Opinion: Does WWE Need Brock Lesnar Anymore?

The sports entertainment world has been buzzing uncontrollably for the past 24 hours, since it was announced that Brock Lesnar will be making his return to the Octagon. Last night at UFC 199, it was revealed that Lesnar has agreed to return to to MMA, and will fight at UFC 200. While his opponent has not been named, there is no doubt that the draw from this will be extraordinary.

WWE acknowledged this on their official Twitter account with the following tweet:

 

.@BrockLesnar to compete at #UFC200 prior to return at major @WWE event. https://t.co/PiPwNzYhFM pic.twitter.com/LlZNBVRWME

— WWE (@WWE) June 5, 2016

This is huge news for both UFC and WWE fans, as well as a wonderful opportunity for Lesnar to remind the world just how much of a lethal human being he really is. As a former UFC heavyweight champion, his toughness and ability to destroy another person has never been a question. It is also a pretty smart business decision for both Dana White and Vince McMahon.

Ever since his return to WWE in 2012, “The Beast” has been considered a special attraction, and used on a limited basis, per his contract. It is always a treat when he competes with the company, and there is always a “big fight” feel to every one of his matches. To further add to the importance of his name, in 2015 he announced on ESPN that he had signed an extension to continue working with WWE through 2018. What other superstar would have the opportunity to make a major announcement like that on the biggest sports network in the world?

Having Brock Lesnar associated with WWE has been an amazing thing for the company for the past 4 years. However, his announcement to return to UFC, signifying that he will be competing in both worlds got me to thinking.

Does WWE need Brock Lesnar anymore?

Before continuing, I must specify and make it known that I am a huge Brock Lesnar fan. He brings a sense of legitimacy to WWE and makes professional wrestling feel more like a real sport, rather than a staged match with a pre-determined outcome. When he’s in the ring, he acts like a guy who you think could destroy almost anyone that he comes in contact with, due to his size, strength, agility, and general prowess in the ring.

In defending my argument, however, let’s discuss the state of the company in 2014. WWE was hurting for star power. There was no doubt in anyone’s minds that Roman Reigns was being developed to be the major face of the company, but he was not ready to run with the ball by himself yet. Several guys, like Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose and Bray Wyatt were getting closer as well, but it wasn’t quite their time to be at the very top either. Both Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton were injured.

So, what could WWE do? They could only come up with one solution: put the WWE World Heavyweight Championship on their biggest draw at the time. And that’s exactly what they did.

Lesnar was the World Heavyweight Champion from “Summerslam” 2014 through WrestleMania 2015, yet wasn’t on television every week. This put WWE in a very dangerous position.

WWE had created such a monster, that no one was considered a viable challenger for the title. Outside of John Cena and maybe Triple H, no one else could even come close to being a believable contender for Lesnar’s championship. NXT was still developing its current superstars, and the ones that had recently been called up were still being groomed to be the top guys in the company.

Fortunately by the time WrestleMania rolled around, Seth Rollins was ready, and made history by cashing in “Money In The Bank,” to win the title from Lesnar. This was an simple and easy way to take the title off of him, as well as provide an avenue to write him off of TV the next night on “Monday Night Raw.”

Fast forward to the present time. The WWE roster is as deep as its been in a very long time; so much so that a brand split is coming, simply to give all of the talent the opportunities that they deserve. You could make an argument that at least six superstars could legitimately be the World Heavyweight Champion, and be the face of the company.

They’ve also become good enough and tough enough in the ring, that some of them might even be believable competitors to take down “The Beast.”

There is no doubt that Brock Lesnar is an attraction, and I am always thrilled to see him compete in the ring. His current contract runs through 2018, so we will be treated to at least two more years of great matches. He will no doubt be used to put over certain talent, as well as give a little boost to the major shows that he will be a part of.

Having him on WWE TV also means that Paul Heyman is around, which is NEVER bad for business.

However, my argument is simply that his presence is not as needed as it was a couple of years ago. WWE is attracting plenty of mainstream media attention, with ESPN having a weekly spot dedicated to wrestling, and John Cena now taking on other tasks outside of the ring, such as hosting the ESPYS, as well as “American Grit” on FOX. Even The Rock continues to make appearances on WWE TV from time to time, which is always fun beneficial for everyone involved.

Brock Lesnar has gone from ‘necessity’ to ‘novelty’. And that is a GREAT place for WWE to be in.

Follow @Dericho06