Backstage News On Brock Lesnar Storyline Plans
WWE is apparently reviving the Brock Lesnar – UFC angle that they attempted before WrestleMania this past year.
Dave Meltzer reported in the latest edition of The Wrestling Observer Newsletter that WWE announcing that they are having contractual issues for Lesnar's next Universal Championship title defense is all storyline. The angle resulted in WWE cancelling the multiple person match at Extreme Rules, which was scheduled to determine a new number one contender for Lesnar. Roman Reigns is now expected to face Bobby Lashley in a singles match at the pay-per-view.
According to The Observer, the current plan is still for Lesnar to defend against Reigns, although that can always change. The plan before WrestleMania this past spring was to portray Lesnar as someone who is leaving the company and doesn't care about the fans. While the fans did end up booing Lesnar at WrestleMania, they didn't cheer Reigns either, which resulted in the fans turning on the match as soon as it began.
The storyline is to once again make it appear as if Lesnar is looking to leave WWE for the UFC. The difference this time is that Lesnar is planning to leave without dropping the title. With Reigns, the goal is to build sympathy with him being the only one that believes in himself, with everyone telling him to step aside because he has failed to beat Lesnar with every opportunity. It was noted that it's still not confirmed that the Lesnar's next title defense will take place at SummerSlam, and that "ultimately it will take place at the time of Vince McMahon's choosing and the result will be the result McMahon wants."
There had been talk of Lesnar facing the winner of the Stipe Miocic vs. Daniel Cormier UFC heavyweight title fight on December 29th. It was noted that for Lesnar to make that date, he will need to enter the USADA testing pool by Friday.