WARNING: We have detected your browser is out of date. For both performance, security and a better web experience you should keep up to date to avoid viruses, malware, hijacking and stay on top of compatibility features.
 
RSS Feed

 

   

 

WNS Column: A Look At Brock Lesnar's Title Win, Who Can Possibly Stop Him?

Posted By: Caylon Knox on Aug 18, 2014

WNS Column: A Look At Brock Lesnar's Title Win, Who Can Possibly Stop Him?

Last night at SummerSlam, Brock Lesnar defeated John Cena for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in what was one of the most shocking matches in WWE history, perhaps even more shocking than Lesnar's victory over The Undertaker at WrestleMania. What made last night's match so shocking was the fact that Lesnar absolutely destroyed a 15-time WWE World Champion in Cena who can still be considered in the prime of his career, even if it is nearing the end of his prime. While Lesnar's devastating victory over The Undertaker at WrestleMania was a surprise because of The Undertaker's legendary Streak, his victory over Cena was much more than just surprising. It was downright terrifying.
 
Over the past decade, John Cena has been the face of World Wrestling Entertainment. He has been the top star. Cena has been the one who always seems to win 99.99% of his matches, even if it's just by the skin of his teeth. Cena is an impressive physical specimen in his own right. Although fans have criticized Cena's wrestling ability in terms of "technical, pure wrestling", one simply cannot argue that John Cena is an impressive athlete. He has size, strength, speed, and cardiovascular endurance. But for all of Cena's physical attributes, his 12 years of experience in WWE, all the battles he's fought, all the wars he's won against many of WWE's elite Superstars, John Cena, the 15-time World Champion, was absolutely no match for Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam.
 
John Cena was almost made to look like a rookie who had just graduated from a wrestling academy and was being used as a local jobber to be fed to "The Beast Incarnate" Brock Lesnar.
 
Many would agree that having Lesnar defeat Cena for the Title was the right call. After all, Lesnar is coming off of the biggest win of his career after defeating The Undertaker at WrestleMania. However, the fact that Lesnar dominated about 98% of the match against Cena last night was something that nobody could have anticipated. It makes Lesnar look like the most dangerous Superstar in the history of the business, but now one has to wonder: Who could possibly, possibly stand a chance against Brock Lesnar at this point?
 
There have been rumors going around for months now that WWE could be grooming Roman Reigns for a match against Brock Lesnar, quite possibly at WrestleMania 31 for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Roman Reigns has been made to look like a true powerhouse. However, Roman Reigns was barely able to secure a victory over "The Viper" Randy Orton last night at SummerSlam. Reigns is certainly a force to be reckoned with, but he has not been made to look like a... supernatural titan that Lesnar appears to be at this point.
 
Roman Reigns might not be a bad choice to face Lesnar, but he's nowhere near ready for it right now. If WWE wants to do Reigns vs. Lesnar at WrestleMania, they're going to have to work hard to build Reigns up between now and WrestleMania. Can it be done? Absolutely. High-profile matches and convincing victories for Reigns leading up to WrestleMania could give him the momentum that he needs. But what if these plans don't work out? What if Roman Reigns suffers some sort of injury and has to take time off, or what if WWE officials sour on him and decide not to put him against Brock Lesnar for the Title at WrestleMania? What would WWE do then?
 
Lesnar has been on a path of destruction all throughout 2014, and really ever since he returned to WWE back in 2012. He has won two out of three matches against Triple H and has broken his arm twice. Lesnar broke the arm of WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels. Lesnar has destroyed "The World's Strongest Man" Mark Henry and broken his arm. Lesnar has destroyed "The World's Largest Athlete" The Big Show. Lesnar has defeated C.M. Punk, the longest-reigning WWE Champion of the modern era, in convincing fashion. And now, Lesnar has ended The Undertaker's undefeated Streak at WrestleMania and gone on to defeat John Cena for the World Heavyweight Championship at SummerSlam.
 
Who does WWE have left on their roster who could physically match up to Lesnar at this point?
 
"The Celtic Warrior" Sheamus currently holds the WWE United States Championship and is no stranger to main event World Title matches. Sheamus is a three-time WWE World Champion, as well as a former King of the Ring and Royal Rumble Winner. However, Sheamus has suffered his fair share of losses at the hands of John Cena, Randy Orton, Triple H, The Big Show, Mark Henry, and Daniel Bryan. Is Sheamus really in Brock Lesnar's league?
 
