12 Biggest "What If" Scenarios In WWE WrestleMania History
6. WrestleMania 20: What If Brock Doesn’t Leave WWE?
Brock Lesnar’s initial run in WWE was a brief supernova: He entered right after WrestleMania X8 and raced up the card, winning the Undisputed WWE Championship that summer. He won the title back at WrestleMania 19 in a stellar main event against Kurt Angle. One year later, Brock was jobbing to Goldberg as both men left the company, with Lesnar bailing to pursue a career in the NFL.
In reality, Lesnar was burned out by the grind of WWE and wanted out. He would flame out in the NFL and compete briefly in Japan before embarking on a celebrated career in MMA. When he returned to WWE in 2012, he was a larger-than-life killing machine, a legit attraction would commanded large audiences and an even larger payday every time he appeared. He has won seven more World titles since returning.
But what if Brock didn’t leave to chase a long-shot NFL career? Surely, he would have beaten Goldberg, who was leaving WWE regardless, at WrestleMania 20. He would have remained a top contender for a world title, likely wanting revenge on Eddie Guerrero for taking his title at No Way Out, or challenging Chris Benoit in a gritty battle for his World Heavyweight Championship.
John Cena had been a thorn in Brock’s side but hadn’t yet reached the same level of success. Having won the United States Championship at WrestleMania 20, Cena was on the rise and could have posed a more serious threat in 2004-05 to Lesnar.
Had Brock stayed in WWE – even for a couple years before burning out – there’s a good chance he never would have gone into MMA, which would have greatly diminished a return to the company in the 2010s. Even as a badass former World champion, Lesnar would have lacked the impact of being a former UFC champ and lost that aura.