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10 Reasons Brock Lesnar Re-Signing With WWE Is Best For Business

The Beast's new deal allows UFC outings as well apparently...

I drank lots of beer while writing this. I'm sorry if it's incoherent in places. I just thought you should know... I also think you should know that Brock Lesnar has not re-entered the USADA testing pool, which he's required to do (and won't be able to circumvent this time following his positive test) before fighting again. He's potentially got until December to wrestle before he could fight.

I probably should have published this when he's actually confirmed to return then... oh well.

I feel sick given that I've titled this article with a heel catchphrase straight from the playbook of Stephanie McMahon herself. I apologise for this, and would like to take this opportunity to once again publically thank Ronda Rousey for all she has done this WrestleMania 34 weekend.

I'm not sorry. I love you.

The most shocking result of this year's 'Mania is Brock Lesnar's victory over Roman Reigns - and yes before you say anything, it's more shocking than a 10-year-old child winning a WWE Raw Tag Team Title.

It almost seemed like the Universal Title was in some kind of procession in the buildup to the GSOTA, walking in a really straight and boring line onto the glistening, tattooed shoulder of WWE's Big Dog. Sunday's main event felt like the culmination of a three-year experiment the company had taken us all on - how lucky are we having experienced every inch of it, by the way? This was supposed to be the Superstardom affirming victory Roman was supposed to get at 'Mania 31 before Seth Rollins gave us one of the most shocking moments on the Grandest Stage Of Them All in, like, forever. And heck, Brock Lesnar was going back to UFC full-time - there had been nothing more certain in the history of mankind until the conclusion of last Sunday's main event.

Now, Brock has re-signed with WWE in a deal that also allows him to compete in UFC apparently. I know that upon hearing this news you probably groaned - I know I did. I'm sick of Raw's top title meaning little due to the fact its holder is hardly ever seen on TV. I'm sick of Brock's matches being the same thing over and over again. I'm even starting to get a little bit weary of Paul Heyman. While the advocate continues to knock the proverbial ball out of the park, the message he conveys in each of his stellar promos tends to be the same each time - Brock's act just needs a new lick of paint after five years of the same old routine.

As you're probably aware by now, we're all about celebrating professional wrestling here at Cultaholic, so here are 10 reasons Brock Lesnar's new contract with WWE isn't a bad thing, it's a good thing (creepy DDP smile)...

10. Cross Promotion Potential





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You remember how Chris Jericho appeared at Wrestle Kingdom earlier this year? This did wonders for not only his, but NJPW's bank account as well. Quite literally thousands of new fans who hadn't watched their product before saw a long-term 'WWE guy' heading over there and thought 'hey, I'll give that stuff a try.' While this wasn't really an example of cross-promotion because we haven't seen Okada - or somebody else similarly 'New Japan-ish' on Raw or SmackDown - it's a glimpse into the effect we can expect from Brock Lesnar's new deal, which apparently allows him to fight for UFC as well as WWE.

(Every dirt sheet writer and their dog are reporting this, so who am I to doubt them? They're always right!)

WWE fans who haven't watched UFC before will see The Beast's name on one of their marquees and check it out when they might not have before, while even though they won't want to admit it BECAUSE WRESTLING IS FAKE, newer UFC fans who missed Brock's Heavyweight Championship wielding run inside the Octagon will check out a big WWE event when he's in the main event. They will. Don't believe them when they tell you they 'wouldn't dare'.

Obviously, that intrigue from certain quarters of UFC's fandom might have already been satisfied thanks to Ronda Rousey's appearance at WrestleMania, but Brock's still a huge draw. A big, red, sweaty draw.


9. He's Still Got Unadulterated Box Office Appeal





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You might think he's boring but there's no denying the reason WWE continue to pay Lesnar millions and millions for little in the way of work is because he's a bonafide attraction. While long-term viewers of WWE might be fed up of the same old routine when it comes to The Beast Incarnate, the man proved during his time away from the company that he's one of the kings of the box office.

