10 Major Challenges Facing WWE In 2018
4. Beast
The contract decision that added huge intrigue to Brock Lesnar's WrestleMania 31 WWE Title match with Roman Reigns has remarkably resurfaced with 'The Beast' back atop the company as Universal Champion potentially set to do battle with 'The Big Dog' yet again.
In 2015, the decision had major stakes - the company had just a year earlier donated The Undertaker's WrestleMania undefeated streak to the mythology of the Brock Lesnar persona. It had bore early fruits but no more so than Lesnar's decimation of John Cena later that year. For him to leave exactly one year after breaking hearts and 'The Deadman' himself in New Orleans would have seemed disastrous.
Maybe, in fact, it might have preserved his aura.
After losing the strap to a Seth Rollins cash-in, Lesnar's best work in 2015 came against The Undertaker before being shunted into aimless suplex-fests with The Wyatt Family, Dean Ambrose and Randy Orton. Only an subversive programme with Bill Goldberg broke up the monotony.
His displays as Universal Champion in 2017 weren't without their charm, but the dim 'Big Red' realities of his pedestrian victory over Braun Strowman are still being felt today.
Less about 'Should Lesnar stay?', 2018's big question should really be: 'Should WWE even offer him the chance?'