Like it or not, the former UFC heavyweight champ appears to be a major part of WWE's plans for the upcoming road to WrestleMania 42. Here's how to best make it work.
Make no mistake about it, Brock Lesnar — although his name has been clouded by controversy in recent years — is still, without question, one of the last great box-office attractions in professional wrestling. He is the type of performer whose very name, whispered in a rumor, sends a ripple of electricity through fanbases. If you doubt that, you only have to look at what happened this past weekend at Wrestlepalooza, WWE’s debut premium live event on ESPN. The building was jam-packed. The atmosphere was molten. And the match that carried the most weight — the bout splashed across posters, trailers and billboards — was the “final” encounter between Lesnar and John Cena.
The people pouring into Indianapolis knew exactly why they were there. The company stacked the lineup with quality, but if you stopped a fan in the concourse and asked what they had come to see, the answer was obvious. Two matches stood above the rest. One was a mixed-tag spectacle. The other was "The Beast Incarnate" colliding one more time with the greatest of all time. That storyline — the promise that this was the last time two icons would share the ring — was the beating heart of Wrestlepalooza.
Right now, Cena’s career is ticking down. He has only five dates left in his WWE journey, and that doesn’t mean five matches — it means five appearances. Crown Jewel will see him on Oct. 11. He’ll show up on "WWE Raw" in Boston on Nov. 10 and again in New York a week later. He’ll lace up for Survivor Series: WarGames in San Diego on Nov. 29. And then, at Saturday Night’s Main Event in Washington, D.C. on Dec. 13, he’ll take his final bow.
With so little time left, a full-scale feud with Lesnar seems improbable. But does that slam the door on Cena getting his long-awaited payback? Not at all — in fact, it might come under the double cage of Survivor Series.
Picture this: WarGames. The Vision — Seth Rollins, Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed, and, thanks to Paul Heyman’s surprise appearance at Wrestlepalooza, Brock Lesnar — standing shoulder-to-shoulder inside the steel. Across from them: CM Punk, The Usos and John Cena. The visual alone sells itself.
Imagine the roar when Lesnar is released from his cage, when he storms into the fray as the final entrant, tossing bodies like rag-dolls until only Cena remains standing. That would not just be a WarGames match. That would be one of the most-hyped WarGames clashes in WWE history. And in the end, the result wouldn’t even matter. Whether the babyfaces managed to topple The Vision, or whether Lesnar’s side rolled through them with brute force, the anticipation and the spectacle would be the true victory.
Afterward, as the dust settles from WarGames, Lesnar doesn’t need to linger on weekly TV. The beauty of "The Beast" is that his appearances are rare, and each one matters. WarGames becomes his closing chapter with Cena, giving Cena the shot at revenge he’s chased for a decade. But that payoff also clears the lane for Lesnar’s next collision course. The story shifts from old business with Cena to new business — who can possibly stop Brock Lesnar when he’s on a tear?
When you book Lesnar, you have to understand what he is and what he is not. He is not a regular roster member. He is not someone you plug in every Monday and Friday. He is not interchangeable with the men who grind week after week. Lesnar is an attraction. He is a special event. He is the modern-day Andre the Giant.
In the old territory days, when Paul Boesch was promoting Houston Wrestling, putting Andre’s name on the card guaranteed a sellout. Fans didn’t need to know who else was on the bill; Andre was enough. Part of his appeal was that he only came around once or twice a year. That rarity made his presence seismic. Brock Lesnar is the 21st-century equivalent. The less you see him, the more he matters. The moment you start using him like anyone else, you lose the magic.
When Lesnar returned to the ring this past Saturday, he looked more monstrous than ever. His frame was carved, his shoulders wide as a door frame, his arms like tree trunks. Maybe it’s the Saskatchewan elk meat he’s eating, but the man looked like he'd rolled back the clock. And more than any other performer in WWE today, when "The Beast" emerges from the curtain, he doesn’t just enter an arena — he invades it. He brings with him an aura of danger and authenticity. That is what separates him.
That aura is backed by credentials few can match. Lesnar has always been a freak athlete. He was the NCAA Division I wrestling champion, dominating college mats. When he first left WWE, he didn’t sit at home — he went to Japan and became IWGP Heavyweight Champion. He pursued pro football, making it all the way to the final cut of the Minnesota Vikings despite never playing a down of college ball. And then, in his fourth professional MMA fight, he walked into the Octagon and dismantled Randy Couture, one of the greatest fighters of all time, to win the UFC heavyweight championship. That combination of achievements across sports is unmatched. It’s what makes his WWE character more than just smoke and mirrors. When Lesnar hits you, when he throws someone across the ring, it doesn’t just look real. It is real.
That’s why his infamous 2014 destruction of Cena at SummerSlam landed so hard. It wasn’t laughed off. It wasn’t dismissed as cartoonish. It felt like reality bleeding into wrestling. Fans knew that in a legitimate fight, Lesnar could absolutely crush Cena, and that knowledge made the match terrifyingly believable. That is the secret of "The Beast": Unpredictability. You never know if the match will go long or short, if he’ll end it in minutes or drag it into carnage. That fear keeps fans glued to every second.
So what next? The road to WrestleMania 42 opens with January's Royal Rumble, and there is no match better suited for Lesnar. The Rumble is a theater of chaos, and Lesnar thrives in chaos. He could reprise his 2020 performance, clearing the ring with terrifying dominance until a young star shocks the world by eliminating him. That one moment could create a career overnight. Someone like NXT Champion Oba Femi, if promoted soon to the WWE main roster, could skyrocket into superstardom by being the man to dump Lesnar over the top rope. That’s the kind of rub that no number of scripted victories can replicate.