It was a double-edged sword when it came to Brock inside the Octagon. Diehard MMA fans paid to watch his fights in the hope that the FAKE professional wrestler got his arse handed to him, while others just wanted to see a human gorilla commit murder and not be arrested for it. Almost murder... you know what I mean. Everyone loves to see blood splattered all over the shop.

No matter the reason, fans just wanted to see Brock - Dana White knew this and booked his biggest draw pretty sparingly.

That's part of the reason Raw's Universal Champion isn't seen every week these days. It's the old adage that you give a hungry man a little bit of food, so he's still gagging for more and more and more. Brock only turns up once every blue moon, kicks somebody's arse, and fans want to see more. As frustrating as it is for us fans, it makes perfect business sense.

8. He Gives Pretenders To The Main Event Scene More Time To Develop





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I was listening to Jim Cornette's WrestleMania 34 review and he made a good point - outside of Roman Reigns, who is ready to be 'the guy' in WWE? (I know you don't like him but when booked right Roman Reigns IS ready for that.)

The likes of AJ Styles, Finn Balor and Shinsuke Nakamura are too old to be relied upon for building a company around over the next decade, and looking at the rest of the roster, the names clearly earmarked for true Superstardom are few and far between.

The clear frontrunner, in my eyes at least, is Seth Rollins - but even he is only really finding his feet as a babyface in more recent times.

As long as Brock is there, however, that gives the pretenders to the main event scene more time to establish themselves at that level. They should be relied upon for filling in the gaps while the Universal Champion is not on Raw, and Brock should be relied on for bringing in the bulk of many big houses on the big shows BROTHER BROTHER BROTHER! As frustrating as it is, it's a two-way street that works when you really think about it.

That's the only upside I can see to Brock not being on weekly television most of the time - it gives performers who could do with the added exposure more time to hone their respective crafts at the top level.

7. More Paul Heyman





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Even though the message he's conveying has been repeated more times than Friends on Comedy Central, Paul Heyman remains the best promo in WWE by an absolute mile so of course more of him is a very good thing. That's all there is to it.

Obviously, WWE need to have the advocate say more than "this isn't a prediction, it's a spoiler" mixed in with a few random uses of the word "b*tch" from time to time, but you'd hope that with a performer of Heyman's standing that's an easy fix to make.

It's not a huge thing at all, both the narrative of Heyman's promos and Brock's matches need a new lick of paint and I'm sure we'll all feel the benefit.


6. Potential Opponents





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I'm going to throw this out there right now - I want to see Brock Lesar vs. Kyle O'Reilly. The prospect of The Undisputed Era man selling in his own unique way for The Beast Incarnate makes me salivate like Pavlov's dog.

There are a series of realistic opponents for Brock Lesnar that will make your mouth water in a similar fashion. The likes of Seth Rollins - babyface this time, not running away like a chicken sh*t heel like he did in 2015 - Bobby Lashley, Daniel Bryan, Shinsuke Nakamura, Pete Dunne, Aleister Black and Chad Gable all immediately spring to mind as Superstars who could bring a lovely match out of The Beast if he fancied it. IF he fancied it...

We also have the prospect of the Samoa Joe and Braun Strowman matches being done the way they should have the first time around - let them kick out of more than one F5 if Roman Reigns is going to kick out of FIVE at WrestleMania, for crying out loud!

5. Storyline Potential





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It's going to happen one day, and when it does it's going to create one of the biggest WrestleMania moments of all time - hopefully.

The day Paul Heyman finally leaves Brock Lesnar for another lover-I-MEAN-WRESTLER is a day that will break the internet. It's happened before, of course, with Heyman turning his back on The Next Big Thing at Survivor Series 2002 to align with The Big Show.

Ultimately, that new alliance fell flat, but if WWE got Heyman's new protege right this time around and then set Brock away on a lengthy chase to harm his former advocate, it would make for one hell of a story.

