Warning! The following contains spoilers from WWE’s Day 1 pay-per-view. Read at your own risk!
WWE gave fans quite the shock in its Day 1 pay-per-view when last-minute entrant and UFC alum Brock Lesnar won the WWE Championship. Now, after that surprise, there are rumors that the move set up a long-awaited feud between Lesnar and another prominent superstar. Bobby Lashley will likely take on Lesnar, but how exactly did Day 1 set that up? Luckily, we have some potential answers.
Noted wrestling insider Dave Meltzer spoke about the WWE’s supposed change of plans, considering Brock Lesnar’s original plan was a match against Roman Reigns prior to the latter’s positive COVID-19 test. During Wrestling Observer Radio (via Ringside News), Meltzer spoke about the match and how it effectively put Lesnar on a collision course with Bobby Lashley:
So with Lesnar as champion, the next step is Lesnar vs. Lashley. You could tell as they teased that glare at the end. So, and the match was booked specifically for that direction because Big E was the one who was pinned. Because if it wasn’t Big E who was pinned, then you’d want to go with Lesnar vs. Big E.
The idea of a Bobby Lashley and Brock Lesnar feud started back in early 2021 when then-WWE champion Lashley spoke in an interview about his goal to go toe-to-toe with Lesnar. At the time, the threat didn’t mean much, as Lesnar wasn’t actively under contract with the company, and there was still a chance he’d go back to the UFC. Still, fans saw two guys of the same relative size, build, and age and realized this match could be a historic one for both men if it even happened.
Unfortunately, the setup for this feud came at the expense of Big E’s title run. The fan-favorite wrestler ended his inaugural WWE championship run to Brock Lesnar in what will be the latter’s sixth run with that belt. What’s more controversial is that a leaked image that was promptly removed by WWE seemingly showed that Big E was originally booked to retain the title, but plans allegedly changed upon Lesnar’s sudden inclusion. It’s unclear for certain what the original plans were going forward for WWE under ideal circumstances, but the good news is that fans now have something they want out of it.
One question going forward is just how long this particular feud will last for Bobby Lashley. After all, he’s still in one with Roman Reigns and owed a shot at the Universal Championship. One can’t help but wonder if the WWE isn’t trying for a “belt-for-belt” WrestleMania main event between the two, but we’re still months out, and his latest rival could lose the WWE title before then. We can only wait and see and hope the feud is as good in execution as it sounds on paper.
Monday Night Raw airs on USA every Monday at 8:00 p.m. ET. Assuming Brock Lesnar just joined the program as its resident champion, this coming month should be very interesting to watch to see how this feud with Bobby Lashley and other potential wrestlers could play out.
