Let me start with Lesnar. Business issues supposedly led to Lesnar not being a part of Raw last week. Now people are wondering whether he will be a part of Wrestlemania. Even if he is a part of Wrestlemania, how will the match be handled? How will the fans react? Brock Lesnar's last Wrestlemania match prior to leaving the WWE many years ago was not something wonderful. Will history repeat itself?
Look at everything the WWE has done with Lesnar in the last year alone. He put an end to The Undertaker's undefeated streak. He squashed John Cena to take the WWE Championship. He has held the title without even showing up on a regular basis and not defending it regularly. The WWE has invested a lot into him. The vast majority of men do not get treated like this. Some of them earn a fabulous career and don't get it. I would say Lesnar should show some humility. It is those guys that are mistreated that I like seeing stand up for themselves more. And if this whole story in true, I doubt Brock is having these issues because he cares so much about the other workers.
The NFL season never ends for some fans. There is always something to talk about. This is the time of year that teams are cutting players they don't need, signing other players, and trying to re-sign their star players they do not want to lose. It still feels weird to me when a star player that is bringing the results still is asked to restructure his contract for the benefit of the team. You would think he could command top dollar. But it is about doing what is right for the team. And some top stars are willing to restructure for the very reason of wanting to win a Super Bowl. Even guys that are great at what they do cannot do it alone.
That being said, Brock Lesnar is not worth it. With the way they have treated this guy, he should be the biggest draw in a long time. The rub he gives to the man that beats him should be enough to make a true superstar. And yet, none of that is working out. Ratings in recent months are abysmal. Even if you want to use the football excuse for why ratings were so bad during the first half of Lesnar's reign, that is not an issue now and ratings are still poor for this time of year. Brock Lesnar winning the title was supposed to create this hype over what would happen and lead to some fresh feuds. None of that worked out. All the blame should not be on him, but if he cannot be utilized to really deliver, why should you pay him as much as he wants? I would give him a pay cut. If he does not want it, let him go.
As a fan, I would have loved to see Lesnar vs. Randy Orton. Being a little more objective, this situation is just not working out. The WWE got criticized last year by business analysts. Budget cuts followed. I think they should be criticized again. Treating someone like they are worth a million bucks is only fine if they are bringing results like they are worth a million bucks. Lesnar cannot be overvalued. Save some money and devote time and energy to utilizing full-time workers better. You need system repairs right now. No one person can bail you out of this mess.
How about AJ Lee? While #GiveDivasAChance had more momentum to it, she took a shot at Stephanie McMahon on Twitter to criticize how the WWE is running the diva division. No, this does not seem to be about setting up these two for a match at Wrestlemania. And she got a ton of respect points from diva fans. Call me cynical, but her husband is getting sued by a doctor affiliated by the WWE and the WWE themselves took a shot at Punk right after that by challenging he ever had that growth. Could AJ have just done what she did more out of bitterness than caring about the divas?
Regardless of her motives, AJ Lee, much like Lesnar, is someone I would say is not worth keeping around. Just like Lesnar, she has had a ton invested into her. No female wrestler has been pushed at the level AJ Lee was being pushed to get her over since Lita. All you have had between Lita and AJ are a bunch of credible jobbers. If the WWE had left her as a generic face diva, it is unlikely she would have overcome that at all to get as over as she did become.
But how over is she really? For much of last year, fans were more interested in chanting for CM Punk when she was out there than showing her actual support. I have brought up that time heel Nikki Bella did a promo against face AJ Lee and was actually getting cheered for it. Unlike Mickie James, the WWE has allowed AJ Lee to continue to run with a unique gimmick to help her stand out, even if they were no longer pushing her alongside main-eventers. They have consistently featured her. They have put a lot into her. How has that investment worked out for them? And after calling out one of her bosses the way she did, given the situation with fans protesting and given the situation with her husband, it is just not wise to have her in the company right now.
How do you fill her spot? And you should try to fill her spot. Fans are not in a good mood right now. If all you give them is The Bellas, that might not satisfy actual wrestling fans. The Bellas have started to become more over, but a lot of fans want to support an actual female wrestler. Develop Paige as a periphery diva. In terms of talent and potential, I feel she is better than AJ Lee. I think her connection with the fans is better. You would be replacing one "anti-diva" diva with another.
As a writer, I think AJ Lee can be a great periphery diva. They should go back to pushing her alongside the men. That is where she was at her best. She just lost her momentum in the title scene. But when I take a step back, just like with Lesnar, I do not feel AJ Lee is worth it. If she really was maintaining the best connection with the fans while she was still there, I would say the WWE should try not to lose her. A thousand "CM Punk" chants and one Nikki Bella promo later, this is just another bad investment by the WWE. If she does return, most of her overness is going to come from whom she is married to and what she said on Twitter. She made herself into a legend. That's not how you are supposed to do it. What happened to people having talent, getting over by entertaining the fans, and being given the legendary careers because the promotion wanted these performers to help them be successful?
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