7 Ups And 5 Downs From Last Night's WWE Raw (Jan 30)

3. A Wounded Beast

Nobody in the world is better at their job than Paul Heyman is at his. Nobody.

Brock Lesnar was embarrassed at the Royal Rumble. Two months removed from his 85-second loss to Goldberg at Survivor Series, the Beast Incarnate lasted a matter of seconds before the former WCW Champion threw him over the top rope. He had been utterly dominated once again, and rarely has he suffered such regular misfortune in such a short space of time.

Heyman didn't hide from that last night, though. He acknowledged that Lesnar had been humiliated and disgraced, and admitted that maybe - just maybe - Goldberg had his number. Comparing the situation to Andre the Giant's troubles with Hulk Hogan and The Undertaker's with Brock himself, Heyman painted a picture of a wounded, battered Brock Lesnar fighting for his reputation, and challenged Goldberg to one last match at WrestleMania.

There was no Goldberg last night, but it didn't matter. Heyman was in typically magnificent form, and the promo helps paint Lesnar in an entirely new light. He's not the all-conquering monster who can do whatever he pleases without consequences anymore. In Goldberg, Lesnar has met his match, and his greatest nemesis. His old ways aren't working, and he must find new methods if he is to overcome this giant hurdle, which makes this the freshest, most interesting incarnation of Brock Lesnar's character that we've seen in years.