WWE News: What Fans Missed Out On When Vince McMahon Cut Brock Lesnar Segment Short On ‘RAW’
This past Monday night on RAW should have featured a homecoming celebration for the Beast Incarnate, Brock Lesnar. Unfortunately, the angle that Vince McMahon and the WWE creative team came up with turned Lesnar and Paul Heyman’s moment into an awkward and confusing segment of television.
As we discovered on Tuesday, an irate Vince decided to cut their segment short after the Minnesota crowd failed to play along with Heyman’s promo. In any other town the angle may have worked, but because Lesnar is from Minnesota, the audience obviously wanted to cheer for their hometown hero. Vince’s plan was to have Heyman entice the crowd into cheering for Goldberg, but they flat out did not cooperate.
Instead, the majority of the crowd chanted, “Goldberg sucks!” and Heyman and Lesnar appeared caught off guard. What’s surprising is that Heyman didn’t call an audible and change the course of the promo, seeing how he has the creative freedom and Vince’s blessing to do so. When it became clearer that Paul couldn’t right the ship, Vince blew a gasket backstage and had Lesnar’s music play, signaling an abrupt end to the proceedings.
It was revealed that Vince pulled the plug before the segment was supposed to conclude as originally scripted. Many people were left wondering what else was planned to come out of the promo, and now we know. According to Cageside Seats, the plan was for Heyman to announce that the Brock Lesnar vs. Goldberg match would take place next month at Survivor Series.
That has been the backstage report over the last two weeks, but it was to be made official on RAW this past Monday night. Instead, because Vince cut things short, the WWE ended up announcing the match on their Twitter page on Tuesday, confirming the news during Tuesday’s episode of SmackDown Live.
If you recall, earlier this month we reported that Vince initially felt that Goldberg wouldn’t be a big enough draw as Brock Lesnar’s opponent at WrestleMania. That spot has been reserved for Shane McMahon and the reason WWE decided to book the Goldberg-Lesnar match at Survivor Series instead. Vince felt betrayed and let down the last time Goldberg and Lesnar stepped in the ring together, and Monday’s proceedings certainly didn’t help.
Goldberg’s appearance and promo last week on RAW changed a lot of people’s minds backstage, including Vince’s. It’s been reported that the former WCW star would be brought in only to put Lesnar over at Survivor Series and that would be it. However, the tone has changed, and WWE officials have already begun the courting process of having him stay, at least through WrestleMania.
That isn’t to say the two would engage in battle again, but Goldberg certainly has a lot of drawing power left. Look no further than the past two weeks worth of RAW ratings for proof. The night Goldberg came back drew far better numbers than this past Monday with an advertised return of Lesnar to his old stomping grounds of Minneapolis.
Goldberg is scheduled to appear on next week’s Halloween episode of Monday Night RAW and then not again until November 14. Lesnar is also advertised for that November 14 go-home show, marking the first time the two will be seen face-to-face in the ring before the Survivor Series pay-per-view.
Contrary to many other matches on the next two pay-per-views, Vince and WWE officials have remained steadfast about Lesnar going over in the showdown with Goldberg. But after Monday’s minor failure with Paul Heyman, it will be interesting to watch how the rest of their storyline plays out. This should be a major program and one that Vince can ill afford to let the fans hijack anymore.
[Featured Image by WWE]
