I try not to overreact to WWE booking but this time I can’t help myself. Brock Lesnar losing to Triple H at WrestleMania 29 was a booking move that has single handedly killed one of the biggest drawing cards in the WWE period, end of story!
[adinserter block=”1″]I don’t think it gets much clearer than that. When John Cena defeated Brock Lesnar last year at Extreme Rules I was one of the few who brushed off the loss. Looking at it from a pro wrestling perspective, a guy who hasn’t wrestled in several years losing to the best WWE performer at the time made sense. The match was even booked to keep Lesnar strong the way he beat up Cena for 20 minutes. But this loss to Triple H is one that even has to have Vince Russo scratching his head.
I shouldn’t be surprised is what a lot of you are probably thinking out there. Did I really think Triple H was going to retire? Yes, I sure did! I thought the retirement stip was a set up. Triple H wrestles once, twice a year anyway, so retiring isn’t such a stretch. Plus at the end of the day Triple H could have came back anyway if he really wanted to. I never for a second thought that Hunter was winning. Even as I tried to look at it from all views, I couldn’t find one reason to do it. So yes I was surprised when Triple H pinned Lesnar.
I have been a Triple H defender for several years as a blogger. While everyone was taking shots at Triple H and his ego, I still had his back. The last couple of years he has been money in the ring and in building up his matches with The Undertaker. He even did the right thing for business when tempted and did the favor two years straight for the Dead Man. But the decision to put him over Lesnar can only be justified by ego.
Brock Lesnar just re-signed with the WWE for two years. He drew a tremendous buyrate with Hunter at SummerSlam and has been a ratings machine since returning to the WWE. By the time he returned last summer, nobody even cared about the Cena loss. He beat Hunter, practically retired him, and was seen by many as one of the last true monster heels in pro wrestling. That run is over and now Lesnar is a man that has gone 1-2 since returning.
I can’t fathom a good reason for the finish. Is Hunter coming back? Unless Triple H is coming back in the next two weeks to challenge John Cena or Alberto Del Rio for championships at Extreme Rules, there is no point in putting him over. Why in the world would you put over the once-a-year office guy at the expense of your second biggest drawing card? There is no good reason period for that finish.
Make no mistake about it. Lesnar is done as the big drawing card. How could this man be seen as a killer when he just lost to a 42 year old part-time wrestler? How could this monster be seen as a legitimate threat when he had the fight taken to him by the aging wrestler? I know that some of you say, “put him back on television, people will still pop.” Yeah they will pop but are they going to be so inclined to buy a pay per view to watch him wrestle? Some will but there will be plenty who won’t.
What do you do next with the guy? No matter who he confronts, attacks, or challenges, fans will remember in the back of their minds that the guy is not only beatable, but he is not even that good. I don’t know where they plan to go with him other than The Rock at WrestleMania, but it is probably best at this point for him to disappear until at least SummerSlam if not Survivor Series.
What is funny is that for years fans and critics have felt that Vince McMahon has lost his touch, me included. Some have even said how they are looking forward to the Triple H era. Is this what you are looking forward to? Say what you will about Vinnie Mac but he never would have booked a finish like that in his younger days. I really find it hard to believe that he sat back, knowing how much money he is paying Brock and allowed that finish to begin with. If the Triple H era of booking is going to be full of illogical finishes like that one, I’ll pass.
It really was a big slap in the face to the new fans that came back because of Brock. Believe me when I tell you, Brock brought new and old fans to the WWE. This man was the biggest drawing card in the history of MMA for a reason. They love him! Those fans have gotten the message loud and clear. Your boy is nothing more than a mid-card jobber in our world. Message received.
[adinserter block=”2″]I’ll still enjoy watching Brock but it won’t be the same. The illusion, the mystique, the aura is gone. He doesn’t care. He’s still making his money. As a matter of a fact he probably finds it funny. Unfortunately for the fans who have been excited to see him back in the WWE, there is nothing funny about losing to Triple H.
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Eric, you wrote a wonderful blog as you always do. I understand exactly what you are saying. However, I disagree with you, and here is why:
I am gonna be upfront and honest and state I have never been a Lesnar fan. Lesnar can't talk on the mic. (Hence , Heyman being his mouthpiece). I never saw what was so great about him. Great brawler, but I don't think he is all that as a wrestler (catch as catch can). That being said, I had no problem with HHH winning. Seemed logical to me, if you go with the usual storyline of "Good triumphing over evil."
