Of all the matches announced for WrestleMania 39 so far, the one that’s had fans scratching their heads the most is Brock Lesnar vs. Omos. Part of it is because Lesnar has unfinished business with Bobby Lashley that seems like it would have best been settled on WWE’s grandest stage.
But the other part is that it’s Omos. That’s not meant as a sign of disrespect for the ultimate big man, but rather a sincere expression of surprise at the idea of Lesnar battling someone who’s barely been used on WWE TV the past few months.
Surely, the thinking goes, Lesnar must have had other options. That’s exactly what Sean Ross Sapp has broken down on Fightful Select (subscription requires, but well worth it), detailing the various matches that were pitched to Lesnar going potentially all the way back to summer 2022.
Perhaps the most interesting nugget in that analysis is that Sapp’s sources suggest Lesnar could have ended up against Bray Wyatt … except Lesnar apparently wasn’t crazy about the idea.
We’re not sure necessarily when Bray Wyatt was pitched as a possible opponent for WrestleMania, but he was mentioning it as recently as right before WWE Elimination Chamber. Sources familiar with the situation claim that Brock himself nixed the idea, though we weren’t given specifics as to why.
It’s possible that Lesnar just didn’t see his straightforward, real combat sports athlete presentation meshing well with Wyatt’s supernatural stylings. He wouldn’t be the first wrestler to feel that way, and if anything, Wyatt has only grown more difficult to decipher in his current incarnation.
The irony, of course, is that Lashley is also a legit athlete type himself, with a similar though not as celebrated MMA background. Seeing him as the subject of Firefly Fun House videos has been an awkward look, and almost certainly just the type of thing Lesnar may have been looking to avoid.
The difference is that Lashley might not have as much ability to turn down a program with Wyatt. And the winner in all this is Omos, who may not otherwise have been on the WrestleMania card — and he may have his opponent to thank.