With WWE SummerSlam 2024 passing by two weeks ago, it has been over a year since we've seen Brock Lesnar in World Wrestling Entertainment. Every time his name is brought up about a potential return or any information regarding even the possibility of seeing him again, the response is essentially met with an unenthusiastic "I've got nothing to tell you. Just wait and see, I guess" non-answer reply.
Of course, this is due to Lesnar being implicated in Janel Grant's sexual assault and trafficking lawsuit against Vince McMahon and WWE, which caused his likely return at the 2024 Royal Rumble event to be put on hold. Any and all other plans were scrapped. Despite being one of the most accomplished WWE Superstars of all time and a legend from UFC, who would fit in perfectly with this new merger of the two companies under the TKO banner, you're not going to find his name on any sports betting platforms to be in the running for an appearance at the next premium live event. The odds just aren't in his favor.
But even if time doesn't heal all wounds, it does allow some leeway for things to change.
If WWE thinks there is enough distance between Lesnar and McMahon, or the lawsuit goes in a different direction that they feel more comfortable bringing The Beast Incarnate back won't rustle any feathers, we could see Lesnar back in a WWE ring in some fashion in the future.
Since we don't know if or when, the question then becomes how could Brock be used in WWE going forward?
Let's examine some possibilities of what WWE could do with Lesnar for both the short-term and the long-term.
What If Brock Lesnar Just Doesn't Return At All?
Assuming we ignore everything with the lawsuit and Lesnar is given a green light to return, that doesn't necessarily mean he actually wants to.
Lesnar is notorious for not being much of a people person. He enjoys being on his ranch, away from society. You won't see him pop up backstage to hang out with the other WWE Superstars for the hell of it.
Under McMahon, Lesnar was given supreme preferential treatment. With this new regime, who is more budget-conscious than ever before, it's doubtful they would be as willing to lend him a private jet for all of his appearances, reshuffle each show to fit his ideal schedule, and cater to him in the same way. This is The Paul Levesque Era now, and there's no telling how different his relationship is with Triple H, but it is almost assuredly not the same as what he and Vince shared—again, lawsuit implications aside.
He doesn't need the money, either, and at this point in his career, what is there left for him to accomplish to draw him back into the ring? Lesnar's already won virtually every accolade imaginable, and the ones he hasn't, like a midcard or tag team title, are beneath him at this point. He's feuded with every top name in the industry that he could, outside of a few newer additions to the roster (more on that to come).
Lesnar doesn't even have Paul Heyman by his side anymore, as he will likely return to being The Wise Man for Roman Reigns, rather than to revert to being Lesnar's advocate.
At 47, Lesnar might just be done with wrestling, unwilling to put his body through all the pain. He's had a Hall of Fame career and may just pop up for his induction in the future. For all we know, he might not even care enough about that, too, to bother showing up!
He's certainly not going to have some behind the scenes coaching role, traveling on the road as a producer or becoming a trainer at the WWE Performance Center like others in the past. Being a company ambassador just doesn't fit his style. We'll see Lesnar sign some WWE Legends deal for merchandise rights and the ability to use him in video games and such, but that will likely be it.
However, for the sake of an argument, let's assume WWE wants him back, Lesnar is interested in returning, and all those elements work out. It is guaranteed his deal would be just a few dates per year, and that limited schedule would only open the door for a few appearances.
If that's the case, who could he face?
Brock Lesnar's One and Only Possible Match for 2024
Although the card is always subject to change, and we don't know what WWE has in store for the future, it's all but certain the remainder of 2024 is mapped out as focusing on Roman Reigns vs. Solo Sikoa and The Bloodline civil war angle as the main storyline.
That doesn't leave much room for Lesnar, who is not going to return to feud with anyone other than a top star in a prominent main event slot. And since he's already had his matches with Cody Rhodes, which had a proper conclusion, it's doubtful that is where WWE would bring him back.
The go-to option would have to be a feud opposite Gunther for the World Heavyweight Championship, which is a dream match fans have been clamoring for for years. Had this lawsuit not gotten in the way, it's likely that's what we would have seen at WrestleMania XL for the Intercontinental Championship, even.
