The Tribal Chief Might Be Brock Lesnar’s Greatest Story In His WWE Career
In 2002, Brock Lesnar took the pro wrestling world by storm when made his debut on Monday Night Raw the day after WrestleMania 18. He would spend the next two years facing the best that WWE had to offer in the form of The Rock, The Undertaker, Kurt Angle, and many more. Lesnar left the company after WrestleMania 20 and was not seen by the WWE Universe for eight years. Lesnar returned in 2012 the night after WrestleMania 28 and he has been with the company on a part time basis ever since that day. When a performer is full time, it’s very easy to create stories because they are always there and have a consistent presence on TV. When you’re a part time performer it is much more difficult to create a story that the fans can get behind.
In Lesnar’s first WWE run, he had amazing stories with The Undertaker and Kurt Angle. They were compelling and they were fun to get behind. Since Lesnar’s run, the stories haven’t been as compelling as they were before. Now Lesnar has had excellent matches with John Cena, Triple H, The Undertaker, Seth Rollins, and Drew McIntyre. However, these matches didn’t have a great story. It felt like they were all just random opponents for Lesnar to face for a marquee match on a pay-per-view. In the summer of 2013, CM Punk’s story with Paul Heyman by his side had come to an end. Heyman felt betrayed Punk not wanting him to be his manager anymore, so Heyman brought in his number client in the form of Brock Lesnar. The story was compelling because when Punk turned heel in the middle of his 434-day WWE Championship reign, he and Heyman did some devious things together. CM Punk and Brock Lesnar faced off Summerslam in 2013, in a dream match that was heavily built and marketed. The match and story were compelling because both we’re Paul Heyman guys who had both benefited from being associated with Heyman.
Fast forward to present day and look at who has had Paul Heyman in their corner. In 2020, Roman Reigns took five months off from television due to concerns over the pandemic. When he returned to television, his attitude had completely changed. He became arrogant, entitled, and an unstoppable force. A week after Roman’s return, Paul Heyman was by his side as Special Council for the Tribal Chief. Since Roman’s return, he has had compelling stories with The Uso;s, The Mysterio’s, Daniel Bryan, Cesaro, Finn Balor and John Cena. Reigns character seemed to mirror what Lesnar had been doing since 2012, but the difference is Reigns is on television every single week to make his stories more compelling. With Paul Heyman in his corner and The Uso’s by his side doing his dirty work, who could really stop Roman Reigns?
At Summerslam 2021, Roman Reigns defeated John Cena in an epic main event. Before Reigns could celebrate his victory, out came Brock Lesnar who had not been seen since WrestleMania 35 in 2020. He had a different look and seemed to be smiling a lot more then he usually does. Reigns and Lesnar have squared off before at WrestleMania 31 and 34, but Reigns was the babyface and Lesnar was the heel with Heyman in corner. Both were hard hitting and brutal with Lesnar being the aggressor in both matches. This time around you will have to aggressors who facing each other in the middle of Roman’s dominant championship reign. Paul Heyman has managed other competitors in WWE like CM Punk, Cesaro, Curtis Axel, and Ryback, but they don’t have the connection or association that Lesnar or Reigns have had. It is no secret that Heyman has had a relationship with the Samoan Dynasty for a very long time and it runs deep. It may even run deeper than Heyman’s relationship with Lesnar. This story doesn’t work without Paul Heyman
When Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar finally collide, it’s going to be epic and much more meaningful this time around. Reigns is at the peak of his career and Lesnar can still go in the ring. They both are heavy hitters and both can submit people. It may not be technical masterpiece, but it will a clashing of two bulls. The X-Factor and biggest question in this collision course is Paul Heyman. Where does loyalty lie with? Whose side will he ultimately be on? This is one of the major factors as to why this could be Brock Lesnar’s most compelling and greatest story that he has ever been a part of during his WWE career. Some might say that defeating The Undertaker at WrestleMania was a compelling story, but most will it was a bad book decision. Others will say his story with CM Punk was great, but Punk didn’t have the size or aggression to make people believe he could be Lesnar’s equal. When Roman Reigns faces Brock Lesnar for the WWE Universal Championship, it will be the most compelling and defining moments of their careers. If you don’t believe it then ask yourself this. Who really is the Paul Heyman Guy?
