Brock Lesnar is set for a hugely anticipated return to the octagon on July 9 to do battle with Mark Hunt in what is already one of the most high profile sporting events of this 2016.
The superstar is currently under contract with WWE but they have granted the 38-year-old permission to fight at the upcoming UFC 200 pay-per-view in an agreement they hope will result in their favor eventually.
The Chief Branding officer of the wrestling company Stephanie McMahon offered her thoughts on the former World Heavyweight Champion's return to the premier MMA promotion as well as the UFC being viewed as 'competition' of the WWE.
On UFC as 'competition'
There has long been a suggestion that WWE fears the word "competition" but since their last major opponent WCW evaporated in 2001, the company owned by Stephanie's father, Vince McMahon, has had very little to fear in terms of a rival.
When asked the question regarding Lesnar's switch from one side of the 'competition' to another, Stephanie was keen to point out the clear mistake of the interviewer and clarify that her company and the one the Beast will be representing are in no way competing.
She said "UFC is not a competitor to the WWE because we are entertainment and UFC is competitive sport. It is very different. WWE is all about protagonists and antagonists where ultimately our conflicts are settled in the ring with action that is akin to Hollywood."
The 39-year-old continued to define the differences between the two companies as she said her product produces "stunt-like action" and that the matches themselves "tell a story" that allows the audience to become "engaged" with the "characters" and their "storyline" - she said that the narrative has to be "relatable" so that they can see the "tragedy" and "triumph" and that her company has the "advantage" of being able to "script it."
On Brock Lesnar and their advantage
One thing that the WWE have been able to do well is establish Lesnar as a legitimate monster, capable of beating many of the top stars within the company, with The Undertaker and John Cena just two of the names that spring to mind.
Stephanie said that with a star like The Conqueror, they have the ability to "continue" to make that star "rise" even if they lose; which would normally destroy their credibility in a sport like UFC.
She says they possess the "best of both worlds" with their ability to direct stories in the way they "want to tell them."
On Lesnar's fight she said it was a "really special case" that they are "allowing" him to "fight (against Mark Hunt)" but reiterated that the agreement was not a "cross-promotional opportunity."
The WWE have long since been against direct violence with the removal of blood on television one of the main pieces of evidence supporting this, however they understand that the prospect of realism that a legitimate MMA fighter can bring can help develop storylines and gain much wider interest/speculation.
She said on the fight, "We are not supporting the fight necessarily but, again it is not a competitor to us, the more that our superstars....do outside of WWE, the more awareness it generates and the broader the audience can be that is then brought back into our properties."
Despite Stephanie's words, the company have in the past put a halt on their performer's lives outside of the wrestling ring, as Dave Batista recently spoke about feeling like "property" when he wanted to pursue an acting career but that was six years ago and now they seem more willing to let their superstars stretch their legs to to speak.
She finished with "we recognize the value of that."