...TG Posted June 5, 2016 Report Share Posted June 5, 2016 http://www.wwe.com/article/brock-lesnar-compete-ufc-200-prior-return-major-wwe-event?sf27995709=1 With WWE's blessing, apparently. 2016 is the weirdest goddamn year ever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strummer Posted June 5, 2016 Report Share Posted June 5, 2016 As mentioned in the other thread surely this means Rousey and Connor will be working with WWE now. Steph/Rousey is most assuredly going to happen. Oh well not a huge UFC fan so this is not something Im really excited for Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gutenberger Posted June 5, 2016 Report Share Posted June 5, 2016 I've never been a fan of UFC and never watched a whole event. It sure could bring backsome of the specialness? of Lesnar, which has been missing, but only if he is successful. Boy, WWE sure is ramping up those business relationships and becoming more open minded. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El-P Posted June 5, 2016 Report Share Posted June 5, 2016 Because that's what pro-wrestling needs in 2016 : this is fake, but this one stuff is a shoot. *yawn* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superstar Sleeze Posted June 5, 2016 Report Share Posted June 5, 2016 They should put the Big Gold Belt on him just for the visual of him walking down to the ring. That's probably the only thing that would be stranger than Severn walking to the ring with the NWA & UFC World Championships on a random RAW in 1998. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jingus Posted June 5, 2016 Report Share Posted June 5, 2016 Because that's what pro-wrestling needs in 2016 : this is fake, but this one stuff is a shoot. *yawn* Eh, I get the reasoning. "So wrestling is fake, huh? Tell it to THIS guy." It lets them do some more Jim Ross-style bragging about the legit athletic accomplishments of their employees. And like everyone said, it opens the door for crossover stuff with Rowsey or whomever. The more surprising thing is that Brock's apparently healthy enough to do this again. I always heard that the diverticulitis had basically ended his career as a shootfighter, and he was medically incapable of ever giving 100% again. And even if he stepped back into the dojo for training the very next day after Wrestlemania, three months is an awfully short turnaround time to get ready for a big-money PPV fight. It's been almost five years since his last one. ...I wonder what Punk thinks about this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt D Posted June 5, 2016 Report Share Posted June 5, 2016 One good thing about the brand split at least. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FMKK Posted June 5, 2016 Report Share Posted June 5, 2016 I assume they'll give him someone he's definitely going to beat. The novelty/name value should be enough to pop a buyrate for UFC as a one-off but if he loses then that's a credibility hit to his WWE gimmick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Thread Killer Posted June 5, 2016 Report Share Posted June 5, 2016 I am looking forward to hearing what those in the know have to say about this (Meltzer) because I read some rumor that Brock actually held Vince up for more money at Wrestlemania this year, and one of his conditions was also that he be allowed to fight in UFC again? The story was broken by MMA reporter "Front Row Brian" on Twitter and he is claiming that Lesnar renegotiated his contract with Vince at Wrestlemania. I'd say this guy didn't know what he was talking about, but he broke the story on Twitter before it was announced.It's a rumor, but I'd love to know how true it is. We all know how much Vince loves people holding him up...but then I read rumors about Vince getting a piece of the action and WWE helping cross promote the fight, so I don't know what to think. If UFC helps hype SummerSlam, then we know the deal, I guess. WWE and UFC cooperating with each other in any way is so surreal to me. It's a pity Frank Mir is out on drug suspension because he and Lesnar hate each other and they are 1-1 against each other. Their rivalry is begging for a final fight to decide the trilogy, and that would be a pretty safe fight for Lesnar. They are apparently announcing his opponent on ESPN on Monday. They are going to have to be really careful, because there are a couple of guys in UFC who could hurt Lesnar's marketability by beating him. One of the names getting tossed around is Mark Hunt, and that is not necessarily a safe fight for Lesnar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SomethingSavage Posted June 5, 2016 Report Share Posted June 5, 2016 The more surprising thing is that Brock's apparently healthy enough to do this again. I always heard that the diverticulitis had basically ended his career as a shootfighter, and he was medically incapable of ever giving 100% again. And even if he stepped back into the dojo for training the very next day after Wrestlemania, three months is an awfully short turnaround time to get ready for a big-money PPV fight. It's