WWE star Brock Lesnar is going to have a huge summer, as he's set to headline UFC 200 six weeks before his first WWE match since WrestleMania 32 at SummerSlam in the Barclays Center.
Who will @BrockLesnar face at @WWE @SummerSlam? Find out THIS THURSDAY on #SmackDown on @USA_Network! pic.twitter.com/5aQzEyhRBZ
— WWE SummerSlam (@SummerSlam) July 5, 2016
WWE announced during the July 4th edition of Monday Night Raw that Lesnar's SummerSlam opponent will be revealed on this Thursday's episode of SmackDown, which is rather strange for a number of reasons.
A SummerSlam announcement seems completely out of the blue, but it's happening. So who should Lesnar face?
Seth Rollins/Dean Ambrose/Roman Reigns: Announcing a match against any one of these three this week would be weird, given that we don't know who the WWE champion will be after Battleground. WWE could just state that Lesnar will take on whoever is the champion at the time, leaving it open to any of the ex-Shield members.
John Cena: Is involved in an escalating (and must-watch) storyline with AJ Styles, which should culminate in a SummerSlam match between the two.
AJ Styles: See above. The Club could also be headed for a tag rivalry with Enzo and Big Cass, who rushed to Cena's aid on Raw Monday.
Kevin Owens/Sami Zayn: The former best friends will face each other at Battleground in a match that is being billed as the end of their ongoing feud, so the winner would hypothetically be free to move on and face Lesnar at SummerSlam. We don't know who's winning until after the Lesnar announcement, though, and it'd be wise for WWE to keep these two in the ring as long as possible, as they consistently deliver match-of-the-night performances.
Cesaro/The Miz/Alberto Del Rio/Chris Jericho: Also known as "the rest of the Intercontinental title picture." Lesnar vs. Cesaro would be an athletic showcase that fans could easily get excited for, but none of these men have a real connection with Lesnar.
Baron Corbin/Apollo Crews: Both extreme longshots, but if WWE wants to make these former NXT stars (who haven't really found their footing) look strong, a match with Lesnar could potentially accomplish that. Or, more likely, he'd suplex them into oblivion.
Bray Wyatt: Is too invested in what is turning into a very interesting feud with The New Day that will certainly stretch into SummerSlam.
Rusev: The Bulgarian Brute's not going from Raw matches with Titus O'Neil one week to a feud with Brock Lesnar the next.
Sheamus: Lesnar vs. Sheamus isn't exactly the type of match you want to headline the second-biggest pay-per-view of the year.
Darren Young: Is the never-ending "Make Darren Young Great Again!" series leading to a Young-Lesnar match? Probably not!
Simply put, the timing of the Lesnar match announcement makes it extremely hard for WWE to convincingly put a superstar already invested in an ongoing storyline into a random match against a part-time (but colossal) star. It just wouldn't make sense.
What seems more likely is Lesnar facing another part-timer, or a wrestler set to make a return/debut. Here are a few options:
Randy Orton: It turns out that Vince McMahon wasn't telling the truth when he announced that the Viper would be coming back within 30 days some two months ago, but Orton should be ready to return from shoulder surgery by August and he's a big enough star to share a ring with Lesnar, even if they don't have a pre-existing feud. The only potential problem with Orton is timing - he still has to make his comeback, and unless he does it this week on SmackDown, it'd be a little odd for WWE to announce that Lesnar is facing a guy who hasn't appeared on WWE programming since September.
Triple H: Another main-event-caliber performer that has essentially disappeared since WrestleMania, The Game would be a disappointing (and illogical) option.
The Undertaker: Lesnar lost to Taker in the main event of last year's SummerSlam, but their feud with Lesnar's win at Hell in a Cell. There's really no need for another chapter in the Lesnar-Taker feud.
Shinsuke Nakamura: The wildly popular Japanese superstar seems headed for a main event match against Finn Balor at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn on the eve of SummerSlam. Nakamura faced (and lost to) Lesnar in 2006 at the Tokyo Dome, and while a rematch would be amazing, the timing isn't right for 2016.
Goldberg: Rumors have swirled around a potential Goldberg return, and he recently said in an interview with Stone Cold Steve Austin that he's still training intensely. Promos for WWE 2K17, which features Goldberg as a playable character, have included some hints at a Goldberg-Lesnar match, and the two would likely love a chance to make up for one of the worst WrestleMania matches of all time.
Dana White: I mean, Vince McMahon has to be getting something out of letting Lesnar fight at UFC 200, right?
Kurt Angle: This is the longest of long-shots (outside of, say, Hulk Hogan), but Angle revealed in a recent radio interview that he's spoken with Triple H about a potential comeback. It's probably not happening, but imagine the suplexes.
