What If Brock Lesnar never left WWE?

Welcome to another edition of my "What If?" Series, where I discuss a number of different scenarios that could have happened if things went differently. Today, I would like to tackle another "What If?" situation that has been on my mind for some time. What if Brock Lesnar never left the WWE?

Let us go back to 2004. Brock was at the top of his game as a 3-time WWE Champion. Lesnar conquered whatever and whoever came in his path. He scored incredible victories over The Rock, Hulk Hogan, Undertaker, as well as Kurt Angle to name a few. Brock had the wrestling world at his fingertips, as Vince McMahon had huge plans for him to lead WWE into the future. Lesnar was on the cover of WWE Smackdown! Here Comes The Pain, the best game on Playstation 2 in the pre-Smackdown vs Raw Era. He was making a very historic rise in the WWE, as he was becoming a special attraction in his own right. Brock was poised to be the face of the company for the next generation. Suddenly, things changed as Brock made his exit after WrestleMania XX. After failing to make the Minnesota Vikings roster, Brock would spend time in New Japan Pro Wrestling where he won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. Lesnar would become an even bigger star in the UFC, as he became the biggest box office draw that the promotion has ever had. Lesnar garnered mainstream attention from ESPN, Sports Illustrated and other outlets that flocked to UFC Events for coverage. By the time Brock returned in 2012, he brought his mainstream status with him as the UFC fans started watching WWE whenever he was on. We all know how Brock's WWE Career has turned out since then.

Now, I would like to dive into different scenarios that Lesnar would have fit in had he not left WWE in the first place. When Brock left, WWE was short on heels for their Smackdown brand. Triple H did not like to work on the Tuesday schedule for Smackdown tapings, so he was out of the picture. With that said, John Bradshaw Layfield enters the picture as the heel that Eddie Guerrero has to defend his WWE Championship against. I believe that JBL was an emergency choice, because Brock had left. Let's say Brock decides not to leave. If that happens, he defeats Goldberg at WrestleMania and seeks revenge of his WWE Title. I doubt that JBL even becomes champion, let alone hold the title for as long as he held it. Brock turns his attention to Eddie Guerrero and defeats him for the title. Lesnar could feud with Undertaker going into Summerslam and maintain his momentum for the rest of the year.


With that said, it is time to move into 2005. This is the most important part of history to cover regarding Brock Lesnar staying in WWE...

The Rise of John Cena:

This was the time where Vince McMahon was changing the guard since Brock's absence. JBL and Eddie Guerrero were the veterans that would keep the belt warm until VKM decided to crown a new face of the company to build around. JBL has one of the longest reigns for a heel in WWE History until he is dethroned by John Cena at WrestleMania 21. As we all know, the Cena Era had just begun. In this change of history, Cena wins the Royal Rumble as Batista still feuds with Triple H for the World Heavyweight Title. In the main event, John Cena challenges none other than The Beast himself, Brock Lesnar. With Lesnar still in the company, JBL would be in the mid card. Brock's impact would limit how many World Titles Cena, Batista, Edge and Randy Orton would win during their tenure. Cena would have still made a name for himself, but not in a way that outshines Brock Lesnar. John has been able to outshine Batista, Edge, and Orton, but I am uncertain that he would do the same thing with Lesnar. Brock could have as many world titles as those aforementioned names. Brock could even have more world titles than them. Who knows? I am just throwing out scenarios that Brock could fit in. It does seem like Lesnar's departure draws correlations with Cena's rise to the top.



WrestleMania 22 could look different. Brock could defend the title against Triple H instead of having Cena come into Mania as champion. Brock could even become WHC (World Heavyweight Champion) instead of building Rey Mysterio as a tribute Champion for Eddie Guerrero. Brock might be the one to break Undertaker's streak long before WrestleMania XXX. He would be much more believable than Mark Henry.

At WrestleMania 23, Brock could challenge Batista for the World Heavyweight Title instead of Undertaker. He could even challenge Cena for the WWE Title instead of Shawn Michaels.

At WrestleMania 24, Brock could be the marquee attraction against Floyd Mayweather. Then again, Floyd could find himself in the hospital trying to fight Brock, lol. Lesnar could be in the Main Event against Edge for the WHC. Lesnar would be a fixture in the Title picture. Brock could feud with Edge heading into Summerslam. Perhaps a potential Hell In A Cell match. The Rated-R Superstar versus The Conqueror.