Let's see. Lesnar (storylinewise) broke Hunter's buddy, HBK's arm. Lesnar broke HHH's arm TWICE. Lesnar defeated HHH in SummerSlam.
Vince , HHH's father in law (also storyline, even though Vince legit needed hip surgery) gets F5'd by Lesnar, and HHH's friends Road Dogg and Bad Ass Billy Gunn are beat up by Lesnar.
I mean, Lesnar then , via Heyman, TRICKS HHH into signing a contract before Mania where LESNAR names the stipulations which are : NO HOLDS BARRED and not only that: Triple H MUST RETIRE FROM THE RING if HHH loses.
Knowing how Wrestlemania is usually booked, where the babyfaces go over in the big matches so there is the "happy ending," (for the most part), and also because it would seem to me that HHH should get his win back, it was logical to me that HHH would win.
I just thought it would have been too much for Lesnar to have done all that to HHH and take away his career also. Besides, like I said, it's the good eventually triumphing over evil story that I thought was being told.
I understand Eric, what you are trying to say. I thought Lesnar was being portrayed as the monster, so I don't think he lost his aura.
Hi Terri
As you know I have great respect for your opinion. In storyline does it make sense for Hunter to win? Yes I agree. But it is bad for business for all of the reasons I outlined above.
The proof will be in the Extreme Rules buyrate. If Lesnar still brings the same value he has brought in the past to the number, than I am wrong. If he doesn't I think people need to look back at this result and conclude it greatly hurt his drawing power.
Thanks as always
Oh I understand what you are saying, and yes, from a BUSINESS SIDE, I would say Lesnar is badly damaged, but let's wait till the ER buyrate comes in.
I just was looking at the WM result from a storyline perspective, that's all. 🙂
You are likely right on the BUSINESS side.
Hope that clears things up. 🙂
Come on now, Brock is a cry baby. Yeah he was big and I went for him before he left and went to mma, now he excepts the wwe to hand him his wins, i cheered for triple H when he won, and I still do. Anybody and everybody is better the Brock lesner. That’s my 2 thoughts. Sorry if you disagree.
You're surprised HHH went over? Lol. He's the son in law of WWE. That's how things have gone for him for a decade.
I agree wholeheartedly with this article. Mania is forever changed in my eyes. It used to be where things happened, now it is a place where the same things happen. We need a true revolution, something to let people know that if they give us crap like Mania 29 that We The People will make you pay for it, by not paying for it. Brock had no business losing that match & who wants to see 2 losers, Rock & Brock, go at it at all? Mark Henry v Cena made all the sense in the world, they both won their matches, but then Henry has to prove himself? I long for the days of WCW at this point.
wow… its the ones who like to think they know the wrestling buisness who understand it the least huh? Its pro wrestling… its fake… everybody knows its fake… there's barely any "illusion" to begin with… its not 1971. They made Brock look plenty dangerous in that match. If anything, the so called "aura and illusion" were lost when he went into the UFC and embarassed himself by getting caught by that leglock by Frank Mir and so on. Although, it sure says a lot about the UFC that someone like Brock can just join and then be their champion in a matter of like 5 TOTAL fights in his career. Obviously they fast tracked him because of his drawing power, but he still beat those "best athlete in the world mma fighters" and Brock Lesnar was NEVER the one most qualified to jump from pro wrestling to MMA. Although how big of a "jump" is it really? Sakuraba? Barnett? Etc?
Well looking past your insults you are right and I think you are wrong. It is pro wrestling, it is fake, but the illusion is still created. Why not just have every guy walk in the ring, work a match, and leave? Why? Because that doesn't sell tickets. Why can't every heel draw like Brock? Why? Because people believe Brock is going to beat the crap out of someone. Watching Brock get beat every time only makes him more human and less exciting. I am not going to reiterate what I wrote about but you are making it way too simple. Its not.
I don't think the aura is gone. Keep him off TV for a few months and it might come back. I get what you're saying though and your points are relevant. Nice column, Eric.
Yeah, I do think he needs a break. Thanks Ray!
This post reminds me of Justin Henry's rant about the "48 second match". at WM28. Poor Sheamus.
I honestly don't know what to think because I can't speak for all wrestling fans worldwide. I don't know how many of them are fickle…though I speculate a lot of them are.
On the bright side, Brock didn't tap go the god of wrestling's Kimura and it took god everything but the kitchen sink to put down the man-beast.
Meh. What do I know about booking a wrestling show.
For me, he was done the week before when he started tweeting 🙁