Can Lesnar ever be WWE Champion again?

[Creeper The Limo Driver]

Yeah, anyone can be champion what with the whole thing being scripted and whatnot. This is more of a credibility issue than anything else.

Seeing as he got his shit ruined in his last fight, I think that would speak volumes about the top guy in WWE being someone who couldn't make it... in basically anything else he tried. What's worse is more people know who he is now than before and he'll just be remembered as the guy who went back to WWE because he couldn't handle MMA.

This isn't a slight against pro wrestlers either. I've never seen Cena or Punk get their ass kicked, so it's easier to suspend disbelief. With Brock... I dunno. It's weird.

Verdict on Lesnar, fellow 10%'rs?

inb4davidarquette.

[fw91]

um your wrong on so many levels about him not making it MMA. He was a former heavyweight champion for christ sake, who earned it. his illness f***ed his overfall bodily function and ability in the cage, not because of lack of talent and skills.

[Shaun2k5]

Why not?

WWE crowd would pop big time for him and WWE could make a heap of money on his title run.

[Deleted]

Seems to me like he made it...I know it didn't last long but he certainly made it.

He was the top name in the UFC for a time and became champ very quickly.

[Rican]

I don't know how much of a factor this would be, but I can't even imagine how pissed off and insulted the full time roster would feel. It's one thing for Rock to come back from Hollywood for a few quick pay days, but for Lesnar to come back after quitting on them when they needed him and bad mouth wrestling since, AND to be given the title?

[The Ichi]

I think he'd have to be employed by WWE first, him not might be a stepping stone.

[Deleted]

Yeah, let's get it clear. It's not that he "could't make it". Dude made a hell of a career in a short amount of time that could still be going strong if it wasn't for illness. So he's anything but a failure in that regard.

[543Y2J]

Jan 15, 2012 13:29:35 GMT -5 Shaun2k5 said:

Why not?

WWE crowd would pop big time for him and WWE could make a heap of money on his title run.

[kyromax]

C'mon guys, becoming UFC heavyweight champion, and setting the PPV buy rate number on two different occasions is clearly not making it.

[frogsplash45]

Yeah, Brock is faaaarrrr from an MMA Failure. The dude was one of their biggest draws in history.


And really now, as wrestling fans, it's not really in our favor to call Brock a failure.

Yeah some might say he "abandoned" us for MMA... but the way I see things, he actually helped legitimize pro wrestling in a strange way. If anybody ever says something stupid like "pro wrestlers are so gay" you can tell him "Say that to Brock Lesnar's face."

[Creeper The Limo Driver]

Being a draw because of fame he achieved in his WWE career... That translates to MMA success how? Cena would be a top draw in UFC too if they picked him up as a fighter. That hardly makes him an MMA star.

Lesnar beat a significantly aging Randy Couture for his first title after having an amazing record of 1-1. The only reason he got said title shot in the first place was because of how well known he was rather than any merits he had as a fighter. And lest we forget Randy's 2 fights before losing to Brock. A stunning victory over the legendary Tim Sylvia (who lost to Fedor in what, a minute?) and Gabriel Gonzaga in a fight that should've been stopped after Couture headbutted him.

Brock's fight against Shane Carwin wasn't all that impressive either, considering he was dropped in the very first round. I'll go tit for tat with any of the other has-beens he's beaten if anyone so wishes.

As far as his illness goes, from Dana White:

“Here’s what Brock said to me, he said ‘I’ll tell you what after my surgery from diverticulitis, this last surgery I had, I have never felt so good in my life’. He said ‘I’ve had the best camp I’ve ever had, no injuries, I was in great shape, all the things that could go right, went right, that guy is just that much better than me and it’s time for me to retire’.”

His illness didn't end his career. If he doesn't believe it, neither will I.

Brock fought someone who was actually in his prime and got beat. He lost to Overeem too.

[CM Parish]

Jan 15, 2012 14:00:03 GMT -5 Creeper The Limo Driver said:

Being a draw because of fame he achieved in his WWE career... That translates to MMA success how? Cena would be a top draw in UFC too if they picked him up as a fighter. That hardly makes him an MMA star.

Lesnar beat a significantly aging Randy Couture for his first title after having an amazing record of 1-1. The only reason he got said title shot in the first place was because of how well known he was rather than any merits he had as a fighter. And lest we forget Randy's 2 fights before losing to Brock. A stunning victory over the legendary Tim Sylvia (who lost to Fedor in what, a minute?) and Gabriel Gonzaga in a fight that should've been stopped after Couture headbutted him.

Brock's fight against Shane Carwin wasn't all that impressive either, considering he was dropped in the very first round. I'll go tit for tat with any of the other has-beens he's beaten if anyone so wishes.

