WWE RAW Superstar Riddle finally got his opportunity to face Brock Lesnar for an extended period of time at the Elimination Chamber event this weekend.
Riddle has in the past stated his want to be the man to retire the Beast Incarnate, words that have apparently not exactly gone over well with Brock.
Speaking on the After The Bell podcast back in 2020, Riddle discussed how Lesnar felt ‘disrespected’ by the comments. “I’ll be honest with you. The guy has it all. I think he’s taken my comments as like, literal disrespect” Riddle began.
“I think he really hates me. Which, hey, ok. I get it, I rubbed you the wrong way. I told everybody that I get it, I’ll stay away. So I won’t call people out anymore,” Riddle concluded.
Riddle on Brock Lesnar
Lesnar now appears to be in a place where he is happy to work with the former RAW Tag Team Champion.
Both men were part of the Men’s Elimination Chamber match at the Premium Live Event from Saudi Arabia, which would see Lesnar leave as the WWE Champion.
Taking to social media to react to the contest, Riddle would write “Look at us now! Never Say Never bro.”
It is not known what Riddle will be doing at WrestleMania 38, although a match against his tag team partner Randy Orton appears to be the direction that the company is going in.
WWE stacked the deck in storyline against Bobby Lashley when he put his WWE Title on the line against Brock Lesnar, Austin Theory, Riddle, Seth Rollins, and AJ Styles in an Elimination Chamber Match at the themed PPV event on Saturday afternoon (February 19, 2022).
The match was saved as the main event with Theory and Rollins starting it off. Rollins powerbombed Theory through one of the pods. Lashley was in the pod and WWE did an injury angle to get Lashley out of the match. It was said that Lashley was in concussion protocol. Riddle was the third entrant and then Styles and finally Lesnar. Lesnar eliminated Rollins and Riddle with the F5. Moments later, Styles was given the same fate. Theory and Lesnar were last to remain. Lesnar with an F5 off the top of a pod.
The stars in the match earned their way in by winning qualifying matches on the January 31st edition of Raw. Theory beat Kevin Owens with the ATL while Riddle defeated Otis and tyles defeated Rey Mysterio. Rollins Rollins declared his entry for the Chamber match on the Kevin Owens Show.
As far as Lesnar goes, he was added to the bout during the opening segment of the show when he challenged Lashley to a title match that night, but Lashley declined. Adam Pearce then just announced Lesnar for it.
There had been some speculation about WWE doing a champion vs. champion bout between Lesnar and WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns for their match at WrestleMania 38. That’s exactly what is happening.
WWE will be presenting the Elimination Chamber PPV from Saudi Arabia this Saturday. Latest reports suggest there is a big title change planned for the show.
According to Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated, Brock Lesnar is expected to win the WWE championship during the Saudi event from Jeddah.
Lesnar, who is the winner of the 2022 men’s Royal Rumble is set to face the Universal Champion Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 38 in April.
If the Beast Incarnate does win the title at Elimination Chamber, it will set up the rumored champion vs. champion match for the Show Of Shows, which will likely headline night 2 of the PPV.
The current plan is for the match between the women’s Royal Rumble winner Ronda Rousey and SmackDown women’s champion Charlotte Flair to headline night 1 of WrestleMania 38.
The report also noted that WWE officials see Austin Theory as a future world champion. Though they believe that he is not ready for the opportunity yet.
The Elimination Chamber PPV will see Bobby Lashley defending his WWE Championship against Brock Lesnar and 4 other competitors including Theory, AJ Styles, Riddle and Seth Rollins.
Roman Reigns on the other hand, will be defending his Universal Championship in a one-on-one match against Goldberg at the show.
Brock Lesnar is one of the best performers of the current era. He knows how to put on a show and entertain the audience. Looking at him in the ring, nobody can say that The Beast is not comfortable being around a crowd. The truth however is very different.
The former Universal champion has discussed his dislike for social gatherings and being around people in general multiple times in the past. He opened up about it once again during his recent appearance on The Pat McAfee Show.
