Brock Lesnar - What's Next?

Brock Lesnar returned to our screens last year, on the night after Wrestlemania 28 to a huge pop from the live crowd and probably the majority of the TV audience who hadn't read spoilers leading up to the event.

He entered the ring, where John Cena was standing; Cena offering his hand in greeting only to be dumped on the mat by an earth-shaking F5. In the staleness that we're presented with over the last few years in the WWE, this seemed like a huge coup and a huge moment to be a wrestling fan. Unfortunately, that's about as good as it's got.

Typical Cena before receiving an F5

Cena would go onto solidify his 'Superman' status by defeating Lesnar at the Extreme Rules Pay-Per-View that month. Many, including myself were baffled that Lesnar would make such a dominant entrance only to be beaten by the man that was so distraught and defeated by his loss to The Rock at Wrestlemania. Surely a more logical way forward would've been for Lesnar to win his first match back and continue Cena's loss in form?

Lesnar continued and finished 2012 with sporadic and brief appearances (as per his years contract) feuding with COO Triple H. The loss to Cena was soon forgotten as Lesnar proceeded to break Triple H's arm before fighting, and beating, him at Summerslam. Dominance restored?

Unfortunately, after this win we didn't see Lesnar again until late-January 2013 when he returned to save Paul Heyman's job and F5 Vince McMahon. As crazy-dominant as Lesnar looks every time he returns, it's a shame that he comes and goes in the manner that he does as it loses any momentum each time. This seems to have changed in the last couple of months, though. In the lead up to Wrestlemania and in the last few weeks since, Lesnar has been on our TVs a lot more. I don't expect this to continue past Extreme Rules.

I'd like to think, and I'm sure it will be the case, that the Lesnar/Triple H feud will have run its course by the time Extreme Rules has been said and done. But then what should we expect? As far as WWE is concerned, I hope that they will put trust in their full-time stars to draw month-to-month on Pay-Per-View. But where does Lesnar go from here?

I have thought about this a lot over the last year and I continue to be at a loss for ideas. I cannot think of anyone that he can feud with and be seen as having a realistic chance of defeating the 'beast'. He is employed to have matches against the top, top guys on the roster to bring in money and interest from a wider audience. After the match with Cena and the overrun feud with Triple H, I can't think of any top guys that can go toe-to-toe with Lesnar.

Undertaker, like Santa Claus, is around once a year. That's going to come to an end in the not too distant future. Can he even have one more physical match - especially on the level that would be provided by facing the vicious Lesnar? I very much doubt it.

There has also been talk of a match/feud with CM Punk at some point in this latest run by Lesnar. As mouth-watering a possibility as this is, it just seems to be a complete mismatch to me. Simply put, Punk is too small to trouble Lesnar. I say this because in Lesnar's first run in the WWE (2002-04) he only faced the biggest challengers and only lost to the smaller, late, great Eddie Guererro due to being on the way out of the company (and due to interference from Goldberg) and needing to pass the torch.

Lesnar has such a vicious, dominating presence every time that he shows up that only the biggest, strongest opponents will do - and will stand a chance. Does anybody even fit into that category anymore?

You could throw names such as Randy Orton, Sheamus or Big Show into the hat to face Lesnar, but unfortunately the era we live in now mean that these guys might be top stars of today but they are simply snacks for Lesnar. These guys have been so watered down by the 'rules' that WWE has to live by that they would just not be believable in a feud with the aggression-filled Lesnar. On the other hand, Lesnar - to a certain extent - has nothing limiting him. He's not a full time guy; he's a former UFC Champion; he probably doesn't even need this gig with the WWE anyway. Therefore, he can be as badass as he likes. And he is.

Lesnar's first run in WWE came at a time when blood was allowed, weapons in matches were allowed, and Pay-Per-Views were regularly '18' certified (DVD; VHS). In a way, that reputation has no place in WWE of 2013. It is too 'adult' for the target audience. So I ask again; what or who is there to fill the next two years for Brock Lesnar?

@jimmosangle