The new WWE Intercontinental Champion Dolph Ziggler is a two-time I.C. Champion, a former United States Champion, and a former two-time World Heavyweight Champion. But over the past few years, Ziggler has seemingly been booked to lose about 99% of his matches against all kinds of different Superstars on the roster. What are the odds that Dolph Ziggler could defeat Brock Lesnar?
 
Bray Wyatt has suffered losses at the hands of Chris Jericho and John Cena. John Cena who just got annihilated by Brock Lesnar. Although Wyatt is a polarizing and enigmatic Superstar, one would have to assume that if Lesnar can destroy all the Superstars he has over the past two years, Bray Wyatt would not be any exception.
 
Rusev is one of the few Superstars on WWE's roster who can draw physical comparisons to Brock Lesnar. Rusev possesses a bulky physique and has displayed considerable speed, agility, flexibility, and overall athleticism. Rusev also has a legitimate Martial Arts background, having trained extensively in Muay Thai Kickboxing. Rusev was also a powerlifter at one point. But it appears as though WWE wants to keep Brock Lesnar as a heel and Rusev has seemingly been typecast as a permanent heel at this point. It just doesn't seem very logical to put Rusev against Lesnar.
 
Briefly known as a "Paul Heyman Guy", former WWE United States Champion Cesaro is another Superstar who may draw comparisons to Lesnar. Cesaro has been described as freakishly strong and could match Lesnar in terms of sheer strength. Cesaro is also regarded as one of the best pure in-ring workers on WWE's entire roster right now. He combines brute strength with deadly technical wrestling skills. But again, much like Dolph Ziggler, Cesaro has been booked to lose many of his matches. If Cesaro were to face Lesnar, he may put up a good fight, but in the end, Lesnar should defeat Cesaro by all rights.
 
The Great Khali stands at 7'1" and weighs nearly 370 pounds and is a former World Heavyweight Champion. But Khali has been used as a comedy act for the majority of his career now and is nowhere near being the monster he was when he first debuted in 2006 and waged war against The Undertaker. Lesnar would quickly dispose of "The Punjabi Playboy" with a thunderous F-5.
 
Big E is a former Intercontinental Champion and is one of the few Superstars who might actually be physically stronger than Brock Lesnar, although Lesnar would still have a considerable height advantage. Lesnar's overwhelming experience advantage would also come into play, and quite frankly, Big E hasn't picked up any earth-shattering victories so far in his career. Lesnar should defeat Big E, and rather easily.
 
Jack Swagger is a former United States, ECW, and World Heavyweight Champion. He also relies heavily on his amateur wrestling background and could potentially match Lesnar in an amateur wrestling match. But Lesnar's UFC/MMA background, combined with his experience and overall physical superiority would surely mean a victory for Lesnar over the former All-American from Perry, Oklahoma.
 
"The Lunatic Fringe" Dean Ambrose is like a wild animal. The former United States Champion has shown that he can put up a good fight and potentially pick up a victory against any Superstar on any given night. But Ambrose has also tasted his fair share of defeat in singles matches and it seems unlikely that he could beat Lesnar, at least in a regular match.
 
Wade "Bad News" Barrett could be an interesting match for Brock Lesnar... if built up properly. The former four-time Intercontinental Champion has proven that he can be an absolutely vicious and deadly competitor, especially in high-profile matches. In terms of pure fighting skills, the former Bare-Knuckle Boxing Champion from England might be one of a handful of Superstars who could physically stand toe-to-toe with Brock Lesnar and throw punches. But Barrett has not been made to look like a truly unstoppable force like Brock Lesnar. It would take a considerable amount of time and effort to build Barrett up to that level, although there doesn't seem to be any reason why it couldn't be done if WWE officials wanted to.
 
The current "Mr. Money In The Bank" Seth Rollins has been on a hot streak as of late and has proven himself as a highly proficient and skilled competitor inside the squared circle. Rollins seems to have all the tools of a main event Superstar, but if Lesnar can destroy The Undertaker and John Cena, what does that say about Seth's chances against "The Anomaly"?
 
From a physical size and strength standpoint, as well as a proven track record, there is one Superstar who may be equal to Brock Lesnar. The former six-time WWE World Champion, "The Animal" Dave Batista. It's the dream match that fans have talked about for more than a decade now. Much like Lesnar, Batista has crossed paths with WWE's elite Superstars over his illustrious career and has tasted victory more often than not. Batista has picked up victories over John Cena, Triple H, The Undertaker, Kane, Mark Henry, Shawn Michaels, and countless others. Batista also has a background in mixed martial arts fighting and streetfighting, although his MMA background does not compare to Lesnar's. Still though, if there's one Superstar who could be considered equal to Lesnar in virtually every way, it would have to be Dave Batista.
 