Brock Lesnar claimed that he has a ‘total crash’ after being in front of an audience. Per the heavyweight star, it takes him a few days to recover after a big performance:
“I have a total crash after being in front of audiences. Like I go hibernate in Saskatchewan. I like my downers, the anxiety from all that takes me a few days to recover.”
– Brock Lesnar
Lesnar explained that he has been like this since his college wrestling days. According to him, he is ‘awkward as fuck.’ He puts on a show in front of the fans but likes to be left alone otherwise:
“I like to go and just get away from the people. It’s not that I dislike people. I mean, it’s not been that way but some people I don’t like.” said the former UFC star, “I just like to be left the fuck alone because if I’m in front of an audience then it just exhausts me. So I gotta go and recharge up.”
Brock Lesnar has detailed the difference in his relationships with WWE Chairman Vince McMahon and UFC President Dana White.
Lesnar knows what it’s like to perform at an elite level in both WWE and the UFC. In WWE, Lesnar is a top attraction and a big draw for the company. It’s the same story in UFC and he even won the heavyweight title at one point.
Brock-Vince Dynamic
It’s well-documented that Brock Lesnar left WWE in 2004 due to burnout and a desire to make it in the NFL. Despite the nasty split, Lesnar returned to the promotion in 2012 and it’s been smooth sailing ever since … for the most part.
During an episode of The Pat McAfee Show, Lesnar talked about the differences in dealing with Vince McMahon and Dana White.
“I really can’t compare the two guys. They’re just so — Honestly, my relationship with Vince is so different than it is with Dana over the years. Vince and I have had a love-hate relationship for the last 20 years but it’s been good.
“We’ve got a lot of water under the bridge. I have a lot of respect for both men but dealing with Dana and — It’s just a totally different business approach.”
Brock went on to say that when it comes to Vince, things are a bit more personal.
“I met Vince when I was younger. I look at Vince more as a father figure actually because I’ve learned a lot of things from him. I was able to carry those things over and handle business with Dana.”
At the age of 44, Brock is showing no signs of slowing down. In fact, many believe he’s gotten even better. He’s received praise for his promo ability as of late without Paul Heyman by his side.
Please H/T SEScoops with a link if you use any quotes from this article
It’s safe to say that Brock Lesnar’s Hall of Fame status is secure in WWE but he simply doesn’t care.
Lesnar is undoubtedly one of the biggest stars in WWE. While his first run with the company didn’t end gracefully, amends have since been made. Lesnar has been back in the saddle with WWE since 2012 and he has been relied on by the company due to his drawing power.
Not A Single Care Given
Lesnar is a multiple-time WWE Champion and remains in the main event scene. In fact, many agree that he’s a part of the most pivotal storyline in wrestling today with Roman Reigns.
Despite the accolades, Brock Lesnar told Pat McAfee that he couldn’t care less if he ever gets induced in the WWE Hall of Fame (via Wrestle Purists).
“I don’t really care or give a sh*t. I’m serious, I don’t, like I don’t give a f*ck if I’m in the Hall Of Fame or not.
“I’ve done what I did, I don’t care if I’m leaving a legacy behind. What I do care about is, you know I’m a good person.”
Lesnar is set to challenge for the WWE Championship once again at the Elimination Chamber event on Feb. 19. He’ll take part in the chamber match along with WWE Champion Bobby Lashley, Seth Rollins, AJ Styles, Riddle, and Austin Theory.
If Lesnar emerges victorious at Elimination Chamber in Saudi Arabia, then he will become a seven-time WWE Champion. It would also be his 10th world title under the WWE banner.
Brock Lesnar has some sound advice for the next generation of wrestlers looking to shatter the glass ceiling.
Lesnar knows a thing or two about how to thrive in the world of sports and entertainment. When Brock lost the urge to stick around in WWE, he gave football a try. While Lesnar didn’t make it on the Minnesota Vikings team, he transitioned to the world of MMA.
“The Beast” quickly made his way to the UFC and captured the heavyweight championship. Fast forward to 2022 and Lesnar has been enjoying his second stint with WWE for 10 years now.
