5 reasons why Brock Lesnar made his WWE return this week on SmackDown
Brock Lesnar made his return this week on SmackDown, appearing on WWE for the first time since WrestleMania 38 and reigniting his feud with Roman Reigns.
The Beast Incarnate attacked The Bloodline to end last night's show, and has been handed a championship match against The Tribal Chief at SummerSlam in around six weeks.
Reigns vs Lesnar has become WWE's panic button feud and it appears that recent issues within the company may have forced the company to once again reach for that button.
On that note, here are just five reasons why Brock Lesnar made his return on WWE SmackDown.
#5 The company knows that Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns is always a main event match
Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns have faced off several times over the past decade and it has always been a show-stealing match. The two men are easily the biggest stars in the company and a feud between them was ready-made following their clash at WrestleMania.
Reigns unified the championships at WrestleMania in April and defended his titles for the first time on SmackDown last night against Riddle. If Reigns wants to be seen as a fighting champion then he has to take on the best and Lesnar is seen as the measuring stick at present.
SummerSlam is one of the biggest shows of the year and there needed to be a headliner in order to sell tickets and a Last Man Standing Match between Reigns and Lesnar will do the job.
#4 Brock Lesnar wants a rematch
WWE doesn't really push rematch clauses anymore because it booked them into a corner with long-term matches that meant that titles would be switching hands regularly. That being said, if Lesnar went to the "upper management" and argued his case, then he would have enough for a rematch given that he lost his title in the WrestleMania main event.
Reigns has been missing from SmackDown in recent weeks and didn't defend his championship in more than two months up until this week. As such, WWE management would be happy to submit the request and ensure that Reigns will be defending his title at SummerSlam since he appears to be skipping Money in the Bank.
#3 Brock Lesnar is on the SummerSlam poster and was always expected to wrestle at the Biggest Party of the Summer
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Whilst this could have been a kneejerk reaction and a last-minute decision, it's worth noting that Brock Lesnar is on the SummerSlam poster and it is seen as one of the biggest shows of the year. It could have always been the plan for Lesnar to make his return this week on SmackDown but instead, he could have targeted someone else.
It would have been interesting to see Sami Zayn and Brock Lesnar go head to head instead. However, with Reigns now without a challenger for SummerSlam, the company needed him to step in and once again deliver.
#2 WWE needed to make headlines today for a different reason
Vince McMahon appeared on SmackDown last night amidst the recent allegations and his decision to step down from the management position. McMahon's promo was cryptic and the WWE Universe has fired back at the company for including it in the show.
Over the past few days, WWE has been making headlines for all the wrong reasons, with Sasha Banks and Vince McMahon being the main topics of conversation. It's easy to imagine that the company decided to write its own narrative and grab the headlines for the right reasons. Brock Lesnar always makes headlines and last night on SmackDown he delivered as ordered.
#1 Randy Orton's injury forced WWE to resort to plan B
Although not confirmed, the plan last night likely was for Randy Orton to make his return and attack Roman Reigns following his match with Riddle. Orton's recent injury now requires surgery and has put him out of action for several months.
Orton was originally scheduled to face Roman Reigns at SummerSlam and since The Viper will no longer be able to be part of the show, The Tribal Chief needed a challenger of the same caliber.
Brock Lesnar was waiting in the wings and seemingly already set to be part of SummerSlam, so he was the obvious choice to step in and finally end this ongoing feud with Reigns.
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