WWE's Original Plan For Roman Reigns Vs. Brock Lesnar Revealed

New details on Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns following SummerSlam 2021.

Roman Reigns Brock Lesnar
WWE.com

Brock Lesnar returned to WWE at SummerSlam 2021 this past weekend, confronting Roman Reigns after the Universal Champion's successful defence over John Cena in the pay-per-view main event.

This was the first time Lesnar has appeared on camera since WrestleMania 37. He dropped the WWE Championship to Drew McIntyre there, then elected to sit out through the COVID-19 pandemic, technically becoming a free agent as his contract expired in the summer of 2020.

A WWE return always looked Lesnar's likeliest next step, however - and it happened earlier than many expected.

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Per Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, WWE originally planned on having Reigns and Lesnar square off at WrestleMania 39 in 2023. Instead, they ended up having the Beast come back for SummerSlam, seemingly pulling the trigger on the feud almost two years in advance.

There's currently no word on when, exactly, Reigns vs. Lesnar will go down. WWE's upcoming pay-per-view schedule is as follows:-

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- 26 September: Extreme Rules 2021 (Columbus, Ohio)

- 21 October: Crown Jewel 2021 (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia)

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- 21 November: Survivor Series (Brooklyn, New York)

While WWE is yet to announce anything, there could be some fallout from Lesnar and Reigns' face-to-face on this week's SmackDown.

Channel Manager
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Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.