(via WWE)
Advice From Lesnar
Brock Lesnar appeared as a guest on The Pat McAfee Show and he kept it short and to the point with his advice for the next crop of talent (h/t Wrestle Ops).
“Get over. Figure out how to fucking put asses in seats. Not worry about your next high spot. Figure out how the hell I can be different. How can I make money.”
Wrestling nowadays has a slew of special athletes. Many talents have the ability to perform high spots that wouldn’t have been imaginable just a few years ago.
With that said, some believe that the spots have become too choreographed and don’t have a proven track record of drawing. There’s also the matter of safety as one misstep can lead to a life-altering change.
Brock knows all too well just how dangerous things can get.
During his OVW days, Lesnar was known for being able to pull off a Shooting Star Press. Once he started putting on more muscle, Brock stopped using the move. At WrestleMania 19 back in 2003, Lesnar went for the high-risk move and landed on his head and neck.
Luckily for Lesnar, he was able to avoid any serious injuries.
There is new information available regarding if the planned Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns match at WrestleMania will be title for title. Lesnar has mentioned on WWE programming that he wants to win the WWE Championship at the Elimination Chamber and make his match with Roman Reigns at WrestleMania title for title.
According to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the belief on WWE’s creative team is that the match will have both championships on the line. Earlier reports suggested this would not be the case but Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar have pushed for it.
“At this point, the feeling on creative is that Vince will make the call to go with title vs. title, hence putting Lesnar in the chamber. There were those internally including Heyman and Lesnar pushing for it,” wrote Dave Meltzer.
“The feeling internally was Vince was leaning in the direction of title vs. title, which would mean the originally planned WWE title match, whatever it would have been, is now off.”
Although plans could change, and have changed throughout the early build-up to WrestleMania, currently the belief is one person will walk away from Mania with both titles, although that has not been set in stone.
WWE Undisputed Champions
One of the biggest title vs title matches in WWE history took place a little over 20 years ago. At WWE Vengeance in 2001, a mini-tournament was held with the winner earning both the WWE and WCW Championships. Chris Jericho defeated The Rock for the WCW Championship in his first match and then defeated Steve Austin to win the WWF Championship in the finals. Austin had successfully defended the WWE Championship against Kurt Angle in the other semi-final.
The Undisputed title in WWE lasted until September 2002. Triple H was then given the “Big Gold Belt” which was renamed to the World Heavyweight Championship on September 2nd, 2002 and would be the champion on RAW.
There wasn’t another undisputed champion until 2013. With the brand-split temporarily ended, John Cena and Randy Orton met in a TLC match for both belts on December 15th, 2013 with Orton coming away the winner.
This period would last until 2016, when Finn Balor won the inaugural Universal Championship at SummerSlam that year.
Other Title vs Title matches in WWE history include:
Hulk Hogan vs. Ultimate Warrior – WrestleMania VI (Intercontinental Championship vs WWE Championship).
Razor Ramon vs. Shawn Michaels – WrestleMania X Ladder Match – (Intercontinental vs Intercontinental).
Ronda Rousey vs. Becky Lynch vs Charlotte Flair – WrestleMania 35 (RAW Women’s Championship vs. Smackdown Women’s Championship).
CM Punk vs John Cena (WWE Championship vs WWE Championship) – SummerSlam 2011
John Cena vs Seth Rollins – SummerSlam 2015 (US title vs WWE Title).
Rob Van Dam vs Tommy Dreamer – RAW August 26th, 2002 – Hardcore vs Intercontinental Unification match.
The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray Dudley and D-Von Dudley) vs. The Hardy Boyz (Jeff Hardy and Matt Hardy) – Survivor Series 2001 – WWF Tag Team Titles vs WCW Tag Team Titles
Edge vs. Test – Survivor Series 2001 – WWF Intercontinental title vs WCW US Title
As expected, WWE will have Brock Lesnar challenge Roman Reigns for the Universal Title at WrestleMania 38 in April. It’s unclear which night the match will take place on – April 2nd or 3rd.