With Bash in Berlin covered, Bad Blood too soon to rush this, and Survivor Series: WarGames not needing Lesnar's star power, that only leaves Crown Jewel in November as the only time Lesnar could have a match with Gunther in 2024. Saudi Arabia pays a ton of money for major names, so that might be the great motivator in bringing him back.
But Crown Jewel could also be a fine spot for someone else to challenge Gunther, like Seth Rollins, leaving room for Lesnar to be a bigger deal in 2025, starting with the Royal Rumble.
Brock Lesnar's Path from 2025 Royal Rumble to WrestleMania 41
Circling back to his 2024 plans, why not just have Lesnar return at the 2025 Royal Rumble and do a variation of what WWE originally had in mind?
Again, we don't know exactly what that idea was, but an educated guess would put him as a major name in the Royal Rumble match, that he'd ultimately lose, possibly wrestle at Elimination Chamber, and go on to fight Gunther at WrestleMania 40.
This year proved that nothing is set in stone, based on how The Rock drastically changed plans for WrestleMania XL just a few months prior, but we can assume a few ideas are locked right now. Roman Reigns vs. The Rock, CM Punk vs. Seth Rollins, Gunther defending the World Heavyweight Championship, Cody Rhodes either defending the Undisputed WWE Championship against Randy Orton (or being in a non-title feud with The Viper, or still somehow wrapped into The Bloodline story), and so on are likely penciled in.
The biggest match Gunther can have at WrestleMania remains Lesnar, who could be a great option to actually win the Royal Rumble and set forth the challenge. If not, Lesnar can earn the right to fight The Ring General by winning the Elimination Chamber match just the same. He puts over Gunther at WrestleMania 41, takes some more time off, and returns later in 2025 to fight a few other Superstars for big shows in foreign markets or major tentpole events like SummerSlam.
Other Potential Feuds: Bron Breakker, John Cena, and More
Aside from Gunther, there are still a few notable WWE Superstars who would be worth seeing Lesnar fight, be it in 2025 or even later down the line, depending on how long Brock would want to keep stepping between the ropes.
If he's going to have one more match with John Cena, though, it would have to be before December 2025, as that is when Cena is set to retire from in-ring competition. It's not something that must happen, but it's a possibility worth brainstorming about, as those two would instantly draw a packed house.
The same goes for any other big name like CM Punk, Roman Reigns or The Rock, but if WWE wants to build new stars for the future, Bron Breakker absolutely must be part of the discussion.
Outside of Gunther, Breakker is arguably the top future prospect who would benefit the most by fighting Lesnar and could actually stand toe-to-toe with him in a way that fans would accept. As great as someone like Carmelo Hayes is, he doesn't have the same physical presence and power as Breakker, who is the current intercontinental champion and is going to probably stay on this path of a big push toward a world title over the coming year or two.
Breakker beating Lesnar sometime in 2025 could be the thing that puts him on the map and levels him up beyond the midcard into the main event level so that by the time the 2026 Royal Rumble comes around, The Unpredictable Badass is one of the odds-on favorites to win.
Depending on how popular he gets from The Bloodline, a match with someone like Jacob Fatu shouldn't be ruled out, either, nor should a brutal fight with Ilja Dragunov be off the table, as his matches with Gunther proved The Mad Dragon would make for an amazing opponent for Lesnar. After all, it's doubtful Lesnar will ever step back inside The Octagon for an MMA fight, so a brawl with Dragunov may be the closest thing to a legitimate combat contest left for Lesnar's career.
Conclusion
In an ideal world, as far as from an entertainment perspective, Lesnar will indeed make his return to WWE in order to have at least a few matches with some of the rising stars and finish out his career on a better note than being swept under the rug via the lawsuit.
That may not be what happens, and only time will tell what actually goes down, but that is the best case scenario to maximize what in reality is the few remaining years Lesnar has left before he officially throws in the towel and we never see him again.
If he doesn't come back for matches against wrestlers like Gunther, Breakker, Dragunov and Fatu, we're probably looking at him not coming back at all.
Then again, the last time it seemed like Lesnar was gone for good, he left WWE in March 2004 after just two years, only to come back 8 years later and wrestle on and off until the present, so a return is definitely not an impossibility.
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