10 Reasons Brock Lesnar Is The Most Hated Man In WWE
8. Hes Allowed Outside Sponsorship
Part of the special consideration WWE provide to Lesnar is that the company allows him to endorse brands not affiliated with them. In other words, hes got his own sponsorship arrangements that dont come approved by Vince McMahon. Thats a nice little additional earner, but more than that: its a perk no other WWE superstar has, and its not like their performers havent been approached by brands in the past. CM Punk has gone on record as saying that he was contacted by plenty of potential sponsors following his 2011 pipebomb promo, and was shot down in flames by the WWE office when he asked for permission. Less than a year later, a returning Lesnar was wearing shorts to the ring with Jimmy Johns and Case IH logos on them. Given that WWE superstars are independent contractors, not employees, its doubtful that WWE can legally prevent them from accepting endorsement opportunities: however, they can certainly derail a push, and have been childish enough to do it in the past over less. Lesnar, on the other hand, gets to wear his sponsors on his ring gear. As far as the fans go, while its doubtful many care about Lesnars endorsement opportunities outside of the ring, the WWEs insistence on promoting the man since his return as a UFC champion and dressing him for the Octagon hasnt gone unnoticed: theyve tacitly put MMA over pro wrestling as the more legit avenue for the more legit tough guy, and plenty of wrestling fans not to mention plenty of wrestlers take exception to that. Tonga Fifita, Rick Rude, Lou Thesz, Danny Hodge the list of professional wrestlers who were and are legitimate tough guys is a long one. Lesnar was over as a fearsome monster long before he joined UFC, and the Undertaker was putting him over clean way back in 2002 when Brock was just a rookie pro wrestler with a good amateur background. The emphasis on Lesnars MMA credentials is unnecessary, buries the tough guys of pro wrestling, and is a lazy shortcut to proper heat.
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