Lesnar ended up winning the 2022 Men’s Royal Rumble match to earn the right to this bout. Earlier in the night of the Royal Rumble event, Lesnar dropped the WWE Title to Bobby Lashley after Paul Heyman turned on his former client and helped Reigns’ attack on Lesnar when the referee was down as “The Tribal Chief” grabbed the title from Heyman to hit Lesnar with it.
During the opening segment of Monday Night Raw, Lesnar interrupted the newly crowned WWE Champion. He announced the match with Reigns since it was his choice. However, since he was dressed to fight, he wanted a rematch with Lashley. He said the match with Reigns should be title vs. title.
After MVP declined the challenge, Lesnar called Lashley a “chicken sh*t.” As a result, WWE on-screen authority figure Adam Pearce announced that Lesnar would be one of those 5 Superstars to be in the Elimination Chamber match where Lashley will defend his title on February 19th in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
There will be qualifying matches including Rey Mysterio vs. AJ Styles and Kevin Owens vs. Austin Theory taking place on Raw to fill out the remaining spots in the match.
Brock Lesnar is scheduled to make a major announcement related to WrestleMania Monday night during Raw.
WWE announced Sunday afternoon that this year’s men’s Royal Rumble match winner will announce who he intends to face at WrestleMania 38 during this week’s Raw show. It would be a total shock if he didn’t announce a match with Roman Reigns, which has been planned for several months now.
Lesnar lost the WWE Championship to Bobby Lashley at the Royal Rumble after Reigns interfered in the match, laying the ground work for Lesnar’s Rumble win later in the show and eventual match with Reigns at WrestleMania.
During his title match at Saturday’s Royal Rumble, Lesnar lifted Lashley up for a F5 and inadvertently knocked out the referee in the process. Right after that, Reigns appeared. He directed Paul Heyman to hand over the WWE title belt, which he did, aligning himself once again with Reigns. Roman then took out Lesnar with the belt, left, and Lashley covered for the pinfall and championship victory.
Per WWE.com: “After a wild turn of events, The Beast now has a decision to make on who he will challenge on The Grandest Stage of Them All. Will it be The All Mighty or The Head of the Table? The Superstar who took his WWE Title, or the man who handed it to him on a silver platter?
In addition to Brock Lesnar’s big announcement, WWE has also confirmed new WWE Champion Bobby Lashley and Women’s Royal Rumble winner Ronda Rousey will be on hand for Monday’s Raw from Cincinnati, Ohio.
Who do you think will win the assumed Reigns vs. Lesnar match at WrestleMania 38? 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.
The winner of this year’s Men’s Royal Rumble match is Brock Lesnar. He outlasted the likes of Riddle, Shane McMahon, and Drew McIntyre in the Final Four at the WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view event. Lesnar hit the F5 to McIntyre for the win.
AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura started off the match. Johnny Knoxville was entrant #9 and attacked Sami Zayn. Styles was eliminated by Madcap Moss. Owens pushed Kofi off a springboard attempt and onto the barricade, but Kofi’s feet touched the floor so they called it like a shoot. Bad Bunny hit a Canadian destroyer to Riddle then eliminated Sheamus. Shane McMahon returned and eliminated Kevin Owens. Brock Lesnar hit an F5 to Bad Bunny.
Lesnar has earned the right to be in one of the main events of WrestleMania 38 and will have his choice to go after one of the top titles in the company, as a result of beating out 29 other stars.
In storyline, he will have to decide whether he’ll challenge for the Universal Title, which is held by Roman Reigns, who successfully retained the title over Seth Rollins at this show or a rematch with WWE Champion Bobby Lashley. Of course, WWE has planned for months to book Lesnar vs. Reigns at Mania and with Reigns costing Lesnar the WWE Title earlier in the night, it’s pretty much set.
Royal Rumble List of Entrants
Here’s a list of the entry of superstars who competed in this fan-favorite match:
After years of speculation of what the match would be like, Brock Lesnar stepped into the ring with Bobby Lashley with the WWE Title on the line at the Royal Rumble event.
The match saw Lashley hit a german suplex Lesnar on his head after some clinch work. Lesnar did it to Lashley. Lashley hit two straight spears before missing the third one and going through the barricade.
