While WWE does their best to depict Brock Lesnar as a Scandinavian bull in board shorts, he’s actually a savvy businessman.
Lesnar appears to be flexing his deal-making acumen once again in a similar, if not identical, strategy he used in the build-up to WrestleMania 31. The Wrestling Observer reports that, despite the UFC rumors, Brock is very interested in returning to WWE, but won’t sign his contract until we reach a dramatic peak.
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In 2015, Lesnar, in the midst of UFC grumblings, extended his contract just days before his WrestleMania match with Roman Reigns. We look to be on a similar pace, but this time, WWE is using the UFC overtones in their favor.
The Observer writes that WWE is moving forward as if Lesnar will not be around after WrestleMania 34. With that in mind, they have concocted a plan to use Lesnar’s UFC ambitions as a way to turn WWE fans against him. While that may seem counterintuitive, it’s actually genius.
This all comes back to Roman Reigns. It’s no secret that WWE sees Reigns as their next leading man. However, that campaign has been met with ample resistance from WWE’s fanbase. Fearing an overexposed run similar to the decade dominated by John Cena, fans rejected Reigns’ push from the jump, yet WWE has remained steadfast in preserving Reigns lofty trajectory.
But now, arguably for the first time, WWE has Reigns, the fans, and Lesnar positioned exactly where they need to be.
Lesnar already has a stigma for being aloof, if not self-serving. WWE is now using that negative perception and turning it up to 11. As Brock and Dana White continue to flirt, WWE is using that relationship as fuel. An instance like Lesnar “skipping” RAW or trolling fans by winning matches in 30 seconds, WWE now has its fans on the cusp of genuinely hating Lesnar.
But booing Lesnar is only achieves half of the objective. To maximize this program, WWE has employed Reigns to galvanize fans against the Beast Incarnate. While some are still reluctant to accept Reigns, there is a clear shift to be demonstrated: people are trading in Brock Lesnar for Roman Reigns.
WWE still has four more weeks to solidify this transition. By the time WrestleMania gets here, even if Brock re-signs, WWE will have converted the Roman haters into Roman lovers and the year of The Big Dog will be ready for launch.
