Brock Lesnar is a giant among men, the 39-year-old has proven his ability to adapt and drive time and time again, and having recently completed a successful comeback in his first Ultimate Fighting Championship bout since 2011 his future although limitless is currently in limbo.
The Beast Incarnate has already been announced to feature at The Biggest Party of the Summer; SummerSlam, against The Viper Randy Orton but despite his short term future, for the most part, resolved, it is his long-term prospects that have attracted the most attention and cast doubt surrounding his WWE career.
With the wrestling promotion currently worth an estimated $1.2 billion while Lesnar is valued at $16 million their pricing is a one-way display of dominance, however, it is the attraction of The Nightmare of Suplex City that could be his trump card, and with UFC highly interested the performer is currently in possession of a royal flush.
The genius of Vince McMahon
The owner of the world's largest wrestling company Vincent Kennedy McMahon has since 1982 been a prominent figure in the world of wrestling and has remained so due to his seemingly genius identification of performers, that he has managed to shape into his own image of superstars.
When one of the hottest young prospects of his company Brock Lesnar left in 2004, the 70-year-old showed little sign of panic or trauma in losing the huge asset as his confidence to craft a new star has paid off time and time again, as the former NCAA wrestling champion tried his hand at American Football, Mr. McMahon already set the wheels in motion to find and groom a new face of the company, which happened to be John Cena.
Despite forging a successful career in UFC during which he won the Heavyweight Championship from Randy Couture in his third fight with the promotion, the wheels continued to turn in WWE, while both Lesnar and the wrestling company enjoyed success despite travelling separate roads, their eventual return in 2012 was shrewd business following the fighter's forced retirement.
Since his return to the wrestling promotion, the veteran has been on a huge run, despite losing his first match back against Cena he eventually recovered and with advocate Paul Heyman at his side, was able to mastermind the most shocking moment in 21-years of professional wrestling as he became the one in The Undertaker's previously undefeated streak of 21-0.
Rather than hyping the credit on the performer, large amounts of that praise must be heaped onto McMahon who saw the potential in Lesnar as he used the performer's legitimate fighting background to present him as a viable candidate to shock the world at WrestleMania 30. It was the genius of The Boss to be able to 'book' The Conqueror in this way, and WWE has since reaped the benefits because of this.
With the owner of WWE's proven track record this would ultimately be a powerful factor in cementing Lesnar's legacy as a true dominator in the world of sport, if the veteran was intent on creating a lasting impression on the industry as a whole then staying put in the wrestling promotion under McMahon's guidance would prove wise, with The Boss able to shape and build the former champion as a monster as he feels fit, rather than risk his career to chance in the MMA world.
Lesnar: The all-rounder
Lesnar was labeled as "The Most Accomplished Athlete in Pro Wrestling history" by ESPN, and that has only become truer following his demolition of UFC opponent Mark Hunt, despite their analysis of the 39-year-old being accurate, their statement was far too narrowed on the man that has been a success in every sporting industry he has set his eyes on.
There have been few if any at all that have been involved in four sporting worlds and achieved success in all of these fields like Lesnar and as he is currently juggling between professional wrestling and mixed martial arts, his athletic diversity may define him as the single greatest all rounder athlete in history.
In his early years, at age 17 he pinned his hopes on a career in the National Guard, with his desire to work with explosives, however, his eyesight effectively halted that dream as he suffered from 'red-green colorblindness' which led to him being assigned an office job but after failing a computer typing test he moved onto the construction industry.
While in his youth he wrestled on an amateur level and became a two-time state champion and in his senior year went on an undefeated streak of his own amassing 33 victories in his senior year, he eventually transferred to the University of Minnesota on a wrestling scholarship where he won the NCAA Division I heavyweight wrestling championship in his senior year (2000), while racking up 106 victories to just five losses in four years of college.
In that same year of 2000, he signed a contract with the WWE, he was immediately sent to Ohio Valley Wrestling where he was first introduced to future advocate Paul Heyman, after two years of developmental training he was called up to the main roster in March 2002 partnered with Heyman, where he became known as The Next Big Thing.
After four months of straight dominance he won the King of the Ring tournament in 2002, and soon after in August defeated The Rock to become the new and youngest ever WWE Undisputed champion at just 25-years-old. Lesnar enjoyed a phenomenal first run with the company that saw him also win the Royal Rumble in 2003 but his first tenure ended in fan backlash when at WrestleMania 20 his last match before his leave he was booed during his match with Goldberg as the two departing superstars were announced to be leaving beforehand.
Following his departure from WWE, he turned his attention to American Football as he tried his hand in the NFL Scouting Combine where collegiate players perform in a week-long event performing in physical challenges to impress the various clubs at present. Lesnar attracted the attention of the Minnesota Vikings where he featured in several preseason games, he was released the following month after signing; although he had overseas offers to continue playing football, he declined due to his desire to remain in the United States.
