Posted in: Mr. Tito
MR. TITO STRIKES BACK - WWE Should Sign Brock Lesnar to an Extension and More Dates - They Need Him!
By Mr. Tito
Sep 9, 2017 - 1:19:21 AM

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Welcome back to Mr. Tito STRIKES BACK exclusively here at LordsofPain.net / WrestlingHeadlines.com. Before we get into some wrasslin' stuff, please take a moment and consider donating to the Red Cross (click here), as the victims of the last 2 Hurricanes need your help. They also need your prayers for their safety and that their personal property and belongings aren't damaged that much. I don't know what else more to do other than donating myself, providing a link to donate, and maybe, just maybe, providing something to read on a Smartphone/Tablet as an escape. If you're enduring this Hurricane season and reading this right now, I wish you the absolute best during and after these storms.

So I looked at the WWE RAW ratings...

Oh...

My...

God...

Here's the deal, folks. Brock Lesnar when wrestling in SERIOUS feuds where's (a) engaged and (b) selling that his opponent is a legitimate threat, HE DRAWS. What is consistent about Lesnar's feuds with Bill Goldberg, Samoa Joe, and then his Fatal 4 Way feud from SummerSlam? Those feuds boosted WWE's viewership numbers above what RAW does without him. This past week's RAW was "stacked" with another John Cena vs. Roman Reigns and a hyped-in-advance Cage Match between Big Show vs. Braun Strowman and we did "under" 3 million viewers again. There was no Lesnar on this show, whatsoever.

Note that I said "serious" feud. If you go back to 2016, wrestling fans appeared not to care about Brock Lesnar's feud with Dean Ambrose at Wrestlemania 31 while the feud and match with Randy Orton was a letdown. Between SummerSlam 2016 and November, there was significant fan erosion... Then, Bill Goldberg showed up and we were promised a rematch of their Wrestlemania 20 match. Lesnar began to act like he was a legitimate threat and Goldberg/Lesnar SHOCKED the world with their surprising finish. Suddenly, viewership went back up.

Brock Lesnar's 3 year contract is set to expire at Wrestlemania 34. Thus, when Roman Reigns pins him at that event, it's no more Lesnar in the WWE unless he re-signs. Reportedly, Lesnar is showing interest in another Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) feud and like he did during 2015, Brock flirted with a MMA return then as well. The result? WWE gave him a 3 year deal worth $9 million guaranteed with very limited dates. Just like during 2015, Vince McMahon wants his hand selected guy, Roman Reigns, to potentially drive the final stake into Brock Lesnar's WWE career when the contract expires.

I'm here today to suggest that the WWE should sign an extension for Brock Lesnar ASAP and actually PAY HIM MORE MONEY. Of course, that will come with strings attached... More television dates. He doesn't have to wrestle... He just needs to exist on the show and act like a King. Lesnar is the #1 star of the WWE right now and at $3 million per year, he's underpaid. WWE Network, in my opinion, would be struggling without him as a special attraction for Pay Per Views. The period between Wrestlemania 33 and July 2017 was rough for the WWE... "Under" 3 million consistently and what was the common thread? No Brock Lesnar! He won the freakin' WWE Universal Title yet you didn't see him on the show at all... Not even an appearance. He doesn't have to wrestle, he just needs to exist on the show. The numbers show that fans want to see Lesnar.

The WWE keeps looking for the "next Cena" when they have something bigger right now, Brock Lesnar.

Tell me where you're going to get another guy who is a legitimate drawing WWE star, former NCAA Heavyweight Champion, former UFC Heavyweight Champion, and former New Japan Champion. That person doesn't exist and never will exist. Furthermore, he's legitimately one of the most dangerous persons in the world in terms of hand-to-hand combat. To have that on your roster is priceless...

Sorry, but Braun Strowman, Roman Reigns, Jinder Mahal, and others don't have those real accomplishments. Lesnar is 100% real and the fans know that if he went rogue inside the ring, he could kill anyone in that wrestling ring. You cannot manufacture that credibility. When Brock Lesnar slams you with that F5, it looks like it legitimately destroys you. John Cena's Attitude Adjustment? Looks like a bodyslam. Better yet with Lesnar, he's credible naturally. Go back to 2002... His look, brutality, aggression, and talent got him over... He appeared after Wrestlemania 18 and by SummerSlam 2002, fans 100% believed that he should defeat the Rock for the WWE Title. And he did.

