Planned WWE WrestleMania 39 Matches For Brock Lesnar, Bobby Lashley Destined To Disappoint

Brock Lesnar and Bobby Lashley once appeared destined to clash at WWE WrestleMania 39, but the two behemoths may now be going their separate ways.

Though recent storyline developments suggested that Lesnar would face either Lashley or Bray Wyatt at WWE’s flagship pay-per-view, Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t Sportskeeda) reports that WWE now has different plans in mind after MVP challenged Lesnar to face Omos in Sofi Stadium: “It was a way to get out of the [Lesnar vs. Lashley] match. Obviously, they’re going with Bray Wyatt against Lashley and they’re going with Brock Lesnar vs Omos.”

That’s, to put it mildly, a bizarre choice for all parties involved, especially Lesnar and Wyatt.

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Arguably the biggest star in WWE not named John Cena, Lesnar had been linked to potential matches with “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and Gunther, two potentially epic matches that would have created quite the buzz for WrestleMania. Perhaps the most logical choice for Lesnar’s WrestleMania opponent was Lashley, who was on the verge of beating “The Beast” clean at Elimination Chamber before Lesnar got himself disqualified.

That finish suggested that Lesnar vs. Lashley IV would take place on “The Grandest Stage of Them All,” and there are reportedly even plans for the two colossal stars to continue their feud, though not necessarily in route to WrestleMania. But it was just on last week’s SmackDown that Wyatt cut a promo stating that he’d be challenging the winner of Lashley vs. Lesnar at Elimination Chamber, a bout technically won by Lashley.

So, the question is: Exactly what’s going on here?

With Lashley getting the questionable “W” in Montreal, that would seemingly set him on the path to collide with Wyatt at WrestleMania 39. But WWE—which had an easy story to tell had it simply chose to go with the conclusion of Lesnar vs. Lashley at WrestleMania—instead chose to take the difficult route and transform this into a convoluted mess.

Maybe it’s because WrestleMania has already shattered its live gate record for WrestleMania 39 and did so before a single match for the show was announced. Maybe it’s because WWE feels comfortable with Sami Zayn and The Bloodline developing into huge draws for WWE and being able to carry the load for the company heading into its most pivotal time of the year.

But part of the reason why WWE has been unable to sustain consistent momentum over the past several years is that it struggles with quality storytelling from top to bottom. Of course, the angle involving Zayn, Roman Reigns and The Bloodline has developed into an all-time great storyline, but for much of the rest of WWE’s main roster, enthralling storylines have been few and far in between.

Now, less than six weeks away from WrestleMania 39, there are three marquee stars—Lesnar, Lashley and Wyatt—who should have a clear WrestleMania storyline but don’t. Notice that Omos wasn’t included in that list? That wasn’t an accident.

Not counting his appearance in the Royal Rumble, Omos has wrestled exactly one televised match in 2023, last competing in any match of significance at Crown Jewel in November 2022. Omos, despite his gargantuan size, lost much of his appeal, ironically enough, when he lost to Lashley at WrestleMania 38 in a bout that transformed him from invincible to inconsequential.

Fans are now supposed to buy him as a threat to Lesnar? That’s a huge stretch, especially considering that Lesnar is one of the most dominant stars in WWE. It also feels like a monumental waste of Lesnar, who shouldn’t be in the title scene right now—and isn’t for a change—but should be used to participate in true dream matches or to help establish new main event stars.

There is almost no evidence that Omos will ever reach that status. In today’s era of pro wrestling, it’s incredibly difficult for a colossal star who isn’t great in the ring or on the microphone to win over the WWE audience, which now tends to gravitate toward do-it-all performers like Zayn, Reigns, Kevin Owens or Seth Rollins.

Putting Lesnar in the ring with Omos instead of an uber-athletic star is a questionable decision. Lesnar thrives most when working with great in-ring performers like Rollins or Finn Balor, who can sell him for him and make him look like a million bucks. For a booker, Lesnar is somewhat of a matchup nightmare. It simply isn’t easy to find an ideal opponent for him.

The same is true of Wyatt. There is a reason, after all, why Rollins once said it can be “difficult” to work with the supernatural Wyatt simply because of the macabre elements of his character, just as there is a reason why top stars are reportedly hesitant to work with Wyatt.

The hokey elements of Wyatt’s character are typically more detrimental than helpful to his rivals, and it’s nearly impossible to envision a scenario in which a feud with Lesnar or Lashley works out in a way that benefits either star. That’s the challenge that comes with Wyatt, who has plenty of appeal as a character—as evidenced by the fact that he dethroned The Bloodline to become WWE’s No. 1 merchandise seller—but generally lacks the type of compelling rivalries or matches that improve the quality of Raw or SmackDown.

Perhaps MVP’s challenge is simply a red herring that will ultimately lead to Lashley vs. Lesnar, which is the best case scenario involving these stars, again. But if it’s not, then WWE is somehow finding a way to cool off three red hot acts in Wyatt, Lesnar and Lashley during the most important two-month stretch of the year.

This is the time for WWE to put on award-winning-worthy feuds and storylines, not highlight an ice cold character like Omos who’s throwing a big wrench into a pair of storylines he shouldn’t be near.