Lashley locked in the hurt lock, but Lesnar got out of it. Lesnar hit the F5, but took out the referee. This led to Roman Reigns coming out to hit a spear to Lesnar then connected with a title shot after Paul Heyman gave him the championship. Lashley pinned Lesnar to win the WWE Title.
Lashley got the title match when he defeated Big E, Seth Rollins, and Kevin Owens in a fatal four-way number one contender’s match in the main event of the January 3rd edition of Monday Night Raw. Lashley pinned Owens to win the bout.
Lashley was the only wrestler in the match that Lesnar didn’t hit the F-5 on while Lashley gave Lesnar a spear through the barricade at one point in the match and hit a spear on Lesnar for a second time in the ring for a near fall.
“The Beast Incarnate” became the WWE Champion by defeating Big E, Rollins, Owens, and Lashley in a fatal five-way match at Day 1 after he was added to the match at the last minute due to Roman Reigns testing positive for COVID-19. Reigns had been scheduled to defend his Universal Championship against Lesnar.
Brock Lesnar slammed Jackass star Wee Man onto a table on Friday night.
Lesnar and Wee Man are in St. Louis this weekend for WWE’s highly anticipated Royal Rumble premium live event. You never know what you’re going to see when you attend a big pro wrestling weekend. Patrons who were enjoying their dinner got an eye-full here.
Wee Man’s Jackass co-star Johnny Knoxville as also at the restaurant, but (wisely) didn’t step in to break up the mayhem. The table didn’t break, but some glass did and we can’t speak for Wee Man’s physical condition.
The 2022 WWE Royal Rumble airs live Saturday night on Peacock in the United States and on the WWE Network internationally.
Brock Lesnar will defend the WWE Championship against Bobby Lashley, while Wee Man is in town to support Johnny Knoxville’s Royal Rumble apparitions.
Knoxville has teased that he’ll have support from his Jackass Forever co-stars at the Rumble. Fellow Jackass alum Steve-O is also in town. We’ll see if Wee Man makes it to The Dome after what he went through at the hands of Brock Lesnar.
Jackass Forever hits theaters Friday, February 4th.
Brock Lesnar appearances are generally a rare occurrence but it appears we are going to see a lot of the Beast Incarnate during this WrestleMania season.
If local advertisements are to be believed, then the WWE champion will be a part of this year’s Elimination Chamber PPV from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Not only that but Lesnar is also expected to make at least a few appearances after the Saudi PPV. Here are the shows he is currently being advertised for during the WrestleMania season:
Monday Night Raw – February 14 from Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis IN
Elimination Chamber – February 19 from Jeddah Super Dome in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Monday Night Raw – February 21 from Colonial Life Arena in Columbia SC
Friday Night SmackDown – February 25 from Giant Center in Hershey PA
Friday Night SmackDown – March 11 from Legacy Arena in Birmingham AL
Brock Lesnar is also scheduled to defend his WWE Championship against Bobby Lashley at the Royal Rumble PPV this Saturday.
The SmackDown appearances are in line with the reports suggesting that WWE is planning a match between the former UFC champion and the Universal champion Roman Reigns for WrestleMania 38.
Though the advertised Raw appearances are interesting. It suggests that Lesnar may end up keeping the WWE title until the PPV in Saudi Arabia before dropping the championship to someone.
The Brock Lesnar vs Jinder Mahal match at the Survivor Series 2017 was apparently changed because the Beast refused to work with The Modern Day Maharaja.
Since the reintroduction of the brand split in 2016, Survivor Series has been the event where champions from both brands clash against each other.
The announced main event for the 2017 event was the Universal champion Brock Lesnar vs the WWE champion Jinder Mahal.
However, Mahal lost his title to AJ Styles during the November 7, 2017 episode of SmackDown. As a result, the Phenomenal one replaced Jinder in the match against the Beast Incarnate.
Dave Meltzer talked about this match on Wrestling Observer Radio. He revealed that Lesnar actually refused to work with the former NXT star, leading to the change.
While Styles helped put on a great match at the PPV, the loss for Jinder Mahal meant that he didn’t get to carry the title during his India tour shortly afterward.
