7 Potential Next Steps For Brock Lesnar After UFC 200
Where does Brock Lesnar go from here?
For years now, Brock Lesnar has been touted as the Beast,
the Conqueror, the one guy who is pretty much unbeatable inside a WWE ring.
Unless you kick him in the nuts, that is.
But this weekend, Lesnar took that kayfabe rep to the competitive landscape of the UFC and managed to live up to his billing. After four and a half years away from the action, he defeated Mark Hunt—the organisation’s number nine ranked heavyweight—in a typically dominant fashion.
For Brock, you could argue that it establishes him as a genuine contender. For his lingering demons, it suggests that it may well have been illness, rather than the competition, that defeated him during his previous run. And for his wallet, it shows that he’s become the biggest drawing star in MMA history.
But with a list of accolades as impressive as that, where does Brock go from here?
This article maps out some potential next steps for one of the most gifted athletes of his generation, whatever the shape of the ring he's in.
7. SmackDown
In the aftermath of UFC 200, Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer announced on Wrestling Observer Radio that Brock would be returning to the WWE for the draft show on July 19.
That’s of course a Tuesday and so, while plans may yet change, it appears that Brock’s most immediate next step will be on the set of the SmackDown live debut. Now, that doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll be permanently tied to Tuesdays, but it’s definitely a boost for the show as it looks to stride from out of Raw’s shadow.
In terms of the actual appearance itself, he likely won’t be doing anything special. But after his UFC 200 win, does he really need to?
Expect to see him standing there, looking menacing, while Paul Heyman does the world’s easiest job of talking up his client’s credentials, while the victorious COO who manages to draft Brock celebrates like it’s the fourth of July.
Actually, if last week's food fight was anything to go by, let’s hope that last point is wide of the mark…