"The Viper" Randy Orton is a 12-time WWE World Champion and is one of the most accomplished Superstars in WWE history. Much like John Cena and Dave Batista, Orton is a Superstar who seems to have a victory over virtually every major star he has faced over the years. Orton has demonstrated that he can be inhumanly sadistic and merciless. He would need these characteristics to stand a chance against Brock Lesnar. And one major advantage that Orton has over his opponents is his RKO finishing maneuver, which can quite literally strike from out of nowhere. Orton would be a difficult test for Lesnar, but once again, if Lesnar can destroy The Undertaker and John Cena like he has, it very well could be that The Viper would be no match for The Beast.
 
Despite the substantial size and strength difference, another interesting match for Brock Lesnar would be the former three-time WWE World Champion, Daniel Bryan. As crazy as it may sound, Daniel Bryan very well could be the only Superstar who is in Lesnar's league at this point in terms of being impossible to defeat. Daniel Bryan has defeated John Cena, Triple H, Dave Batista, Randy Orton, and Kane over the past year. Leading up to WrestleMania 30 and even at WrestleMania, Daniel Bryan was made to look like the one guy who was simply impossible to beat. This would be a classic and perfect example of The Irresistible Force (Bryan) meeting The Immovable Object (Lesnar). The Guy Who Can't Be Stopped vs... The Guy Who Can't Be Stopped. Although Daniel Bryan could not be pinned or made to submit, it was proven that he is not superhuman, as he finally suffered a neck injury that has kept him out of action for the past few months and will end up keeping him out for an unspecified amount of time. It seems as though Bryan would probably put up a good fight against Lesnar, but in the end, Lesnar might end up hurting Daniel Bryan, pure and simple.
 
Finally, there's Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. A match between Lesnar and The Rock for the Title at WrestleMania would be nothing short of epic. But Lesnar has already defeated The Rock in the past at SummerSlam 2002 for the WWE Undisputed Championship. As great as The Rock is in the ring, Lesnar would still have the advantage and would still have to be considered the odds-on favorite to win. If for no other reason than the fact that Lesnar has far more in-ring time than The Rock at this point.
 
There's a lot of other Superstars on the main roster and in the NXT developmental territory, but the point is that WWE has not only made Lesnar look too strong, but they've made the rest of the roster look inferior to him. The roster already looked inferior to John Cena, and now Cena has been made to look inferior to Lesnar.
 
Think about that for a moment: John Cena is the guy who beats everybody and always wins 99.99% of his matches, and yet he got absolutely destroyed by Brock Lesnar. Cena has defeated just about everybody on the roster at one time or another, and for everybody that he's ever defeated, Cena just got demolished and squashed by Brock Lesnar.
 
If it would have been a competitive, back-and-forth match, one could assume that John Cena or some other top-level Superstar might have a chance of eventually defeating Lesnar. But the fact that Lesnar dominated roughly 98% of the match, just like he did against The Undertaker, makes it hard to imagine who could physically match up to The Beast. That's not to say that somebody, like a Roman Reigns or a Cesaro or a Bad News Barrett, couldn't be built up to Lesnar's level over the next eight months leading up to WrestleMania, but it would have to be a truly meteoric rise. As of right now, it would appear as though there are only two Superstars who would physically give Lesnar a run for his money: Daniel Bryan, who is injured, or Dave Batista, who is virtually identical to Lesnar in many ways.
 
Who do YOU think could possibly challenge Brock Lesnar for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship? Who has what it takes to stand up to Paul Heyman's "Beast Incarnate"?
 

Tags: #wwe #brock lesnar #paul heyman #columns

⚡ Explore WNS


Jump To Comments

Popular Tags

Popular Articles

Share Article

Follow WNS

 

 Follow us on X @WNSource 

 Follow us on Instagram & THREADS

 LIKE us on Facebook 

 

⚡ News tip? Email ben@wrestlingnewssource.com 

 

https://wrestlr.me/35714/  
Adding comments is disabled due to age of article.
 

© 2006-2024 wrestlingnewssource.com

All rights reserved. All other trademarks, logos, video, likeness and copyrights are the property of their respective owners.
Terms of Service · Privacy Policy · Π