A loss like that doesn’t weaken Lesnar — it repositions him. Femi eliminating Lesnar is the type of meteoric moment that shocks fans, but it also leaves Lesnar's character hungry and dangerous. He isn’t a man who accepts humiliation lightly, and being tossed out of the Rumble becomes the trigger that drives him to the 2026 Elimination Chamber. That’s the perfect environment: Confined, violent, and chaotic — exactly the kind of arena where Lesnar thrives. And it gives WWE a chance to layer in more intrigue.
Picture the Chamber stacked: CM Punk, Lesnar, Gunther, Jey Uso, Femi and LA Knight. Six men, six different motives. The Chamber lets Lesnar go after Femi, spar with Uso, and, most importantly, finally square off with CM Punk in a way we haven’t seen since their SummerSlam 2013 classic. But the pivotal moment comes when Lesnar and Gunther — two immovable objects — finally collide. Their clash shakes the Chamber, and their all-out brawl leads to both men taking each other out of contention to win an opportunity at the World Heavyweight Championship. That one night plants the seed. Fans leave not talking about the result of the match, but desperate to see Lesnar vs. Gunther one-on-one. That’s the hook that carries you into WrestleMania 42.
By the time the road hits Las Vegas, the path is crystal clear. Cena was the unfinished business. Femi was the shocker. The Chamber gave fans a taste of Punk and "The Beast." Now the main course is ready: Gunther vs. Lesnar, a match that feels inevitable after months of near-misses and unfinished encounters.
WWE originally had plans to stage it at WrestleMania 40 before legal issues forced Lesnar to the sidelines. Fans haven’t forgotten. Gunther, like Lesnar, projects legitimacy. His chops reverberate through arenas. He turned the Intercontinental Championship into the workhorse crown it was always meant to be. He gave the World Heavyweight Championship weight and dignity when it risked being overshadowed. Gunther is more than a champion holding belts; he is a champion in spirit. He feels like a man whose very presence makes titles more important.
A WrestleMania 42 collision in April 2026 between Lesnar and Gunther would be a throwback to an era of violent, bruising authenticity. No flash. No excess. Just brutality and physicality at the highest level. The anticipation of seeing those two titans test one another would sell WrestleMania in Las Vegas before a single ticket was purchased.
Of course, the chorus of criticism will hum in the background. The internet wrestling community complains that Lesnar’s matches are repetitive. They gripe about suplexes and F5s. But what exactly do they expect? Do they want him performing top-rope dives? Should he risk another shooting star press like the one that nearly broke his neck at WrestleMania 19? Since he is a proud Canadian now, should he hit a Destroyer? The issue is that isn’t Lesnar, and that isn’t what fans want. Fans want "Suplex City." They want to see bodies launched, commentators crushed, legends broken. They want to see the F5 leave even the strongest opponent flat. Brock Lesnar is exactly what he says he is: The alpha male of our species.
And here’s the truth — Lesnar does elevate others. Look back. His SummerSlam 2013 war with CM Punk remains one of his finest matches, and Punk came out looking like every bit the equal of "The Beast." His Survivor Series matches against AJ Styles, Daniel Bryan and Rey Mysterio, and even his Universal Championship clash with Finn Bálor at the 2019 Royal Rumble, all told the same story: The smaller men stood toe-to-toe with the monster, and in doing so, their stature and credibility soared. His feud with Cody Rhodes this past year was pivotal. Rhodes was already hot, but Lesnar solidified him. By standing across from "The Beast," Rhodes became undeniable.
Lesnar may be part-time. He may be selective. He may want the biggest check for the fewest dates. But when he’s inside those ropes, he still puts on the boots and works as hard as anyone alive. He bumps. He sells. He throws his body around the ring for the good of the story. That willingness to give, when he chooses to, is what has made his second run — dating back to 2012 — one of the greatest stretches of any performer in wrestling history.
We cannot forget that Lesnar ended The Undertaker’s streak at WrestleMania 30, a feat no one else can ever replicate. He has carried the Universal Championship in reigns of dominance. He has spanned generations, fighting The Rock and Kurt Angle in one era, then Roman Reigns and Rhodes in another. His career since 2012 could stand on its own as a Hall of Fame résumé. Add in everything before, and you’re looking at a once-in-a-lifetime figure.
The formula for Lesnar has always been simple, and simplicity is what makes it brilliant. You don’t overexpose him. You book him sparingly, and when he appears, you let him dominate. You build mystique around him. And when the time is right, you let him give the rub to the next great babyface. He did it for Rhodes. He could do it for someone like Femi. He could do it opposite Gunther on the grandest stage.
If Lesnar enters WarGames, he will sell out the building. If he steps into the Royal Rumble, fans will pay just to see who dares eliminate him. If he stomps into Elimination Chamber, the internet will buzz over his faceoffs with Punk and Gunther. And if his name is printed on a WrestleMania 42 card, his match instantly becomes one of the most anticipated of the weekend. He is wrestling’s last true great attraction, and he must be treated as such.
So how do you book "The Beast" in the twilight of his career, coming off his clash with Cena at Wrestlepalooza? The same way you always have. You let him be the conqueror. You let him be the storm. You let him be the alpha male. You use him to destroy until the moment arrives for him to give a babyface a defining win. And when that moment comes, as it always does, Lesnar will once again prove why he has been worth every dollar, every headline, every controversy, and every cheer and jeer for the last two decades.
Until then, the mantra never changes. Eat. Sleep. Conquer. Repeat.
Category: General Sports
