Don't Hold Your Breath for Lesnar vs. Undertaker

I'll bet any money that this match will NOT happen at WM
Photo Credit: WWE.com

What former employee could return to WWE and immediately spark interest in the product just by wrestling in a match? Two names come to mind, and they are The Rock and Brock Lesnar. Rocky has intimated that he wants to come back at least once, although it might not be to wrestle in a match. I mean, his movie career has him busier than a bee on speed, and odds are, there isn't a time when he's not busy shooting. Movie producers seem to frown upon their premiums going through the roof on a star who decides to participate in a potentially dangerous activity like wrestling in a WWE ring. That leaves Lesnar as the one guy who could come back for a one-off match that would draw some money, and wouldn't you know it, the dirtsheets are abuzz with talk that he's doing just that at WrestleMania 27 in Atlanta against Undertaker.

If you missed the Weekend Wrap-Up this morning, I'll give you the condensed version here. Ariel Helwani of MMA Fanhouse for AOL interviewed Taker, who was at the UFC bout on Saturday. Lesnar, having just been knocked out for his UFC World Heavyweight Championship by Cain Velasquez, walked by him, which caused Taker to ask him "You wanna go?" What was thought of as a shoot at first quickly turned into an assumed work on the part of Taker when it was leaked that Vince McMahon had put feelers out to Lesnar's camp about him doing a one-off against the Dead Man at the Granddaddy of Them All.

This set off a lot of red flags for me. For one, Undertaker's streak at WrestleMania is among the most sacred things in all the WWE, even better protected than some titles. Lesnar would not come in to job. No way. If he signed on for a match, you know he was going to win. It would kill UFC buyrates to have Lesnar, their biggest draw, lose in a staged match, no matter how "fake" everyone knows wrestling is.

Seriously, Dana White is the new model of Vince McMahon, and he's not going to let McMahon out-McMahon him unless it meant something in the long run, and quite frankly, Lesnar appearing at WrestleMania to wrestle ANYONE would only benefit McMahon. UFC is arguably the largest and most profitable combat sports brand in the country, and whether McMahon or White want to admit it or not, they're direct competitors, even if the products they offer are vastly different. I mean, they compete for the same PPV dollar, and MMA is arguably what pro wrestling would have been if it were real all along.

So then, either Undertaker's career gets ended by Lesnar, or the WWE throws out their trump card for drawing big numbers at WM when the title match just doesn't have the same oomph as it does in other years. Plus, despite how Lesnar left the company and how bad the taste that was left in many fans' mouths (mine included), you know that people aren't going to pay for a PPV with the expectation that Lesnar loses. No way. Although the matchup with Taker brings intrigue, it's a lose-lose in the end for the WWE. Either they blow Taker's streak for someone who isn't going to be around in even a month, or they disenchant x-amount of new fans who buy the event just to see Brock Lesnar.

If I were McMahon, I would change direction quick if I wanted Lesnar at WM. Put him against Cena, put him against Big Show, SOMEONE who'd do the job and look good doing it. But I'd also be very prepared to fail at luring Lesnar into a WM payday, at least for this year. There'll be a time when Lesnar enters Chuck Liddell/washed-up territory. Now's not that time. He's got at least a year before he gets there from what I'm hearing from guys who know MMA way, way better than I do (and that's nearly anyone who's ever ordered a UFC PPV). Not this year Vince. Not this year.

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