WWE News: WWE addresses problems in contract negotiations with Brock Lesnar for next Universal title defense
What’s the story?
The WWE is apparently furthering an ongoing storyline whereby Brock Lesnar isn’t agreeing to defend his Universal title.
Accordingly, WWE Digital host Cathy Kelly revealed that presently negotiations between the WWE and Lesnar have “completely stalled”.
In case you didn’t know…
Brock Lesnar rose to prominence in the WWE back in the early 2000s and performed for the promotion until his departure in 2004.
Lesnar then competed for NJPW from 2005 to ’07, following which he tried his hand at the sport of MMA—one in which he went on to win the UFC Heavyweight Championship and successfully defend it on two occasions.
The heart of the matter
One ought to note that while Brock Lesnar has competed in pro-football and MMA, the Beast returned to the WWE back in 2012 and has been working a part-time schedule in WWE ever since.
Lesnar’s real-life friend and on-screen advocate Paul Heyman recently took to social media so as to lash out at the WWE, with his verbal attacks primarily aimed at RAW General Manager Kurt Angle, Roman Reigns, Bobby Lashley, Braun Strowman, Seth Rollins and the rest of the RAW roster.
In what comes as a continuation of the aforementioned storyline, WWE Digital host Cathy Kelly has revealed that Heyman and Lesnar have expressed a lack of confidence in WWE management in finding a suitable opponent for the Beast.
Additionally, that, in turn, is said to have caused issues regarding contract negotiations for Lesnar’s next title defense.
Furthermore, Kelly explained that Heyman’s social media rant against the WWE was because "both sides have not only failed to reach an agreement but are completely stalled at this moment".
Kelly added that further details on the ongoing dispute between Lesnar and WWE will be unraveled on tonight’s episode of RAW—
What’s next?
Brock Lesnar is the reigning WWE Universal Champion, and is not involved in a feud with any RAW Superstar as of this time.
The vast majority of professional wrestling experts believe that Lesnar is likely to face Roman Reigns at SummerSlam in August with the Universal title on the line—a matchup that could see Braun Strowman cash in his Money In The Bank contract to win the red brand’s most prestigious belt.
On the other hand, Roman Reigns, Bobby Lashley and several other Superstars who’re yet to be announced are set to participate in a multi-person match at Extreme Rules in order to determine the number-1 contender for Lesnar’s Universal title.
The WWE’s SummerSlam pay-per-view is set to take place on August 19th at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Meanwhile, the Extreme Rules PPV transpires on July 15th at the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
What are your thoughts on the ongoing Brock Lesnar vs WWE contract negotiation storyline? Sound off in the comments!