And hey, if there is to be more cross promotion with UFC, that also opens up a whole host of new storyline possibilities - not just for Brock, but for professional wrestling in general.

Ultimately, it would be lovely if Brock appeared more than he has done in recent times. I don't know about you, but I like my James Bond films when James Bond is in them... that logic works, right?

4. The Fire





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I know this point may be slightly redundant after what we saw from Ronda Rousey at WrestleMania, but the fact remains that nobody brings fire to a WWE ring like Brock Lesnar does - apart from Kane maybe, but that's not the type of fire I'm talking about here.

Last year, The Miz and Miztourage were in the ring cutting a promo and Brock Lesnar came out and decimated them - the crowd went wild, and I realised something. At the time, there was no one else on the roster capable of getting an entire arena's worth of fans out of their seats just by throwing a few bodies around the ring. Everyone was going mental - it's a novelty that certainly wasn't lost on me.

Brock is a one of a kind and this moment proved that when he's up for it WWE simply don't have what he can provide in other areas of the roster. Maybe Braun Strowman could do eventually, but that would mean the company stop making him a human meme machine and I don't think they're ready to do that.

Just pay him more, WWE. We might be able to get this out of him once a month maybe and then everyone won't be so pissed off at him!


3. He'll Always Be Fit And Ready To Go





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He barely wrestles... unless Brock Lesnar slips on a bar of soap in the shower on the morning of a WrestleMania and takes his own Shooting Star Press bump and actually breaks his neck this time, he's going to be fit and ready for every single big match he's booked in.

He's Mr Dependable in the absolutely worst way imaginable.

Obviously, this might change if the rumours that his new WWE contract allows him to fight for UFC because that's a SHOOT, BRO - but you'd think that WWE would ensure he'd have enough time off after each Octagon outing so he could make all of his squared circle dates.

While the likes of Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose have been hurt after carrying a brand on their back for a long time, Brock's less than part-time schedule means he will always be fit. Every cloud really does have a red, sweaty lining...

2. Rousey Aside - He Is Still The Biggest Star WWE Has Access To





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Obviously, I'm discounting The Rock from this equation because if he can't be on the Grandest Stage Of Them All, what stage of WWE's can he be on? I'm also leaving John Cena out of this for now, although a few more daytime TV appearances might get him somewhere higher up the pantheon of global celebrities (if that's even a thing).

Brock Lesnar is an established brand that not too many others on WWE's roster can brag. If his next UFC fight goes well, that brand only becomes stronger, and in turn, so does WWE for being so strongly associated with it.

WWE with Brock Lesnar is a much more mouthwatering prospect to fans, outsiders, sponsors, and the rest of mankind simply because of the reputation he has. The brand suffers when he's not there, so the fact he is, is good.

Honestly, it really is.

1. A Bonafide Star Is Born When He Eventually Loses





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That's why he lost to The Undertaker... I think. Yes, even though Goldberg upset the apple cart by defeating Brock very, very quickly indeed at Survivor Series 2016, the man who eventually defeats the man who beat The Undertaker, and Roman Reigns, and John Cena, and Braun Strowman, and Samoa Joe - do you want me to go on? -  is a ready-made Superstar himself. It's something he'll be able to hang his hat on for the rest of his career. It's a fact that he'll be able to dine out on for the rest of his life. What's more, it's another applicable saying that isn't coming to mind right now because I'm pretty drunk.

I'm just as upset as you that Brock Lesnar is staying with WWE. I'm tired of the act we've been seeing for the past five years. Hopefully, though, I've shown you here that there is some upside to The Beast Incarnate staying.

It's going to be OK. We'll get through this together...

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Ross Tweddell

Written by Ross Tweddell

Written and video journalist for Cultaholic Wrestling | twitter: @rossonrasslin | instagram: @rossonrasslin