been almost five years since his last one. Well there's really no way of knowing how "healthy" he is until he steps in there and starts taking shots to the gut again. I mean, it's one thing to get cleared and pass a fit test. It's another to have a skilled, test-fueled heavyweight driving Overeem-like knees into your abdomen. It's a matter of how he'll hold up under that kind of pressure. Not 'zactly the same standard. But yeah. It's cool that Brock is ambitious enough to even attempt something like this again. The safest bet - of course - is that they'll likely feed him a tomato can. And who could blame 'em? I mean, I'd personally be disappointed. Because meh. Gotta figure Vince will be pushing for the safest path. Dana's savvy though, and I'm SURE he realizes Brock's biggest value comes from being in there with name, known, recognized heavyweights. Lesnar never stepped in there with fall guys during his first big UFC stretch, and THAT is what everyone will likely (should likely) be looking to repeat in terms of business here. ... The Punk mention is interesting, too. This will definitely steal his thunder, but there's little of that left now to be honest. What was initially set up to be the UFC branch of a "Summer of Punk" has just kind of quietly faded away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superstar Sleeze Posted June 5, 2016 Report Share Posted June 5, 2016 It is too bad Dana White is already bald. He could have this as a hair vs hair match with Vince at UFC 200 to launch his bid to be the Republican Presidential Nominee in 2024. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.S. Posted June 5, 2016 Report Share Posted June 5, 2016 I guess that explains why Brock Lesnar vs. Dean Ambrose was so short and boring. Brock needed to keep himself healthy for this. But poor Ambrose. He lost in one of the worst big matches of the year and it did nothing for either of them. Kinda wish Brock would just stay in UFC. His presence has been a series of diminishing returns in WWE. Whether that's his fault, or "creative's" fault, who knows. Ambrose should have been on fire after Mania. Instead, pffft. I also wish Brock vs. Punk in UFC was a possibility, but I guess weight classes prevent that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parties Posted June 5, 2016 Report Share Posted June 5, 2016 One effect of this is that in hindsight it makes Reigns-Lesnar look even cooler, and makes the Taker-Lesnar stuff look dumber. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeg Posted June 5, 2016 Report Share Posted June 5, 2016 They have to put him against a contender with years of PPV name recognition, but a contender who is a wrestler/ grappler/ catch/ juijitsu guy that is also in his mid to late 30s. So Mir, Nelson, or Barnett? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pantherwagner Posted June 5, 2016 Report Share Posted June 5, 2016 Mir is out with a suspension. It's a shame because that's the name that makes the most sense. In fact it's the only name that makes sense. Mark Hunt is a terrible choice. Great takedown defense and punches like a beast. Other names being thrown around are Carwin or Fedor. Those two would make sense but they are not active UFC fighters. As for the rest of heavyweights freed up: Overeem is a no. Junior is a bad idea. Struve is out injured. Ben Rothwell is a lose-lose situation. I imagine WWE have got the right to approve who is Lesnar facing and they probably have somebody advising Vince on this. I am really interested in hearing the name being announced on Monday. Brock, whatever you want to say about him, is a competitor so he probably wouldn't want an easy name either. Josh Barnett is a name that makes the most sense out of the active roster. I believe Bigfoot is still out suspended, Mitrione has left so that leaves you with Roy Nelson as another viable option. The rest are guys with no name. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El-P Posted June 5, 2016 Report Share Posted June 5, 2016 Because that's what pro-wrestling needs in 2016 : this is fake, but this one stuff is a shoot. *yawn* Eh, I get the reasoning. "So wrestling is fake, huh? Tell it to THIS guy." It lets them do some more Jim Ross-style bragging about the legit athletic accomplishments of their employees. In 2016 WWE ? Really ? Brock doesn't need any more of this to be *special* in the WWE. It's an old story already. He just needs good booking. Now, Brock Lesnar vs CM Punk as a UFC match, well yeah, that would be interesting in a early PRIDE bullshit big spectacle and a major finger to Vince. But anyway, this is Pro-Wrestling ONLY. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cm funk Posted June 5, 2016 Report Share Posted June 5, 2016 As a big WWE and UFC fan I think this is great. It's well known that Dana and Vince have a cordial relationship and mutual respect, there's no reason they shouldn't cross promote. This helps both UFC and WWE IMO, and ESPN will be all over it. And if it leads to Rousey being allowed to work a big match with Steph that's even better, and would get Rock back in too I'd think. Of course, if Brock doesn't win his fight it's not good for either promotion, but I think they'll give him a name opponent who he should be able to beat. Looking at the crazy stuff he's done in this WWE run he looks like he's fully healed from the diverticulitus. If you remember that time, he lost a ton of weight and didn't look healthy. He's been back to "The Beast" for a while now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
