Monday, October 19, 2020

Three Things WWE Needs to Get Brock Lesnar Back

 

About a month ago, I tried to apply as a pro wrestling writer for Sportskeeda. One of the editors, an Indian, asked me to write an article about how WWE needs to get Brock Lesnar back. Unfortunately, my application was turned down. Nevertheless, I would still like to thank them for giving me the opportunity.
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Nowadays, Brock Lesnar is undoubtedly one of the biggest draws, not only in WWE, but to the world of mixed martial arts as well. As you may all know, his WWE contract expired last August 31 without the two sides agreeing to terms of a new deal. That means he is now a free agent and he can appear on any pro wrestling or MMA promotion whenever or wherever he wishes.

However, if Brock goes to a rival promotion like AEW, return to UFC or go to Bellator, WWE will certainly lose one of its top stars. So here are three elements WWE needs to bring Brock Lesnar back to the company, because I believe one element alone would not suffice. Please note that I am not an expert in the pro wrestling business, but at least I have knowledge, so please bear with me.

A Big Money Contract

First of all, the most important element we need is to have a lucrative contract, one that Brock cannot refuse. As you know, since Wrestlemania 36 Brock has been stuck in Saskatchewan, Canada, where he currently lives, and is unable to go to Orlando down south due to COVID-19 restrictions. He is basically living off the money he earned during his comeback 8 years ago, not to mention the royalties he received from his merchandise sales, which has also been recently pulled out since his merchandise deal was also expired.  .

Currently, Brock is earning $10 million despite being part time. In order for Brock to return, WWE needs to retain the current paycheck or increase it a bit (i.e. 11 or 12 million), since there are lot of personnel who were laid off during the pandemic, but that would still depend on the revenue they receive in order to pay Brock a ton of money. WWE should even make it at least a 60/40 share in merchandise sales in order to add up Brock's salary.

Absolute Creative Control

The second element we need to talk about is creative control. Prior to the expiration of his contract, Brock has absolute creative control on his character--virtually untouchable from anyone, including Vince McMahon. if WWE would retain that creative clause to the contract, he will certainly return. If he does, I cannot wait to see whether he returns as Paul Heyman's guy on RAW or go to SmackDown to fight Roman Reigns for Paul's managerial services.

Return To MMA

The third and final element we need for Brock's return is to have a special clause on the contract that allows Brock to fight in the UFC, or possibly Bellator. There are numerous opponents who either want to fight Brock, or being opened up by either Dana White or Scott Coker to be his potential opponents: guys like Daniel Cormier (who will certainly come out of retirement), Jon Jones, Vitor Belfort and even the legendary Fedor Emelianenko. However, in order to pull this off, Brock must first join the USADA pool again and be cleared. In addition, he must convince his wife Sable to continue fighting in the Octagon or in a Bellator cage, as she was reportedly not a fan of mixed martial arts.

So there you have it: three elements I my opinion WWE needs to get Brock Lesnar back to the company. However, with Brock being a master negotiator, I firmly believe he will return to WWE regardless of the elements I outlined above. He is known for capitalizing the climate of the company to negotiate strong deals in the past, and he will definitely use it again on his return. Once this pandemic is over, and WWE is back in holding live events again, Brock will surely let Vince know if he is ready to work again. Then and only then Vince will present Brock a new deal.

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