As far as his illness goes, from Dana White:

“Here’s what Brock said to me, he said ‘I’ll tell you what after my surgery from diverticulitis, this last surgery I had, I have never felt so good in my life’. He said ‘I’ve had the best camp I’ve ever had, no injuries, I was in great shape, all the things that could go right, went right, that guy is just that much better than me and it’s time for me to retire’.”

His illness didn't end his career. If he doesn't believe it, neither will I.

Brock fought someone who was actually in his prime and got beat. He lost to Overeem too.

No.

[Creeper The Limo Driver]

A valid point. I withdraw my arguments and concede to you, good sir.

[mizerable]

There's absolutely no doubt that they could put the strap on him tomorrow and I would buy it.

[donny]

Jan 15, 2012 13:24:13 GMT -5 Creeper The Limo Driver said:

Yeah, anyone can be champion what with the whole thing being scripted and whatnot. This is more of a credibility issue than anything else.

Seeing as he got his s*** ruined in his last fight, I think that would speak volumes about the top guy in WWE being someone who couldn't make it... in basically anything else he tried. What's worse is more people know who he is now than before and he'll just be remembered as the guy who went back to WWE because he couldn't handle MMA.

This isn't a slight against pro wrestlers either. I've never seen Cena or Punk get their ass kicked, so it's easier to suspend disbelief. With Brock... I dunno. It's weird.

Verdict on Lesnar, fellow 10%'rs?

inb4davidarquette.

You do realize that you're talking about Brock Lesnar and not Bobby Lashley, right? ;D

But seriously, how many guys come in after being forced to retire from other sports, like Goldberg, for example? It is irrelevant.

[zeez]

Jan 15, 2012 14:00:03 GMT -5 Creeper The Limo Driver said:

Being a draw because of fame he achieved in his WWE career... That translates to MMA success how? Cena would be a top draw in UFC too if they picked him up as a fighter. That hardly makes him an MMA star.

Lesnar beat a significantly aging Randy Couture for his first title after having an amazing record of 1-1. The only reason he got said title shot in the first place was because of how well known he was rather than any merits he had as a fighter. And lest we forget Randy's 2 fights before losing to Brock. A stunning victory over the legendary Tim Sylvia (who lost to Fedor in what, a minute?) and Gabriel Gonzaga in a fight that should've been stopped after Couture headbutted him.

Brock's fight against Shane Carwin wasn't all that impressive either, considering he was dropped in the very first round. I'll go tit for tat with any of the other has-beens he's beaten if anyone so wishes.

As far as his illness goes, from Dana White:

“Here’s what Brock said to me, he said ‘I’ll tell you what after my surgery from diverticulitis, this last surgery I had, I have never felt so good in my life’. He said ‘I’ve had the best camp I’ve ever had, no injuries, I was in great shape, all the things that could go right, went right, that guy is just that much better than me and it’s time for me to retire’.”

His illness didn't end his career. If he doesn't believe it, neither will I.

Brock fought someone who was actually in his prime and got beat. He lost to Overeem too.

You're talking like the heavyweight division is the greatest division in MMA with all the best fighters when it's not. The division almost always sucks. Most of the talented big guys fight at LHW leaving a couple good heavyweights and a bunch of mediocre guys. Regardless of your thoughts on the quality of his opponents (the same criticism can be levied at Fedor, the supposed greatest heavyweight of all time), but the fact remains that Lesnar won the heavyweight Championship and defended it twice (that ties for most defenses of that belt), he fought top 10 heavyweights in all of his fights except one, and of the seven current UFC events that got 1 million buys or higher, 4 of them have Lesnar in the main event. Who cares if that success and popularity started in the WWE? Dana White doesn't care because Brock made him a ton of money and put more eyes on the UFC than any other fighter in history. If that doesn't make him a success, then I guess I don't know what a success is suppose to be.

[Dang!]

Jan 15, 2012 13:24:13 GMT -5 Creeper The Limo Driver said:

Yeah, anyone can be champion what with the whole thing being scripted and whatnot. This is more of a credibility issue than anything else.

I think Lesnar has probably the LEAST credibility issues in all of pro wrestling. Lesnar could appear on RAW and squash Punk in 10 seconds clean and there would be no credibility issues at all. The guy is a two-time UFC champion and a monster. You'd actually have to suspend a lot of disbelief to think that Punk would stand a chance against him.

[rocked]

I see the OPs point as well as both sides of the debate. Let's face it, considering Brock lost his last two fights badly, it's just a FACT he is now less of a monster.

[Hit Girl]

Lesnar could win the title tomorrow and be completely convincing in that role.

[Long Live the Stream]

He can never be champion because he'll never be willing to go full time at WWE because he hates traveling. It's got nothing to do with his MMA record or he how he got stomped in his last two fights.

If he were willing to take the, what he may consider, burden, of being champion again, WWE would have NO issue putting the belt on him. He's a mainstream success. That's just a fact.