Brock Lesnar’s UFC return after a year-long battle with the intestinal disease diverticulitis was one of the most highly anticipated moments of 2011. The UFC 141 battle between he and Alistair Overeem was essentially a No. 1 contenders’ bout with the winner likely being the next man to fight current heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos.
It didn’t last long, though, as Overeem battered Lesnar’s weakened body with kicks and knees before finally knocking him out less than halfway through the first round. With that, Lesnar announced his retirement from the sport in the post-fight interview with Joe Rogan.
So what’s next for the former NCAA and UFC champion?
Well, if you’ve been looking around on the Internet much since Friday night, you have probably seen the rumors that he will be returning to the WWE.
As crazy as that might sound on the surface, it actually makes quite a bit of sense for the WWE to bring in the former superstar. There is a potential program available with a man who he has quite a bit of history with. I’m talking, of course, about The Undertaker.
These two pro wrestling legends have feuded before on camera, but a famous video following Lesnar’s UFC 121 loss to Cain Velasquez in 2010 showed that there may be some legitimate bad blood between the two mammoth heavyweights.
The WWE has a great opportunity to promote a feud between Lesnar and The Undertaker in 2012. A question of real life bad blood has made countless storylines much more effective in the past, and when it has to do with two guys who legitimately could beat the snot out of one another, things just become that much more intriguing.
Only one match has been officially announced for WrestleMania XXVIII on April 1. The event, which will take place from Sun Life Stadium in Miami is set to be headlined by the much-anticipated legend-vs-legend bout between John Cena and The Rock.
However one thing that has become a WrestleMania tradition is the winning streak held by The Undertaker at the event, which currently stands at an unbelievable 19-0. As of right now, “The Dead Man” does not have a scheduled opponent for the event.
Needless to say, a semi-main event between Lesnar and The Undertaker could help make WrestleMania XXVIII an even more monumental event than it otherwise looks like it will be.
While it’s true that pro wrestling is still a strenuous activity, the training is quite a bit different. While performers are looking to hurt one another in MMA, pro wrestling is more of an art of working together to create the appearance that the performers are trying to hurt one another. As such, perhaps pro wrestling might be a better option for Brock’s health going forward, particularly if he doesn’t plan on making it a long-term return.
Lesnar has made it known that he wants to be more of a family man, but the WWE has been pretty good about making that possible for their “for hire” top-level superstars like The Rock in recent years. It is possible that Lesnar could have a very light schedule that would allow him to still be a Dad to his children and a husband to his wife, former WWE diva Rena “Sable” Mero-Lesnar.
Perhaps the biggest thing holding this match back is that Lesnar remains under his UFC contract. However according to a post-fight interview that MMAJunkie had with UFC President Dana White, the company is not certain about the possibility of Lesnar making a return to the WWE.
If it is a possibility under the law, a return to the WWE does make sense. Will he do it? Time will tell. But certainly it’d be a big pay day for a small time investment.
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