Brock Lesnar Wants WWE Superstars To Step Up, 'Put A**es In Seats'
If only it were that easy Brock, but that's not how WWE works these days.
When you're one of the most protected wrestlers on the roster, it's easy to toss out a common-sense solution for how the next generation of WWE superstars can succeed.
In an interview on The Pat McAfee Show streamed Monday, Brock Lesnar discussed a variety of topics, including the state of WWE and how current wrestlers can get themselves over. Brock debuted in a very different era in 2002, when The Rock, Steve Austin, Kurt Angle, the Undertaker, Triple H and many others were still active. Superstars like Edge, John Cena, Randy Orton and Batista were either just starting out or still finding their footing as singles stars.
Still, the Beast is convinced that today's superstar can become bigger than life in WWE:
"Now I'm the old bastard walking the hall. I look at these young kids and, I don't know. Someone needs to step up. Get over. Figure out how to put asses in seats and not worry about your next high spot. Figure out, 'how the hell can I be different. How the hell can I make money?' That's the business. The young generation thinks that if they go out and do a certain move and they do it over and over, that's not the business. There is a good guy and bad guy like Holyfield and Tyson, mega heavyweight, pitting people against each other, storylines. That's what was fun about me coming back this time, the storyline with Roman Reigns and being with Paul Heyman for 15 years. "
Nothing Brock said is wrong per se, until you think for a second about the current landscape in WWE, where Vince McMahon has taken the mindset that no one is "bigger than the brand," and where booking for anyone not named Brock Lesnar or Roman Reigns is suspect at best. If you aren't one of a select few, your storylines receive nowhere near as much consideration, and your booking is inconsistent at best, tragically embarrassing at worst.
This is the company that screwed up Keith Lee and then released him, along with plenty of other wrestlers in recent years. So while Lesnar's sentiment is right, it doesn't match the reality of today's WWE and the plight of the average superstar.
(h/t to Fightful for the transcription)