The loss ended Mahal’s only world title reign at 170 days. AJ Styles would go on to hold the championship for 371 days, before losing it to Daniel Bryan during the November 13, 2018 episode of SmackDown.
Brock Lesnar on the other hand has had multiple reigns with the world title since then. His latest run started only a few days ago when he won the WWE championship in a fatal five way during Day 1.
Despite Brock Lesnar winning the WWE Championship on short notice this past Saturday night at WWE Day 1, plans for a Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns match at WrestleMania 38 are reportedly still in motion.
Some had wondered in the aftermath of Lesnar’s championship victory what it meant for the long-rumored WrestleMania match between he and Reigns. There was speculation about a possible match at Royal Rumble or the Saudi Arabia show in February. However, Lashley vs. Lesnar was confirmed for the Royal Rumble during Monday night’s edition of Raw.
Plans in Place
During the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer spoke about WWE’s commitment to presenting another Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar showdown.
“I know that they’ve got everything worked out between now and WrestleMania,” Meltzer said. (h/t WrestleTalk). “Everything is worked out. All the original plans, there were some changes obviously because the Lesnar and Roman Reigns match from Saturday didn’t happen, but they’ve got their new twists and turns, and the final destination, which is presumably Lesnar and Roman Reigns, is still on.
“Whatever the plan was for the WWE Championship match — I don’t know what it was — but they’re gonna get there, and that’s also still on. So the WrestleMania matches are the same, but the plans on how to get there obviously have changed.”
Roman Reigns & Brock Lesnar
It will be interesting to see how they get to this match with Lesnar now holding the WWE Championship. There’s a possibility of a unification match at WrestleMania between the two champions, Universal title vs. WWE title.
Perhaps Roman Reigns could cost Lesnar the WWE Championship to Lashley in their match at the Royal Rumble, kicking the Lesnar vs. Reigns feud into high gear on the march to WrestleMania. Nobody can truly say with any certainty right now what will happen, but speculation is certainly running wild.
With Lesnar vs. Reigns still reportedly scheduled for WrestleMania, the third time the two have wrestled at WWE’s biggest show of the year, what other top matches do you want to see at the event?
If Lesnar no longer has the WWE title by WrestleMania, who do you want to see wrestling for that championship? Let us know in the comments section!
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 will defend the WWE Championship against Bobby Lashley at the Royal Rumble later this month. It’s interesting to see that Lesnar is still thinking about Roman Reigns, instead of being laser focused on his next challenger.
Lashley should not be taken lightly and he might be able to exploit Lesnar’s lack of focus in the lead-up to the Rumble.
Lashley has wanted a match with Brock Lesnar for several years. Last year, he shared his theory for why the match never happened (until now). You can read all about that below:
As expected, Bobby Lashley is next in line to challenge Brock Lesnar for the WWE Title.
On Monday’s episode of Raw, Lashley vs. Seth Rollins vs. Big E vs. Kevin Owens in a Fatal 4-Way Match with the winner becoming the number 1 contender was booked as the main event from the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, SC.
It was a wild match with them brawling in the stands and backstage. Lashley pinned Owens with a spear.
Just like it was previously reported, this match is going to take place at the Royal Rumble on Saturday, January 29, 2022 in St Louis, Missouri from The Dome.
Big E vs. Rollins vs. Owens vs. Lashley was originally supposed to be the WWE Championship match at Day 1 this past Saturday night. However, the show had to be changed in a big way when Roman Reigns tested positive for COVID-19. Thus, he was pulled from his scheduled Universal Title match with Brock Lesnar at the event. Lesnar pinned Big E to win the WWE Championship.
WWE is still planning to continue the feud between Lesnar and Reigns despite Lesnar being moved internally to the Raw roster with the idea that he is a free agent as a way for him to appear on Friday Night SmackDown.
Brock Lesnar has officially reunited with his advocate Paul Heyman on WWE television just 24 hours after he won the WWE Title.
