Brock Lesnar recently turned heel and is now feuding with Cody Rhodes on WWE Raw. (Credit: Alex … [+]
WWE may be one step closer to a massive dream match for Brock Lesnar—and it’s not against Cody Rhodes.
Fresh off a shocking heel turn and now in the early stages of a feud with Rhodes, Lesnar could be slated for a blockbuster feud with the dominant Intercontinental Champion Gunther, according to WRKD Wrestling:
In late 2022, Lesnar vs. Gunther was actually slated for WrestleMania 39, but those plans changed. Lesnar himself even revealed during an interview with ESPN’s Daniel Cormier (h/t The Sportster) that the match was under consideration: “It was just proposed, and I don’t know if I don’t make the calls around here. It’s just one of those things. When this was proposed to me, I liked it because I like the challenge, and I like the matchup.”
Of course, that dream match didn’t happen at WrestleMania 39, with WWE opting instead to do the ever-so-puzzling Omos vs. Lesnar match while Gunther tore the house down in an instant classic triple threat match with Drew McIntyre and Sheamus. Gunther remains the Intercontinental Champion while Lesnar and Gunther are now both heels, seemingly making a match between the two unlikely.
But especially when it comes to a star the caliber of Lesnar, heel-face alignment hardly matters, and given the overwhelmingly positive reaction to teases of a potential Gunther vs. Lesnar feud, this is a true dream match that must happen before it’s too late.
At Elimination Chamber, Lesnar suggested that he was nearing retirement, three years after he nearly called it quits in 2020. But every time it feels like Lesnar is about to leave WWE for good, he either sticks around or shows up again sooner than expected.
Lesnar’s recent WWE deal was set to expire around WrestleMania 39, but he’s obviously agreed to some sort of new deal or extension—as evidenced by the fact that he’s now feuding with WWE’s top singles babyface in Rhodes. Lesnar now fits in as an obstacle that Rhodes must overcome, presumably at Backlash, so that Rhodes can once again challenge Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship.
The ideal role for Lesnar would be for him to put over Rhodes clean at Backlash, but Lesnar is almost always protected by WWE’s booking. See: His disqualification loss against Bobby Lashley at Elimination Chamber or his dominant win over Omos at WrestleMania. Especially if WWE intends on doing Gunther vs. Lesnar anytime soon, Lesnar could—and should—be kept looking strong as much as possible.
WWE, after all, has typically made a significant financial investment in Lesnar, paying him as if he’s a star in a category of his own. Based on recent crowd reactions, Lesnar is, along with Reigns, the biggest and most polarizing star WWE has, and he’s the perfect opponent for someone like Gunther.
Over much of the past year, Gunther and his Imperium stable have done a tremendous job of elevating the once forgotten Intercontinental title, which is now a prize worth fighting for after years of the title being overlooked. Gunther is fresh off a red hot feud with McIntyre and Sheamus, and the three stars delivered arguably the best match of WrestleMania 39.
Aside from Reigns, there isn’t a heel who’s been booked better than Gunther over the past couple of years, and Gunther reportedly has a big supporter in Triple H, who could elevate him to world title contention in the near future. With Reigns continuing to dominate the world championship scene, however, arguably the next step for Gunther is a match with Lesnar, who remains a top star even when not challening for a title.
With Gunther and Lesnar potentially set to end up on the same brand in the upcoming 2023 draft, the stars are aligning for these two behemoths to clash in what would be one of the most anticipated big man matches in recent WWE history on a big stage like SummerSlam.
And that’s something for WWE fans to be excited about.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/blakeoestriecher/2023/04/12/wwe-reportedly-considering-big-brock-lesnar-dream-match/