Brock Lesnar is our Royal Rumble 2022 winner. How fucking boring is that? The founder of Suplex City marched in as a late entrant to the 30-man match and cemented himself as an easy winner, effortlessly securing a spot at the WrestleMania main event like many of us had sadly predicted. He will go up against Roman Reigns for the World Championship in a bout we have seen countless times before, a damning indictment of WWE&rsquꦗo;s lack of creative energy and how as a promotion it has long fꦛallen into mundanity.
While it remains the biggest wrestling promotion on the planet, WWE has long fallen from grace when compared to the Attitude and Ruthless Aggression eras, often failing to foster new talent and embrace new ideas that managed to propel it into the stratosphere only a few short decades ago. Now the brand is still far from mediocre, boasting global talents such as Shin𝐆suke Nakamura, AJ Styles, Finn Balor, and countless others who remain the top of their craft, but they are continually subject to a system that fails to acknowledge what they are truly capable of while subjecting them to forgettable storylines and second-rate exposure compared to part-timers who don’t care for the business at all.
Brock Lesnar falls squarely into that latter camp, earning headline status time and time again purely because he’s a big name with the physique to match. I am fairly sure he could punch through several cars without breaking a sweat and likely eats children for breakfast, but he also has the personality of a plasticine potato. Big man angry, and slightly homophobic judging from alleged comments in the past. To me, he remains a treat to watch, but approaches so many of his bouts with a tangible sense of apathy that becoming invested in his ongoing storylines feels impossible. That and his pay cheque is obscene.
Paul Heyman does all the talking for him anyway, serving as an envoy of sorts to emphasize the power of a human who is treated as almost godlike by those around him, that and Lesn🐻ar is terrible on the mic and WWE would rather avoid making him look stupid given he continues to be the talent to draw the most PPV buys and Network subscriptions. It’s a cynical case of utilising the same few superstars or pushing those undeserving of such attention in service of ♏keeping the wheels spinning, which I understand, but that doesn’t mean I need to like it. WWE needs to change, but I’m really not sure if it ever will.
But it’s so close to enacting that change - and that’s arguably w♓hat hurts the most. I and many others expected AJ Styles to go all the way last night. He was the match’s first entrant and could follow in the footsteps of Shawn Michaels, Rey Mysterio, or Edge as men who entered first and left last as undisputed winners of the competition. These underdog stories are always engrossing to watch, but instead AJ Styles was unceremoniously eliminated with little rhyme or reason, and we were expected to suck it up and cheer on Lesnar.
There is a reason so much of the audience migrated to the growing AEW and Ring of Honor while taking an increased interest in international promotions like New Japan Pro Wrestling. WWE isn’t offering up the goods anymore, and it’s become increasingly clear that talent don’t view it as a lofty summit that can never be surpassed. The promotion has such a bad habit of releasing its strongest superstars and failing to support new talent that it’s no surprise so many are turning away in disgust, all while it continues to pump out the same marquee matches again and again like they’re worth the canvas they’re ಌperformed on. Mustafa Ali, one of the best emerging talents from WWE in recent years, has spent the past few weeks publicly requesting his release, showcasing that superstars do not view the company in the same way they once did and that it doesn’t treat its talent well enough to retain them.
Brock Lesnar shouldn&rsq🦩uo;t have won this year’s Royal Rumble, and he shouldn’t be headlining WrestleMania, but here we are ready to soak up the same scenarios time and time again because that’s what sells and WWE is far too corporate to bother taking risks. As a fan of wrestling you have a habit of checking out, monitoring the results of every major event and tuning in for the occasional pay-per view with the hope that your passion will be suddenly reignited. For me, at least for this promotion, the flame remains thoroughly snuffed out.
