now scheduled to defend his WWE Championship on March 5 at a Madison Square Garden live event.
Brock won the 2022 Men’s Royal Rumble. Therefore, Brock is also scheduled to have a Title vs. Title Unification Match at WrestleMania 38 against Roman Reigns in the Night 2 main event slot.
Listen to Brock Lesnar’s appearance on the Michael Kay show:
Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar WrestleMania 38 will be a “winner take all championship unification” match.
Going into WrestleMania 38, Reigns holds the WWE Universal Championship, while Brock Lesnar is the WWE Titleholder. Something has got to give and it will on night two of the mecca in sports entertainment.
The updated match preview at WWE.com now explicitly references that the WWE Championship and the Universal Championship will be unified:
“It’s WINNER TAKE ALL in a highly anticipated Championship Unification Match on WrestleMania Sunday”
Previously, the match was simply referred to as “Winner Take All.”
Reigns and Lesnar did battle back in October for Crown Jewel. Reigns successfully defended his gold through nefarious means. The feud didn’t stop there as Reigns cost Lesnar the WWE Championship after nailing him with the title that was handed to him by Paul Heyman.
Lesnar ended up regaining the gold at WWE Elimination Chamber. On that same show, Reigns successfully defended the WWE Universal Championship against Goldberg.
Brock Lesnar’s WWE Championship victory at last weekend’s Elimination Chamber premium live event setup his title vs. title match with Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 38. Lesnar’s victory seemed obvious before the match even started.
However, the real intrigue with the match was how WWE would get the title off Bobby Lashley without making him look weak. In the end, that ended up being a nonissue as Lashley was taken out of the match due to an injury angle. The angle was setup because Lashley has a real life shoulder injury that is going to keep him out of action for up to four months.
However, there was something that happened during the Chamber match that wasn’t planned. Brock Lesnar reportedly went off-script during the match, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
When Lesnar crashed through his pod to enter the match, it was not planned to happen that way. Per the Observer, Lesnar was not aware that the Chamber spotlight and countdown would land on Lashley’s empty pod before Brock’s own entrance.
Lesnar obviously knew that Lashley was going to be taken out of the match, but he thought the lights landing on Lashley’s empty pod was an error by production. It was known going into the event that Elimination Chamber had a “hard out” time of three hours. Lesnar, thinking the show might end up late on time, took it upon himself to break out of his pod and enter the match at that point.
Apparently the other participants had some spots planned that they had yet to get to which were abandoned upon Lesnar’s entrance since the plan was for him to obliterate everyone upon his entrance, as we saw play out.
WWE continues to sell Lashley’s exit and absence from television based on the spot done between Seth Rollins and Austin Theory in the match. Rollins buckle bombed Theory through Lashley’s pod, giving Lashley a storyline concussion in the process. In reality, Lashley met with doctors in Birmingham, Alabama this past week to go over options for his injured shoulder.
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