The July 21st edition of Monday Night Raw revolved around Triple H’s choice of opponent to face John Cena at SummerSlam 2014. Superstar Randy Orton and rising stars Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, and Seth Rollins were the obvious choices, but each is already locked in a feud. Paul Heyman came to the rescue cutting a convincing promo that made the case for Lesnar vs. Cena at SummerSlam.
It worked. Brock Lesnar sealed his WWE return with a handshake. But does the WWE Universe want Brock Lesnar to have the belt?
It turns out, the answer may be yes! Brock Lesnar’s entrance on Monday Night Raw was met with a huge reaction from the fans in attendance.
Lesnar’s return and the feud with Cena were both spoiled days before the official reveal. Fan’s had plenty of time to consider the news and form a reaction. There has also been some controversy with Lesnar’s return to the WWE.
In March, Lesnar sent shockwaves through the WWE Universe when he beat The Undertaker at Wrestlemania and ended Taker’s 21 year Wrestlemania winning streak. The loss was unpopular among wrestling fans, in no small part because Lesnar is a part-time wrestler and some saw him as unworthy of the honor of ending the streak.
Lesnar’s post-Wrestlemania return was widely expected to be met with boos from the crowd. So why was Lesnar’s announcement as number one contender so well received?
Just for the record, on this Thursday, I’d like to remind u #MyClientBrockLesnarConqueredTheStreak @WWE @BrockLesnar pic.twitter.com/qCjLGfBr1R
— Paul Heyman (@HeymanHustle) May 1, 2014
The answer goes back to May 2014 when fan favorite and then world champion Daniel Bryan had to step away from the WWE because of neck and shoulder injuries . The development forced a change of plans, which included giving the belt to John Cena.
While Cena is still popular among wrestling fans, there have been signs that the 15 time champion’s appeal has waned in recent years. Further complicating matters is Cena’s filming schedule for the upcoming Judd Apatow film , Trainwreck.
There was speculation that Roman Reigns would be given the contender push instead of Lesnar, but those rumors proved false. At least for now. It’s possible that the WWE is playing a long game with the championship. It’s equally possible that the Lesnar v Cena match will not involve the title at all.
As Wrestlezone noted, the leaked promotional video made no mention of the championship being on the line during the upcoming SummerSlam match. There are four episodes of Smackdown and three episodes of the flagship show Monday Night Raw before SummerSlam airs on August 17th. Whether or not the title is at stake, Brock Lesnar is expected to win the SummerSlam match.
Will you watch SummerSlam? Does Lesnar deserve the belt?
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