There aren’t very many wrestlers with Brock Leanar’s star power. Some of that owes to who Lesnar is as a legitimate athlete and his persona. Some of that is a direct result of how WWE has used him as a heavily protected talent, used sparingly.
While The Beast probably has years left in his tank as an upper level performer, given his limited dates, it’s reasonable to think that fewer than a dozen current WWE Superstars will work him again or for the first time. This article looks at five choices WWE needs to pair with Lesnar and five not to bother with at this point.
10 10. Needs To Book: Bobby Lashley
Given Brock Lesnar’s unique size, look, and real world credentials, there are few WWE Superstars who come across as credible opponents to him. Bobby Lashley is one of those few.
Lashley hasn’t been booked like a main event level threat much in this most recent tour of duty with the company. His own size, look, and amateur and MMA pedigree make him a near perfect dream match opponent for Lesnar. With the right push, he can look like a legit threat to The Beast, and if the match is kept short and explosive, it could be pretty special.
9 9. Avoid: Lars Sullivan
Lars Sullivan has the size to be believable opposite Brock Lesnar, and the monster push WWE introduced him with on the main roster means fans could buy into him as a challenger. Sullivan is far from polished, though, and if WWE were to book him opposite Lesnar, there would be a very real risk of a matchup like Lesnar’s outings with Braun Strowman. Spectacle aside, these bouts demonstrated the Monster Among Men’s limitations, while confirming Lesnar is at his best as the bigger man in a match.
8 8. Needs To Book: Matt Riddle
Matt Riddle has teased booking himself into an angle with Brock Lesnar. Riddle took to Twitter to suggest he might foil The Beast’s Money in the Bank cash-in. He had more than once been critical of Lesnar and other better established stars during Riddle’s own NXT residency.
Such bravado might come across the wrong way from a lesser prospect. Riddle not only thrived as a mixed martial artist prior to wrestling, though, but has also established himself as one of the most unique and well rounded acts in NXT. There’s little question Riddle will be at least a mid-card threat on the main roster. His persona and offbeat style have given him a higher glass ceiling, though, and the combination of his lax demeanor and MMA-informed ring style could make him a fun foil for Lesnar.
7 7. Avoid: Roman Reigns
Roman Reigns made reasonable sense as an underdog challenger at WrestleMania 31, they had unfinished business going into WrestleMania 34, and SummerSlam 2018 offered a fulfilling conclusion to their rivalry. In 2019, the story is played out.
WWE seems to understand not to go back to this well too soon. The company shrewdly resisted the urge to book Reigns chasing Lesnar for the title he never lost upon The Big Dog’s return from battling leukemia. In the end, it’s best for both of these performers both in terms of storyline and match quality to leave the rivalry in the past.
6 6. Needs To Book: Bray Wyatt
It’s tempting to book Brock Lesnar against fellow monsters to see them duke it out. It’s understandable, too, for WWE to book him against smaller talents, given that dynamic has offered most of Lesnar’s best matches.
Bray Wyatt offers a third kind of opponent—not a speedy underdog, nor a monster foul, but rather a totally different type of performer. Digging into Wyatt’s psychological and borderline mystical bag of tricks, he could present Lesnar with a unique challenge.
5 5. Avoid: Ricochet
The Brock Lesnar vs. agile, smaller underdog dynamic has worked well with talents including AJ Styles, Daniel Bryan, Finn Balor, and Eddie Guerrero. However, there’s a case to be made that that particular story is now played out.
Ricochet is an excellent new talent on the WWE scene who may well work his way up to a main event spot. His size makes him suspect opposite Lesnar, though. Moreover, while he may be one of WWE’s most impressive aerial artists, his style rarely looks convincingly violent, and may play particularly poorly opposite Lesnar’s physicality.
4 4. Needs To Book: Cesaro
History may look back at Cesaro as one of the greatest undervalued talents of his generation. His combination of strength, athleticism, technical acumen, and ability to connect with the crowd all suggest he light to have been a main eventer for some time now. It remains unclear if he’ll ever actually get there.
If Cesaro does get his chance, he could be an impressive foe for Lesnar, whose strength and demonstrated toughness in particular could give the Beast a real fight.
3 3. Avoid: Kofi Kingston
Kofi Kingston got the push of a lifetime going into WrestleMania 35. On the other side, as reigning WWE Champion, he has done respectably well, but hasn’t necessarily felt like a full on main eventer based on his challengers and placement on PPV cards.
Kingston may yet advance to firmer top of the card booking. There’s little chance of him being booked to beat Lesnar, though. Kingston already has a squash at the hands if Lesnar on his record from 2015 and would be best served to steer clear from here on.
2 2. Needs To Book: Daniel Cormier
UFC rarely goes so clearly into the direction of pro wrestling theatrics as it did when Brock Lesnar stormed the Octagon to shove Daniel Cormier. The scene telegraphed the Beast’s return to MMA and a major clash between these two.
That fight would never happen in MMA as Lesnar ultimately announced his retirement from the sport. WWE still has the possibility of making this match a reality in its own terms. Particularly given Cormier’s inexperience in sports entertainment, it’s unclear how good the match would be. With careful planning and a short execution, the match could deliver based on spectacle alone, though.
1 1. Avoid: Shane McMahon
More than once, the rumor mill has suggested WWE might try to book Shane McMahon against Brock Lesnar. Shane-O-Max’s heel persona is an obviously poor enough fit that the match doesn’t feel imminent now. On the other hand, McMahon’s push as an upper level talent positions him as some one WWE could try to push against just about anyone.
Working Lesnar would stretch McMahon’s questionable submission holds and phony looking strikes well past the realm of believability. McMahon posing any thread at all to the Beast would come across as a McMahon family vanity project in the worst way.