On last week’s Friday Night SmackDown , Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar made an appearance to announce that the WWE Champion was quitting the blue brand and moving to Monday Night Raw . The storyline reason for Lesnar changing shows was so that he could get revenge on Rey Mysterio for attacking him at Crown Jewel . However, Corey Graves has revealed a possible backstage reason for the decision.
Speaking on WWE’s After the Bell podcast, via WrestleTalk , Graves speculated that the company’s decision for relocating Lesnar was because of Heyman. On top being Lesnar’s manager, Heyman is the executive director of Monday Night Raw. Graves believes that the “Beast Incarnate” changed rosters because it’s more convenient for both parties.
“Selfishly, I hate [that Lesnar moved to Raw ] because I am a massive Brock Lesnar fan. Love calling his matches, love watching what he does, but he has made the choice to stick to the red brand on Monday nights probably to save his advocate some travel. That would be my guess because Brock is a benevolent human being if nothing else.”
However, Bray Wyatt moving to Friday Night SmackDown is another factor that could have influenced WWE’s decision. As The Inquisitr previously reported, the former Monday Night Raw superstar beat Seth Rollins for the Universal Championship at Crown Jewel , which left the red brand without a champion.
Earlier this year, WrestleVotes tweeted that FOX wanted Wyatt to be moved to the blue brand after being impressed with his character and performances. Heyman supposedly wanted to keep Wyatt on Monday Night Raw , but FOX has significant influence over WWE as the company paid $1 billion to acquire the blue brand show.
Dear @WWE fans and even non- #WWE fans … the next time someone tries to tell you (or anyone else) they are in #BeastMode , tell them #GFY . My client @BrockLesnar is the very definition of #BeastMode ! Thank you. Please enjoy the rest of your day! pic.twitter.com/7WmGoSnA5r
— Paul Heyman (@HeymanHustle) October 3, 2019
As Sportskeeda reported in October, FOX reportedly wanted Lesnar on Friday Night SmackDown, as well. The network wants the show to adopt a more sports-centric approach to wrestling, and Lesnar’s UFC history gives him an edge in that regard.
However, the report also stated that the network wanted “The Beast” because Ronda Rousey is currently absent from WWE television. Now that Lesnar has moved shows, perhaps Rousey is close to making her in-ring comeback.
Regardless of which show Lesnar competes on, he’s only required to show up sporadically throughout the year, according to his contract. While he’s made frequent appearances in recent weeks, the part-time nature of his current WWE deal ensures that fans shouldn’t get used to seeing him around.
Lesnar will face Rey Mysterio at this month’s Survivor Series , which will likely be his last match for the rest of the year.