Longest Reigning Failing Champion
Hello Boomers. I hope you're enjoying the recent storyline developments on Smackdown, especially the intensifying rivalry between Styles and Nakamura, and the announcement that Asuka will face Carmella at MITB. Now let's go from the positives of wrestling to the negatives, so grab a drink and join me as we drown in the misery of Brock Lesnar!
The Best Incarnate, former UFC Heavyweight Champion, the 1 in 21-1, Brock Lesnar has now held Raw's Universal Championship for over 400 days and seems like he is on his way to adding at least 90 days to the number as no defense is in the pipeline until Summerslam in August. Usually when a wrestler holds a title for so long they have built up credibility, or at least some form of respect as to why they still have gold around their waste, whether this is down to their ability to put on extraordinary matches time and time again or their endless capacity of charisma that keeps fans intrigued and wanting more. Unfortunate for Lesnar his matches are more scripted than a sit-com and he has as much charisma as a wet cockroach. Ever since winning the title from old time adversary Goldberg at Wrestlemania 33 in a dull main event, The Beast has only defended the title at 6 PPV's with all matches following the same pattern; that pattern being multiple German Suplexes, Lesnar facing a finisher before dishing out multiple F5s for the victory. People talk about John Cena having a repetitive move-set, but let me tell you this, if Cena is repetitive then Lesnar is as versatile as the Great Khali wrestling a surf board.
Let's take a look at comparable title reigns, those being John Cena's 380 day tenure, that lasted from September 2006 until October 2007, and CM Punk's 435 day reign. When Cena became Champion for the 3rd time in October 2006 he was radially becoming one of the greatest superstars in company history and having the title to defend allowed the Cenation Leader to go out there month in and month out to prove himself against veterans such as Edge and Shawn Michaels, and putting on a compelling series with Randy Orton. When Punk captured the WWE Title for a second time at Survivor Series 2011 he was on a mission to make the point that he was the Best in the World and that nobody in the company could touch him when it came to in-ring competitiveness. Throughout his reign Punk gained respect from millions of fans and many did consider him the Best in the World. The reign elevated Punk to new heights and Punk elevated the legitimacy of what it took to retain the WWE Title for such a lengthy period of time.
Yes Lesnar is a genuine fighter, and he proved that in UFC, but this is pro wrestling and requires a lot more than simply keeping the title. Lesnar has defeated all possible challengers including Braun Strowman, Samoa Joe, and most shockingly Roman Reigns, shocking because Reigns received a three year build before facing Lesnar and still walked away without the title in tow. Whoever does get the rare opportunity to fight Lesnar at Summerslam, they better prepare to be buried with the famous shovel because if Strowman and Reigns can't do the job then I guess we'll have to live with Brock as out Champion for even longer.
Let's take a look at comparable title reigns, those being John Cena's 380 day tenure, that lasted from September 2006 until October 2007, and CM Punk's 435 day reign. When Cena became Champion for the 3rd time in October 2006 he was radially becoming one of the greatest superstars in company history and having the title to defend allowed the Cenation Leader to go out there month in and month out to prove himself against veterans such as Edge and Shawn Michaels, and putting on a compelling series with Randy Orton. When Punk captured the WWE Title for a second time at Survivor Series 2011 he was on a mission to make the point that he was the Best in the World and that nobody in the company could touch him when it came to in-ring competitiveness. Throughout his reign Punk gained respect from millions of fans and many did consider him the Best in the World. The reign elevated Punk to new heights and Punk elevated the legitimacy of what it took to retain the WWE Title for such a lengthy period of time.
Yes Lesnar is a genuine fighter, and he proved that in UFC, but this is pro wrestling and requires a lot more than simply keeping the title. Lesnar has defeated all possible challengers including Braun Strowman, Samoa Joe, and most shockingly Roman Reigns, shocking because Reigns received a three year build before facing Lesnar and still walked away without the title in tow. Whoever does get the rare opportunity to fight Lesnar at Summerslam, they better prepare to be buried with the famous shovel because if Strowman and Reigns can't do the job then I guess we'll have to live with Brock as out Champion for even longer.
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