Following his domination in two sports and at least trying his luck in a third, Lesnar's insatiable thirst for athletic supremacy took another leap forward as he signed a deal with UFC in February 2008, despite a quick submission loss after just one minute and 30 seconds in his opening match against Frank Mir he quickly recovered in his second as he defeated Heath Herring by unanimous decision.
As his stock continued to rise, he earned a title bout in his third match with the promotion against Couture which he won via TKO in what was deemed a shock upset, after defeating the former champion in his rematch, illness struck in the form of mononucleosis as well as diverticulitis, however, he managed to overcome his illness to defeat Shane Carwin and retain his belt once more, however, it would be Cain Valasquez who would eventually take the belt from him.
After he retired from UFC he made the return to WWE, where he quickly became one of the most popular superstars on the roster, despite his infrequent appearances. He became the WWE World Heavyweight champion in 2014 but his most famous moment occurred less than four months earlier when he made headlines by defeating The Undertaker at WrestleMania 30, conquering his previously undefeated streak.
Now after making his return to UFC in better shape than his first run, he has only become more of a global star and could demand an increased wage if he so wished, after banking $2.5 million from just one fight, that was not even the main event of the pay per view, Lesnar has the ball in his court, and may well hold WWE ransom if they so wish to keep him signed to their company, otherwise he may consider his grand payday a much more lucrative attraction.
UFC or WWE
The main question surrounding this article is whether Lesnar would honor his commitment to WWE and remain a 'superstar' or look to increase his 'legitimate athlete' status and ply his trade further in the UFC with the limits at this point in his career seemingly endless.
What is important to understand is the reasoning behind his early retirement from the MMA promotion. In a nutshell, it was his illness which unbeknown to him and previously revealed by Paul Heyman at a question and answer session, he had been suffering from his whole life.
Heyman revealed at the Q&A at the Manchester Comedy Store hosted by Inside the Ropes that while his client was "winning the NCAA title" and "wrestling in his first run with the WWE" and "trying out with the Minnesota Vikings" and beating the "greatest heavyweight in UFC history Randy Couture" he was suffering from "diverticulitis" which only hindered his diverse sports career.
The revolutionary behind the now extinct ECW claimed Lesnar was "the healthiest he has ever been" which could potentially only increase the veteran's temptation to continue on from his win over Hunt, and forge a late career in UFC as a truly healthy athlete.
Lesnar has never been recognized by the wrestling community as a performer with a true sense of love for the industry, considering his lack of working dates, this assumption would reign true and the constant leaving of the company then this belief rings true.
The prospect of training and working out ahead of a $2+ million payday at the end would suit the South Dakota-born fighter, rather than working six matches while also factoring in appearances and feeling as if he is not truly testing his competitive instincts in a scripted sport.
So who needs who more?
The question of the article, is who needs who more, however, it is misleading, it is still not so straight forward to handpick one or the other but the main takeaway to gain from this is that Lesnar holds every card in the entire deck and is that importance to both UFC and WWE it becomes a game of who is willing to pay more, it remains just a waiting game at this moment in time.
One main question is; is Lesnar really willing to at 39-years-old go through all of the intense training in order to prove himself further? Despite having just eight fights in the MMA company he has already climbed the previously unclimbable mountain and sits head and shoulders at the top as the richest MMA fighter in history, his star power has dwarfed that of Conor McGregor, Ronda Rousey, Randy Couture or Anderson Silva and still after just one returning fight has proved he can still shine.
While some may see him 'playing it safe' in UFC, the impacts and the effects of the work the performers to has been more documented in recent times now than ever, with Lesnar himself admitted to the UFC in 2008 that the superstars are "risking their lives" and that there is "high risk" involved, he finished by saying that even though the matches are "predetermined" and "entertainment" the performers are still "getting hurt out there."
In this current climate, at veteran status, coupled with the huge wage bill that Lesnar commands, it may be wise for WWE to give some thought to his contract before a renewal is considered, with the 39-year-old not working week in work out, his attraction to certain events only increases their prestige and is on par with that of The Undertaker or The Rock, but do they really need him, considering their 'new era' they are ushering in?
Allowing some sort of negotiation allowing Lesnar to work for the UFC on a continuous basis while also tied to a high-end legend's contract with WWE would surely fit both parties, he currently earns approximately upwards of $4 million from his current contract with the WWE but with the lucrative promise of earning a similar amount per fight, as well as pushing himself on a competitive basis, if the chance for a full-time contract with UFC arises, which would presumably make him the biggest and most sporting star in the world of sport, then Lesnar will do what is best for Lesnar, he has often been labeled as a mercenary, and with his career winding down, money will talk.