Brock Lesnar went on ESPN's "SportsCenter" to make a "major announcement" Tuesday and he delivered, saying he has signed a multi-year extension with the WWE.
Lesnar's contract status had been the biggest off-screen story line in the months leading up to this Sunday's WrestleMania. Everyone knew his contract was running out, and there was a lot of talk that he would attempt a return to UFC. This, of course, led people to believe that Roman Reigns winning in the main event of WrestleMania was a lock. Lesnar's announcement on "SportsCenter," where he said his legacy in the Octagon is done but that WrestleMania will not be the last fans see of him in WWE, changes all of that.
What does this mean for WWE? Well, let's start with the obvious. The entire dynamic of the main event has changed now. Reigns was considered to be a fairly heavy favorite as of Tuesday morning, but that is no longer the case. The WWE has the option of keeping the belt on Lesnar, and considering the response to Roman Reigns in recent weeks it's very reasonable that they will take this option. It also completely changes the fan anticipation for the match. Many fans were disappointed because of the likelihood that Reigns would win, and now that possibility is up in the air. For the record, I don't think this means Lesnar will definitely win, but I think it's certainly a good possibility.
The other thing it does is that it rationalizes both the US and IC title matches. One of the huge flaws with Brock Lesnar holding the title is that there wasn't another title with any meaning that a wrestler could chase. Let's assume for a second that John Cena wins the US title at WrestleMania, and someone like Daniel Bryan wins the IC title. You could conceivably have either one of those titles main event a pay-per-view when Lesnar doesn't show up. They'd be the de facto world titles, and give the belts the credibility that has been missing for so long. In fact, they could treat them like the brand split was still in effect, having the US title holder primarily defending his title on "RAW," while the IC title primarily defends on "Smackdown," which would also hypothetically serve to make "Smackdown" relevant. It would keep the title picture fresh, and give all the wrestlers something meaningful to do while Lesnar isn't around.
The other wild thing about this announcement was that it happened on "SportsCenter." WWE has been ramping up the mainstream coverage over the past few months, and this was by far their biggest coup. To have "SportsCenter" hype up the announcement all show, get a live interview with Michelle Beadle, and then bring on former WWE commentator Jonathan Coachman to provide analysis and ask a few more questions, it became the story of night not just in wrestling, but in sports. Also, keeping it a secret until Lesnar announced it on "SportsCenter" was extremely well-done when leaks are so prevalent. Nobody had an inkling of this happening until ESPN announced Lesnar would be on.
In a month when the general feeling toward WWE has been negative, praise has to be given to the way they engineered the announcement and, for at least one night, became relevant in a major way, just five days before WrestleMania.
Thoughts? Questions? Leave them in the comment section, email me, or find me on Twitter: @TheAOster. You can also hear my opinion on my new podcast, Jobbing Out.