Smark Out Moment

On this eleventh edition of SUPERSTAR SCORES, we take a look at one of the most dominant men to ever set foot in professional wrestling: the Beast Incarnate and the current #1 contender to the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, BROCK LESNAR.

If you're unfamiliar with how the segment works, here is a quick breakdown: Each edition, a wrestler will be put under the spotlight and rated on a 0-100 scale based on 10 categories that have been broken up into 5 umbrella sections: In the Ring Skills, On the Mic Skills, Appearance, Backstage, and Crowd Reaction. The rating scale is as basic as you can get: 0-1-2-3-4 | 5 | 6-7-8-9-10. It follows the Three-Count Critique method of green being the good, yellow being in the middle, and red being the bad. A perfect 100 is the goal.


Update: On March 20, 2020, we did a recalibration of points for a 25th episode special. In that episode, nearly every wrestler saw some adjustments. Below, you'll see the original scores on the left and then the updated score on the right, with the original description for the original score underneath. For explanation on the updated points, check out the 25th edition podcast.

IN THE RING SKILLS

Athleticism: Does the person have a good signature moveset and finisher? Can they perform a wide variety of moves on a regular basis and not botch them?

My Rating = 7 / 8
By no means is Brock not an athletic guy. He has to be, in order to have such a great track record. However, when judging this category, he doesn't do a wide variety of moves at all and he can get blown up during his matches. That severely docks him points.

Psychology: The wrestler's ability to tell a story in the ring. Do they make you believe it's real or do they forget to sell their injuries properly? Can they make a long match stay interesting and not get boring?

My Rating = 7 / 8
Brock understands how to work a match, but it's very one-note. He is either destroying you and then wins or he destroys you and you fight back, but he keeps getting up until something odd happens to end the match.

ON THE MIC SKILLS

Charisma: If they get a mic, can they cut a promo without stuttering? Are they repetitive or do they keep things fresh?

My Rating = 5
Brock isn't bad on the mic, but there's a reason why Paul Heyman talks for him. He's not great.

Character: Is their gimmick(s) interesting? Can they pull off being both a heel and a face?

My Rating = 7 / 8
Brock's an ass kicker and I believe that 100%. He doesn't get more points than this because it's just a simple character and there isn't much to it. There aren't any extra layers of personality, nor does his story ever really change. He's entertaining, but that's not a 10 score's worth of character.

APPEARANCE

Physique: Are they in the proper shape for their gimmick or are they out of shape? (note: someone like Mabel isn't supposed to look like John Morrison, but Matt Hardy gaining weight deducts his points).

My Rating = 10
Just look at him. The guy is a monster.

Entrance: Their music, the pyro if they have any, whatever taunts or actions they do to make it interesting.

My Rating = 7 / 8
He's got a cool theme, his pyro is good, and he looks intimidating while approaching the ring. It's not the best entrance, but it works, and having something more ornate wouldn't suit him because it isn't in his character.

BEHAVIOR

Backstage: Are they a locker room leader or do they cause problems behind the scenes? Are they bogged down in politics? Do they put other people over or screw people over?

My Rating = 7
I might have to adjust this later if I can think of anything negative, but off the top of my head, Brock seems to be a rather professional guy. Sure, he may strike some people as a bit rough when it comes to trying to work out the best deal for himself, but can you blame him? Plus, he came back into WWE and lost his first match rather than just outright winning it. He's lost since then, too, so there isn't really an argument for him not putting people over.

Public Relations: Is this wrestler a public relations problem with arrests and such, or are they someone that promotes the company well, does charities, talk shows, etc?

My Rating = 6
Brock doesn't really have anything negative going against him as far as being a PR nightmare or anything of the sort, but if a perfect 10 is a John Cena, Lesnar isn't pulling the same weight. He isn't the person to send out there for a Make a Wish or charity event. He isn't someone who goes on talk shows all the time to promote things. You would never see Lesnar show up at E3 to talk about the latest WWE game or anything of the sort.

CROWD REACTION

Popularity: How loud are the cheers and boos for them? Do they sell merchandise? Are ratings up or down when they're on screen? How many Twitter and Facebook followers do they have?

My Rating = 9
There's a reason WWE pays Brock Lesnar despite working limited dates. He can sell.

Credibility: Is this person someone you would see as a main eventer and a future legend or are they doomed to forever be a jobber?

My Rating = 10
Really...who is going to argue when Brock f'n Lesnar wins a match?

TOTAL SCORE: 75/100 - 79/100

FINAL THOUGHTS: Brock is someone who is a huge star and imposing when it comes to multiple facets, while others are kind of run of the mill. He is a name who is justifiably a main event guy, even though he doesn't rank as highly as others when it comes to consistent ring and mic work or having a variety of skills. What he does, he does extremely well, which is why he has such a good score.