For WrestleMania 25, Lesnar could either enter as the Royal Rumble winner or he could defend the title against Randy Orton. Brock vs Randy would create for another great dynamic. The Beast vs The Viper. Orton was on fire during his "Age of Orton" period and as the Apex Predator. Brock was the Youngest WWE Champion in history when he defeated The Rock at Summerslam 2002 at age 25. Two years later, Randy became the Youngest World Champion at age 24. You could even have Brock win the Rumble as he defeats Triple H at WrestleMania XXV for the WWE Championship.

Relationship with Paul Heyman...

I believe that Brock would still have his partnership with Paul Heyman because Brock would have been a major motivation for him during this time. After Brock's exit, Heyman re-launched ECW for their One Night Stand PPV and other things beyond that. Things started out great with ECW, but eventually things fell apart. With Lesnar still in the mix, Paul would have created different scenarios for himself and Brock. They seem to be inseparable, so Heyman might have either had Brock be a part of the ECW PPV or he might have just left ECW alone.

The Voice of CM Punk...

Would CM Punk still be able to light a fire among the wrestling world and the IWC if Brock Lesnar stayed? That is another thing to take into consideration. When CM Punk joined WWE in 2005 under Ohio Valley Wrestling, the company did not want to see him succeed. Punk mentions this in his documentary "Best In The World". Phil credits Paul Heyman for believing in him and defending him while the higher ups saw no value in the name "CM Punk". Heyman was only able to do that, because Brock Lesnar was not around. So, that meant he was free to help Punk out. Had Lesnar stayed, Paul's hands would have been full on the main roster. With that said, Punk may have still been voiceless in WWE as he might have taken that same passion and intensity to TNA. The Summer of Punk would probably be in TNA. Then again, Paul could probably still find a way to bring Punk on the main roster. Imagine CM Punk in the TNA Hall of Fame. I know, it takes some time to digest.


WrestleMania XXX:

This is where this alternate timeline comes full circle. As we know, this was the most historical night of Brock's career when he did the unthinkable. On this night, he broke The Undertaker's WrestleMania Streak. Breaking The Streak was the Ultimate way to rebuild Brock as a monster after his losses to John Cena and Triple H. I did not want the streak to end, but if anyone were to end it, it was Brock. Now that Brock has become the most dominant figure in wrestling, does he really need to end the Streak? I doubt it. Instead, you could have an Evolution Triple Threat between Batista, Triple H and Randy Orton. Maybe Undertaker's Streak is still intact, or John Cena could be the 1 in "21-1". If you thought that Brock got heat from the Internet about ending the Streak, Cena might get death threats over that. Perhaps The Streak does not reach this point, because Lesnar could have conquered it much sooner. This leads up to the ultimate point, Brock Lesnar vs. Daniel Bryan. Daniel could win the Royal Rumble instead of being excluded. That way, Batista does not get crucified by the fans for winning the Rumble and booed out of the building. Instead, Bryan can head into WrestleMania as the number 1 contender to face Brock Lesnar for the title. In this scenario, Daniel would not have to have the Authority be a thorn in his side and insult him as a "B+ Player". Maybe, Bryan could have his shining WrestleMania Moment by winning the WWE Championship from the Monster that has ruled WWE with an Iron fist for the past decade: Brock Lesnar. Or, CM Punk could very well have the WrestleMania Main Event that he has been crying about. Just another variety of scenarios.

Historical Impact:
Brock was becoming the face of WWE in the post Austin/Rock Age of Wrestling. He was burnt out and left prematurely. If the fans of the Internet despise John Cena right now, they might have more hatred towards Brock Lesnar. Instead of "Super Cena", we could see "Super Brock" as Lesnar could monopolize the title picture during his Era. The Most Impactful stars who were the Mainstream face of WWE are Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin, The Rock and John Cena. If history had turned out differently, Brock's name would be there instead of Cena. Who knows? Brock could have a movie career and advertising deals through WWE the way that Cena has them. He could have played Drax in "Guardians of the Galaxy" instead of Batista. I believe Lesnar made a great point when he said that if he stayed there would be no John Cena. John would not be as much of a massive star if Brock stayed. We already saw the massacre that Brock delivered at Summerslam when he Suplexed John Cena out of the Main Event to become WWE/World Heavyweight Champion. The one thing that I am certain of is that Cena would not be a 15-time WWE Champion knocking on the door of history ready to break Ric Flair's record. We also would not have to live with that stupid Spinner Belt.

Painting Courtesy of: Rob Schamberger (Twitter: @RobSchamberger)