...TG Posted June 5, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 5, 2016 This is certainly good for Brock and UFC, but I'm not sure how it is 100% good for WWE, especially if Brock loses. Even if he wins, that's more incentive for Brock to hold out for more money from WWE since he'll have more UFC fights on the horizon. Plus, we don't know if they're getting a Rousey appearance in return, that's just speculation at this point. It's pretty much all downside for WWE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt D Posted June 5, 2016 Report Share Posted June 5, 2016 I think the only upside to WWE in all of this is if the plan is to put Reigns over Lesnar clean and definitively at Summerslam. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victory Posted June 5, 2016 Report Share Posted June 5, 2016 I guess this is cool to help bring other MMA people in down the road to help cross promote like Rousey, etc. For Lesnar I think it might be a mistake depending on who he's fighting. He was never the same after the Carwin fight. Always backing up being afraid to get hit. A good striker would not be a good opponent for him for sure. Either way I'll watch it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.S. Posted June 5, 2016 Report Share Posted June 5, 2016 I hope this deal somehow allows UFC to force Punk to return to the WWE for a once-off appearance and/or match. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supremebve Posted June 5, 2016 Report Share Posted June 5, 2016 How they choose his opponent is going to be really interesting. The Heavyweight division is clearly the worst division in MMA, but the UFC has essentially shaved all of the fat off of the division. Everyone in the UFC Heavyweight division with any name value would probably wreck Brock at this point. Brock wasn't exactly a technical marvel when he was UFC champion. He had really good takedowns, but his real advantage was that he was bigger and stronger than everyone else. Those days are over. He was an anomaly when he first started in the UFC, but you don't get to stay ahead of the curve forever. MMA changes very quickly, and they caught up with Brock before he retired. Taking 5 years off in MMA is a really long time, because the sport moves really fast. You can be the best fighter of all time today, and average in a year or two. Fedor went from best heavyweight fighter in history to losing to a middleweight basically overnight. The sport can and will pass you buy if you aren't constantly training, and constantly improving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcmmnx Posted June 5, 2016 Report Share Posted June 5, 2016 If he fights Josh Barnett I'm 95% certain it's a work, and Barnett will do the job. If he fights Mark Hunt he's taking a nap. I really have no interest in seeing Brock fight or wrestle at this point, and the amount of bending over Vince has done for a guy they didn't even need to sell Mania this year is hilarious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted June 5, 2016 Report Share Posted June 5, 2016 Amazing how Vince lets this guy steamroll him so much by paying him far more than he's worth, booking him so strong that he becomes less valuable because they don't book anyone else that strong so he has no obvious opponents and acquiescing to pretty much all of his demands. I guess we don't know the details of how they got to this point so it's unfair to paint it as Brock doing his usual self-entitled thing, but on a personal level, I get really annoyed with the level of privilege he gets that doesn't seem to go to anyone else. I admit that may not be a case of what this is. It's more frustration that they can't book anyone else so strong, and that the number of cool options on the table if they were this flexible with everyone would be amazing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.S. Posted June 5, 2016 Report Share Posted June 5, 2016 Pisses me off too, Loss. Who did the terrible Ambrose match at WrestleMania help? Not Brock (the winner), not Ambrose, and certainly not the fans who had to sit through what was IMO the most disappointing big match of the year. It should have been a war, and Ambrose should have somehow squeaked by. He would've been a made man. But nope, didn't happen, and his value has diminished considerably since then. For all of the criticism Ambrose gets here (mostly justified), the WWE had something with him and the fans saw something in him. That has been mostly squandered now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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