Compare Lesnar's early career to Roman Reigns. Roman NEEDS gigantic victories over CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, Randy Orton, Undertaker, & Triple H along with consistent wins over the rest of the WWE roster. He NEEDS those big wins to actually help his career because he's NOTHING without them. Lesnar? Pffft... He's a former UFC, NCAA, New Japan, and WWE Champion... That, and Lesnar has natural in-ring talent to grasp the pro wrestling business even though he doesn't appear to be that fascinated by "sports entertainment". It's "just a job" to him, yet he does a great job. He's very convincing as a tough superstar. Remember that Hulk Hogan birthday segment when Hall, Nash, Flair, and Piper were all in the ring and Lesnar crashed it? You could feel that legitimate fear of those veterans that this dangerous human being could destroy each and every one of those legends.

I'd sign Brock Lesnar to 5 year extension and give him the freedom to fight Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) whenever he wants. And so what if he loses a UFC fight? He's 40 years old now... The fact that he can still compete at a high level on UFC is credible enough. The fact that he was a former UFC Heavyweight Champion and only a sickness truly derailed him cannot be taken away. Ditto for past WWE success and his NCAA Heavyweight Title. That resume cannot be erased.

The numbers are there, folks... Viewership pops when the part-time Brock Lesnar appears AND is in a serious feud. WWE Network would struggle without him, in my opinion.

What I truly like about Brock Lesnar is that he wrestles only a few times a year... If you grew up as a wrestling fan before the WWE/WCW Monday Night Wars, you watched 4-5 Pay Per Views at most. Furthermore, the television shows were full of squash matches and big stars weren't always on those shows. Then you'd look at Survivor Series and main eventers were wrestling in tag matches. To somewhat quote the Brooks Hatlen character from The Shawshank Redemption, "the pro wrestling business went and got itself in a big damn hurry". If you look at the July/August build-up to SummerSlam 2017, the WWE booked Strowman vs. Reigns vs. Joe, Strowman vs. Reigns, and Joe vs. Reigns. Just burning through any Pay Per View opportunies. Big Show vs. Braun Strowman in a Cage Match during RAW... That's a big match to give away for free.

What hurts Roman Reigns is that he's seen on each RAW and wrestling on all 12 monthly Pay Per Views. If anything, the over-exposure magnifies Reigns and doesn't give WWE the ability to hide any of his weaknesses. Do you really think that Hulk Hogan was a great in-ring wrestler? How about Ultimate Warrior? You BARELY got to see them wrestle high profile matches and when you did for one of the few big Pay Per Views, you were so excited to see them wrestle that you actually accepted a subpar match! Seriously, go look at those Hogan and Warriors singles matches. Hogan never had any "Match of the Year" candicates and both guys needed a wrestler such as "Macho Man" Randy Savage to carry them to something decent. Think about the whole MEGA POWERS exploding storyline during 1988... Did you see that storyline or feud unfold weekly? Nope... Just on occasion and it allowed the WWE not to over-expose that storyline.

I LAUGH when I hear people complaining about Brock Lesnar not appearing much as WWE Universal Champion. Sure, there is that "30 Day Rule" that the WWE inconsistently applies and doesn't apply it to Lesnar... I consider it a GIFT when he does wrestle. In fact, it's an honor. Did you not enjoy that Samoa Joe vs. Brock Lesnar feud? Seriously, it drove up interest for WWE Great Balls of Fire. Great Balls of Fire! And then, SummerSlam. Did you not enjoy that Fatal 4 Way of a car crash?

But Brock Lesnar is so good that I'd like to see him more often. As the numbers show, RAW needs him. Even if for the entire show, he just sat in a large throne (like the one in Game of Thrones) and just sits there, staring on... One thing I like about Jinder Mahal is that he often sits in a skybox to view his potential opponents' matches. That's something that Brock Lesnar should be doing. When something pisses him off, he ambushes them in the ring as necessary.

I'm hoping that we get an announcement soon on Brock Lesnar signing an extension. Even if the UFC play is something to get more WWE money, PAY HIM. He's worth it. Unless you can somehow find the "next Cena" or "next Lesnar" among the current crop of wrestlers (maybe Braun Strowman... I don't know), you have to somehow draw NOW. Otherwise, you'll have to keep forcing Roman Reigns and hope that he'll one day figure out how to be that desired Main Eventer. We're more than 3 years in and I just don't see it.

Of course, if Lesnar re-signs with the WWE and still loses to Reigns at Wrestlemania 34, he'll still be over. You cannot erase his resume! If memory serves, many haters thought that Bill Goldberg defeating Lesnar at Survivor Series 2016 would harm Lesnar's heat. Nope. In fact, it made Lesnar stronger. Wrestling BAD feuds like Ambrose or Orton is how you waste Lesnar.

Numbers don't lie... SIGN BROCK LESNAR TO AN EXTENSION!

I want to take more trips to Suplex City and hear more great Paul Heyman promos.

SO JUST CHILL... 'TIL THE NEXT EPISODE!

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