During Monday Night Raw, Heyman introduced Lesnar to kick off the show, which was the Day 1 fallout episode as Lesnar credited Heyman for pulling the strings to get him added to the WWE Championship match. This was after his match at Day 1 with Roman Reigns was nixed when the Universal Champion had to pull out due to him testing positive for COVID-19. Lesnar also gave Heyman credit for his “free agent” status in WWE.
Lesnar defeated Big E, Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens, and Bobby Lashley in a fatal five-way match to win the WWE Championship in the headliner of the show.
Lesnar called himself the real champion in WWE and mocked Reigns by telling the crowd to “acknowledge me.” Heyman took a shot at Reigns by saying that after only one week without him as Reigns’ special counsel, Reigns already has COVID.
Three weeks ago, Reigns fired Heyman as his special counsel after questioning Heyman’s loyalty during the main event segment on SmackDown then attacked him. WWE reportedly still has plans for Reigns vs. Lesnar despite “The Beast Incarnate” being on Raw.
Brock Lesnar will remain a “free agent” in WWE storylines, according to a report at PWInsider.com. This means Lesnar could show up on Raw or SmackDown at any time. However, The Beast Incarnate has “officially shifted over to the Raw roster internally.”
The new WWE Champion will be on hand for tonight’s WWE Raw, which takes place from Greenville, South Carolina at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena.
Big E made his first defense as WWE Champion in the new year when he took on Brock Lesnar, Bobby Lashley, Seth Rollins, and Kevin Owens in a fatal 5-way match at the WWE Day 1 pay-per-view event. Lesnar was added to the bout after his planned Universal Title Match with Roman Reigns, who had to pull out due to testing positive for COVID-19, was nixed.
It was a wild match. Lashley speared Lesnar through the barricade. Big E sent Lashley through the announce table. Lesnar hit a top of 4 F5’s in the match. The finish saw Big E with the Big Ending to Lashley. Lesnar with the F5 to Big E for the win to become the new WWE Champion.
Originally, WWE announced that it would be a one-on-one match with Big E and Rollins. However, hours after announcing the match, Owens was added to the match after Rollins interfered in the Raw main event between Owens and Big E.
Because Rollins attacked Owens, it gave “KO” the disqualification win. Because of the stipulation of the bout, Owens was added to the match and Rollins was seen frustrated in his heel ways. Rollins earned this title shot when he became the number one contender by winning a fatal four-way ladder match on Raw. Finn Balor, Owens, and Rey Mysterio were Rollins’ opponents in that number one contender’s match. Lashley was later added to the match after winning a gauntlet match on Raw.
Big E has held the WWE Championship since cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase on Bobby Lashley this September.
Bully Ray thinks that despite Brock Lesnar’s popularity, “The Beast” doesn’t get his due from fans.
Lesnar has been enjoying his role as a babyface on the SmackDown brand. He has been involved in a highly praised feud with WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns. The two will collide at the Day 1 PPV on Jan. 1, 2022.
Brock Lesnar Underappreciated?
It’s hard to picture a superstar the magnitude of Brock Lesnar being underappreciated but Bully Ray is targeting the “smart” fans. Here’s what he said during an episode of Busted Open Radio.
“Just as Roman is going to cave in Paul’s [Heyman] head via what looked to be a one-man Con-Chair-To, the music hits and the place erupted.
“Did the place erupt for a babyface? No. Did the place erupt for a heel? No. The place erupted for a superstar.
“A superstar that people refuse to give the right amount of respect and props to. You know, Roman has this whole thing, ‘Acknowledge Me,’ as as ‘The Head of The Table.’ If anybody should truly be acknowledged in the wrestling business it’s Brock Lesnar because Brock is so damn good at what he does.
“And he’s so smart but a lot of ‘smart’ fans who are actually dumb as the freakin’ day is long don’t get it. Brock is a megastar. Brock is on the same level as Austin and Rock but because Brock had come and gone a little bit, you don’t really see it.”
Bully went on to express his belief that Lesnar is better than he’s ever been. He credits Brock’s current successful run with experience and being an elite-level star in an industry where making it to the top isn’t easy.
Please H/T SEScoops with a link if you use any quotes from this article
AEW’s Mark Henry likes what he sees from the babyface version of Brock Lesnar.
