QUESTION - Is Brock Lesnar still capable of being as big as The Rock or Steve Austin?

[Heyman]

QUESTION - Is Brock Lesnar still capable of being as big as The Rock or Steve Austin?

My initial gut reaction is 'no', but the way the fans have been popping Lesnar lately makes me wonder. Lesnar reminds me of a modern day version of Stone Cold, in that, he acts like a malicious asshole and gets popped huge.

The way Lesnar thrashed Michael Cole, the camera man, and the RAW announce team was also very reminscient of Austin/Shamrock/old-school Kane.
And of course, Lesnar defied a McMahon as well.

Austin absolutely dominated the WWE from 1998-2001, and with Lesnar's new 3 year contract, I'm wondering if Lesnar can have a similar impact?

The combination of Lesnar and Heyman is almost perfect in every way imaginable (I.e. Size, talent, charisma, entertainment value, etc.).

While Lesnar severely dislikes being on the road, he's also a business man. Lesnar knows that the crowd is digging him big time, and that more appearances would likely equate to more money for Brock, and higher ratings for the WWE.

Lesnar and Heyman vs. The Authority could be what's best for business, and could be the vehicle needed for the WWE in terms of getting back to "Attitude Era" levels of interest.

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

No, no one can. The people who watched to make the shows 7's are gone. John Cena isn't even at that level.

[Jordan]

I think that in some ways he is "as big" or even bigger. His UFC success is paramount in his character, as it give him a legitimacy that The Rock never has had, and more than Austin had. When Brock is breaking things or people, it's just damn near impossible to look away. I'm so excited that he has three years to explore the realms of possibility for his character in WWE. Due to the money they are paying him, I do expect his rare appearances to be fucking badass and well organized creatively.

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

http://www.the-numbers.com/person/72720401-Dwayne-Johnson#tab=summary

[Theo Dious]

No. If he was capable of it he'd have done it by now. Someone out there might have that - in terms of being a guy who can form the epicenter of a new boom that brings wrestling back up to the levels it was at in the past - but it's not anyone who has already been at the top. It's probably someone we haven't seen yet or someone who's just arrived.

[Jordan]

I think that the shows were 7's because the audience for pro wrestling was indeed doubled by having a huge rival with deep rooted history in certain big important markets. I do feel that we will see a day where WWE attain a public rating of some kind that beats the glory days of the attitude era. I don't expect it to be on TV necessarily because the way we watch TV is different. I don't even have cable, I watch all of my WWE on The Network, or unfortunately through an illegal stream. But if you are WWE, do you really want to shut that stream down? Then I won't feed off the main stories, then I won't care as much about keeping The Network, and you won't get my $9.99.

[Fignuts]

Nah.

The whole badass freak of nature suplex machine gimmick is enough to get all the current fans to cheer for him, but to be on AUstin or Rock's level, you need more than that.

[Theo Dious]

Nah.

The whole badass freak of nature suplex machine gimmick is enough to get all the current fans to cheer for him, but to be on AUstin or Rock's level, you need more than that.

This too. He'll never be able to pack a house just but showing up.

[Heyman]

No, no one can. The people who watched to make the shows 7's are gone. John Cena isn't even at that level.

You're likely right, but I think Triple H is doing some great things with NXT, to the point where we're really seeing some new talents emerge. A few years ago, very few people knew who Seth Rollins, Bray Wyatt, Dean Ambrose, Rusev, Roman Reigns, etc., all were and now they are some of the biggest names in the WWE.

Similarly, back in 1996, guys like Rocky Maivia, Hunter Hearst Helmsley, Mankind, New Age Outlaws, Ken Shamrock, etc, were hardly known, and they eventually became very big stars.........with Austin being that guy that lead the way.

Back at that time, people were starting to enjoy cheering "the anti-hero" and "characters" as opposed to the cookie-cutter 'good guy' and this new trend ushered in the Attitude era. That's why fans started to deviate from guys like Bret Hart to Steve Austin.


I see something similar today, in that, the fans want to cheer guys that are interesting characters AND can deliver in the ring. That's why the fans love Daniel Bryan, Bray Wyatt, Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, Randy Orton, Dolph Ziggler, and Neville.


Just as Austin lead the way with the Attitude Era, I'm wondering if Lesnar can do the same with a new 'Wrestling/talent' era. I think the fans are ready to see more wrestlers that have a great combination of wrestling talent and charisma.

[The Condor]

I want to believe it, but I can't for two monster reasons.

He isn't around, once every few months won't keep the fans glued to the screen.

Hogan, Savage, Austin, Rock, Flair, Dusty Rhodes, Cena, HHH, Michaels... the only big time name I can think of who had a mouthpiece like Heyman is for Brock would be Undertaker with Paul Bearer, but he was never the top dog at that point anyway. To attain that place in the pantheon, Brock would need to talk and get stories across on his own, I think.

[Emperor Smeat]

No mostly because he's not around long enough to create an Austin or Rock type feel. I'd say he's more similar to Taker in terms of star mystic.

His role right now as the rarely seen "final boss" type wrestler is perfect since whenever he shows up, it usually means something big is happening soon.

[dronepool]

If he snaps more and bleeds like WM/RAW- yes. Hype was there. RAW was trending. Suspended? Fuck that, interfere during a match.. ect

[xREDxONxYOUx]

The only way that he could come close to those other names would be to be a full-time performer.

I think it will really kill his momentum now that he will most likely be off WWE television until SummerSlam. He will receive a huge pop when he returns, but having a limited number of appearances to work with really hinders what the WWE can do with his character.

[Destor]

Obviously no