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If it’s almost WrestleMania season, does that mean it’s also Brock Lesnar SZN?
According to one prominent pro wrestling insider, yes. Yes it does.
Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer addressed the likely return of the Beast Incarnate ahead of WWE’s showcase event on the most recent episode of Wrestling Observer Radio. And the timetable for a Lesnar return is simple: Next Monday (Jan. 22) if he’s going to be in the Royal Rumble match, or in the next few weeks if he’s being aimed just for WrestleMania instead.
At any time. Yes, maybe next week. I would think that [last night] would not be the week to have Brock Lesnar return, given that this might be one of the lower-rated shows, considering they went against the football game and the Emmy Awards. So if he’s going to return for the Rumble, next week would be the week. If he’s going to return shortly after, then it could be a couple of weeks later. But he’s going to be back. It’ll be interesting to see who he’s back — I mean, I would presume he’s in the Rumble.
Lesnar was last seen in a WWE ring last year at SummerSlam, where he lost to Cody Rhodes. That match was notable for Lesnar’s post-match handshake, a rare sign of explicit respect that surprised even the American Nightmare.
While Lesnar wasn’t a major focal point of WrestleMania 39 last April, he was still involved, defeating Omos in the opening match of night 2. One possibility for the 46-year-old that wouldn’t involve a main event slot would be a showdown with Intercontinental Champion Gunther, who has spoken openly about his desire to face Lesnar to “validate” his current run.
With several good options for Royal Rumble winners on the men’s side this year, the Rumble match doesn’t feel like it needs Lesnar, but it could definitely still be used to set something up for him that would pay off at WrestleMania — and Gunther, for example, has already declared for the Rumble. Keep a close eye on the Jan. 22 episode of Raw and subsequent editions to see if that familiar entrance music brings the Beast Incarnate bounding back into a WWE ring.
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