Does Brock Lesnar’s Universal Title Win Signal A Continued Lack Of Creativity In WWE?

Brock Lesnar became the three-time WWE Universal champion when he cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase on Seth Rollins. The moment took place at Extreme Rules on July 14 and while it wasn’t really a shock, the truth is that Brock’s easy win was a bit surprising.

After all, Seth has been heavily presented as the top guy on Raw and his booking has directly affected that. But once again, WWE proved that no one gets over on The Beast Incarnate in the end and now Lesnar is once again the man to beat. So did Brock’s win come at the right time, or is it just the latest example of WWE’s lack of creativity?

Brock is one of this generation’s top draws. He’s an attraction in every sense of the word, which is exactly what WWE wants him to be. As much as longtime fans complain about Lesnar’s part-time status, there is no denying that it’s made him a much more valuable commodity in WWE. 

He’s indeed not around all that much, but when he does come around, it means that much more. Brock is presented as a marquee prizefighter it’s a status that he’s definitely made the best of. Fans hate him because he’s an entitled veteran that just doesn’t want to compete. They believe that Lesnar merely wants to take the payday and that he doesn’t care about WWE in the slightest.

Of course that perception is not necessarily reality. It was the company that set out to convince fans that Lesnar wanted nothing to do with the business. It was a strategy designed to get Brock over as a pampered heel and it more than succeeded. Lesnar’s return to the Universal Championship was met with anger, but that was the whole point.

However the question of whether or not all of this is lazy booking, is absolutely valid. It does seem that putting the belt on Lesnar is the easy way out, especially since Brock is often the go-to Superstar to reign as champion. The fact that he’s a draw certainly motivates the decision to give the belt back to him. But is it being done at the expense of more deserving Superstars?

It’s an argument that just never seems to die. If Brock is on top, then he must be taking that spot from a younger talent who’s worked hard to get it. The move surely did not happen because Lesnar is what’s best for business right now. That’s just too easy. WWE wanted to upset the fans and the best way to do that was by handing the championship back to the part-time Beast. Right?

But the main problem with that opinion is that no one can see the endgame right now. It appears that Lesnar is back on top for no good reason, but what if that’s not the case? What if there’s something more ahead for Lesnar? Fans usually assume that the company operates without a plan, but perhaps that’s not the case this time.

So what is the plan? WWE has given no indication that Lesnar will put over a younger talent, thus passing the torch to the next generation. In fact, the complete opposite has happened with Paul Heyman’s client. When Lesnar faces one of today’s Superstars, he almost always goes over. Of course Lesnar goes over on nearly everyone he faces, though the established stars give him a run for his money. 

But much of the drama surrounding Brock Lesnar revolved around who would eventually take him down. The suspense of the chase was paramount to making Lesnar’s character a success. Fans believed that one day, he would be toppled and the man that did it would go on to bigger things. Of course once it became obvious that wasn’t in the cards, some fans tapped out.

So if WWE does not intend on pairing Lesnar with the next big name, then what is the next course of action? Are fans indeed looking at another veteran versus veteran main event? Could The Rock finally return to the ring for another one-on-one with Lesnar? Or will WWE perhaps go to Triple H again? Does any of this even remotely interest WWE fans?

The problem here is that fans have seen all of this before. It’s happened so many times now that it’s become painfully routine. The WWE faithful knows this bit better than the company ever gives them credit for. Brock is the man on top again because of course he is. That’s how many view this and that opinion is not changing any time soon. Lesnar is a moneymaker and there is no denying that. But he’s also a predictable act and there’s no denying that either. 

But even Lesnar’s most ardent critics were perhaps ready to move on from Seth Rollins versus Baron Corbin. Of course whether or not that stale feud needed to he replaced with a recycled storyline, is up for debate. It seems that WWE always goes with one or the other. In this case, it’s hard to know what the eventual outcome will be.

If WWE has no plans of building a new star against Brock Lesnar, then the alternative is The Beast versus the legend of the month. Fans are very familiar with both scenarios and neither seem to be all that desirable. Maybe putting the Universal Championship on Brock was indeed the easy way out. But it’s WWE’s way and that’s just how it is.