Shahid’s Blog: An Open Letter to WWE

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Dear WWE,

I would like to thank you for providing me with one of my greatest wishes.  At Summerslam, Brock Lesnar annihilated John Cena in one of the most one sided title matches in wrestling history.  I have been a fan of wrestling for close to 30 years, and I struggle to think of a situation similar to what occurred at The Staples Center.  People have mentioned the Great American Bash 92 between Sting and Vader.  Being a Sting fan who has watched that match countless times, i can assure you that although Sting was the underdog, he put up a credible fight before losing. John Cena, a man who is derisively known as Superman, an individual who doesn’t get pinned by heels, got slaughtered by Brock Lesnar for 16 minutes.  Even Rocky Balboa put a better fight when he first lost to Clubber Lang.  Even as I type this, I still struggle to accept what my eyes witnessed and what my heart enjoyed.  So one sided was the carnage that my viewing party dreaded that Cena would somehow win, for how else could you allow your flagship star to  lose so decisively in a title match? Brock Lesnar hit an F5 within 30 seconds of the match, suplexed him 16 times, did a Zombie sit-up to mock Cena after taking an Attitude Adjustment, and broke out of the STF without use of the ropes and without any real struggle.  It was a joy to behold, and something I thought I would never see.  The following Monday, Paul Heyman cut his usually exemplary celebratory promo, simultaneously praising and mocking John Cena and his fans, while stating the previously unspoken truth – that Brock Lesnar as world champion is a whole different animal, and a problem for the rest of WWE.  Now of course it’s just to build to WrestleMania, so that someone viable can conquer the beast and use it as a launching pad to greatness.  It’s logical booking 101 and makes perfect sense.  My problem is that as a fan, i have absolutely no desire to see that plan.

It’s because I love watching Brock Lesnar.  Ever since he arrived to WWE, he has been marketed and pushed to be a monster that could run through nearly anyone and everyone.  He shook off chair shots.  He beat up world champion tag teams by himself.  He beat the Rock clean, while the Rock was in his prime, and it seemed perfectly believable.  He even beat the Undertaker, during a time where that was extremely rare.  You could count on one hand the number of people who could conceivably beat him without interference and would seem believable – Kurt Angle, The Big Show, possibly the Undertaker, maybe HHH or The Rock, and Bill Goldberg.  That’s it.  Not since the days of Hulk Hogan and early Yokozuna had WWE had such a dominant champion.  Then Brock Lesnar left, and just to prove that he could, became UFC Heavyweight Champion after a handful of fights.  Think about how difficult that feat would be under normal circumstances.  Then remember that during this time he was dealing with diverticulitis, a disease which almost killed him.  All of these factors allow a fan to realize that Brock Lesnar is a bad man.

So now Brock Lesnar is back in the WWE.  For all the miscues involved since his return, I’ve still witnessed him dominate HHH twice, including no-selling a pedigree and breaking his arm.  I’ve seen him brutalize John Cena in a flukey loss, and then somehow beating him even worse to win the title.  I’ve seen him beat the Big Show in five minutes, during a time when The Big Show was a credible opponent.  I’ve seen him manhandle Mark Henry as if he was Xavier Woods.  And I saw him beat the Undertaker clean to break the streak at WrestleMania.  Everything that Paul Heyman has stated in promos has come to fruition.  If you present me with an unstoppable bad ass that backs up his claims, is tough, ruthless, talented and entertaining, and then pair him with an awesome mouth piece like Paul Heyman……why would I not cheer this man?  I remember listening to a podcast and hearing Bruce Mitchell state that it if you’re a bad ass heel that wins clean, then it’s impossible to stay a heel for long.  He was referring to Stone Cold Steve Austin, but the adage applies in this scenario as well.  I enjoy that Brock Lesnar is a part time mercenary that only cares about beating someone’s ass. I don’t want to see him lose.  Not only that, unless it’s a gimmick match, I couldn’t suspend disbelief enough to believe that someone on the roster could beat him in a fair fight.  He’s a super heavyweight that’s quicker than men 70 lbs lighter.  He’s was a NCAA wrestling champion who went on to become UFC heavyweight champion.  He is a guy that looks like a descendant of a dinosaur, who has been booked as a badass, and actually has proven it in real life.  I’m aware of all these things.  So are you really going to try to sell me on Roman Reigns or even Daniel Bryan beating Brock Lesnar?  I love Daniel Bryan, and I’m aware of the appeal of the underdog overcoming injury to come back and claim a title he never was beaten for.  But there isn’t a snow ball’s chance in hell that I could believe Daniel Bryan could beat Brock Lesnar in a fair fight.  And it’s not just the fact that he’s bigger, or stronger, or more skilled or tougher.  It’s the fact that he’s all those things. Daniel Bryan is one of the best wrestlers in the world, but he isn’t Kurt Angle, he isn’t Chris Benoit, and he isn’t Bruce Lee.  To use a different analogy, as talented as Georges St Pierre is in the octagon, no one would believe that he could beat Cain Velasquez.  Size isn’t everything, but history has proven that all things being equal, the good big man will beat the good little man.  And with Brock Lesnar, things have rarely been equal.

So WWE, that is the dilemma you have presented me. You have created a monster, a legend that has been billed as probably the most dangerous man in WWE history.  You have booked him to live up to this reputation.  You have shown me that this is a man who was capable of brutalizing Hulkamania, humble the Rock, end the legendary streak of the Undertaker, and treated the franchise of WWE like a rag doll. So do me a favor – allow me to enjoy the monster.  I’m not a hypocrite who enjoys underdogs while striving to avoid becoming one.  I enjoy excellence.  I appreciate greatness.  Let me be a Brock Lesnar fan.  Don’t try to pull a fast one on me.  I know better – because you told me to.

Signed,

A loyal wrestling fan with a brain.

P.S. – if by chance you sign Rock vs Brock for the title at WrestleMania, then disregard this entire letter.  Rock needs his win back

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