It’s no secret that Brock has had an added pep in his step since returning to WWE. Lesnar made a surprise appearance at the end of the Summerslam PPV back in August, confronting Roman Reigns.
Since that time, Brock has shown the lighter side of him. More recently, fans have praised Brock’s segments with Sami Zayn. On the Dec. 10 episode of SmackDown, Lesnar even spoke French to lighten the mood with Sami.
Of course, Brock ultimately destroyed two nurses and Sami Zayn.
Mark Henry Praises Lighter Side Of Brock Lesnar
On an episode of Busted Open Radio, Mark Henry admitted that he’s all in on the babyface version of Brock Lesnar.
“Just him looking at the hard camera and smiling, it does something to my soul. I think that this is gonna be the best thing that could’ve ever happened to Brock because Brock has got a good personality, y’all.
“He’s very entertaining. His timing is very good and now we get to see that because he’s not stone-faced. He’s not angry Brock all the time.
“Now, you noticed when Paul Heyman started saying, ‘Reigning, defending,’ Brock’s face turned red. His expression changed.
“Brock can turn it on and turn it off and that’s the specialness of who he is but I just wanted to point that out that this is a Brock that we’ve only seen one time and that was quite a while ago and now we get that Brock every week. It’s awesome.”
That one time Henry is referring to is when Brock walked down the aisle dancing with his Money In The Bank briefcase. Back in 2019, Lesnar turned his briefcase into a boombox.
Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns is scheduled to take place on New Year’s Day at WWE’s Day One PPV event. According to a recent report from the Wrestling Observer, a series of matches between Lesnar and Reigns is currently planned.
“Regarding Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar as the main event for Day One, this is scheduled to be a multi-match series and this being one of the matches in the series,” wrote Dave Meltzer.
This means Lesnar vs Reigns could take place again at the Royal Rumble and/or WrestleMania 38 as well as other future events.
Lesnar and Reigns have already faced each other 4x in singles matches. Each man has won and lost twice against the other.
Lesnar defeated Reigns at WrestleMania 34 and then again inside a steel cage at The Greatest Royal Rumble a few weeks later. Reigns then defeated Lesnar at SummerSlam 2018 that August and again at Crown Jewel that October.
Lesnar and Reigns also headlined WrestleMania 31. During that match, however, Seth Rollins cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase and made it a 3-way. Rollins would then win the match and the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
Roman Reigns won a triple threat against both Brock Lesnar and Dean Ambrose/Jon Moxley at Fastlane 2016. Lesnar also won a fatal 4-way match at SummerSlam 2017 against Roman Reigns, Braun Strowman and Samoa Joe.
WWE has confirmed that Brock Lesnar will be getting a rematch against Roman Reigns for the Universal championship at the upcoming Day 1 PPV event.
The beast incarnate returned from his storyline suspension on tonight’s episode of SmackDown. He took part in several segments on the show
Lesnar first convinced Sami Zayn to cash in his Universal title shot tonight and was given a championship opportunity at the upcoming event by Sonya Deville.
Sami Zayn was set to face Roman Reigns for the Universal title in the main event. Though before the bout, Zayn called in Lesnar to thank him for having his back.
Zayn mentioned how Lesnar might have an easier time facing him compared to Roman at the Day 1 PPV because the former UFC star hasn’t had a great track record against Reigns in recent times.
This upset the former Universal champion and he unleashed a brutal attack on Sami. He delivered two F5s to Zayn before getting out of the arena.
Roman Reigns made his entrance with The Bloodline when Lesnar had left. He quickly took care of Zayn and defeated him with the guillotine to end the show.
Updated WWE Day 1 Match Card
This is the third match that has been announced for the upcoming PPV after WWE confirmed that The Usos will be defending the SmackDown tag team titles against the New Day. Here is the updated card for the show:
Universal Championship Match: Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar
Triple Threat WWE Championship Match: Big E vs. Seth Rollins vs. Kevin Owens
SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match: The Usos vs. The New Day
Day 1 is going to be WWE’s first PPV event to take place on new year’s day. It will be held live from State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia on January 1, 2021.
