Let’s face it, Brock Lesnar is a beast in combat fighting. He’s the only man to have won the WWE Championship, the NCAA, IWGP and UFC Heavyweight Championship. But he could care less what anyone thinks.
Lesnar brings legitimacy to the table in professional wrestling. In a sport that’s labeled ‘fake’ or ‘scripted,’ the WWE will come up with something fresh instead of the hot garbage I’m used to.
This past week, Lesnar fought WWE mainstay and legend Randy Orton in the main event at SummerSlam in Brooklyn. The match was relatively short but it was the ending that people were talking about, instead of the number of suplexes or RKOs. Lesnar connected several elbows shots on Orton’s forehead and the severity of the shots left Orton busted up. He was left bleeding on the mat and the match was declared a TKO in favor of Lesnar.
At first I was a bit disappointed when the referee stopped the match, until I realized the WWE just pulled a page from mixed martial arts.
In combat fighting, if the opponent doesn’t respond or the referee deems the fight out of hand, the match is stopped and a winner is declared. I can’t recall the last time a WWE match ended in a TKO and that’s a good thing.
It was hard to tell if Orton was legitimately knocked out or was selling the blows he sustained from Lesnar. It turned out that Orton was selling and in the wrestling industry, that’s what must be done to give props to the veteran worker.
A few years ago, Orton was being shoved down the throats of viewers but now have a great appreciation for “The Viper” and his in-ring. He’s not afraid to take heavy blows that required 10 stitches.
He’s the same guy who landed on thumbtacks in 2004. This match further established Orton’s willingness to try different things. At the end of the day, if both guys come out smelling like roses, then the match was well-done.
While the ending was unique, some fans were angry with Lesnar because of his “unsafe” working ability. I’ve seen people on social media calling for Lesnar’s firing and it’s ludicrous because reports have come out that the ending was all planned out.
In fighting, you want to beat your opponent to no end to ensure a win. Wanting a competitor fired for beating up an opponent tells me what kind of intelligence people have
Honestly, I’d rather see Lesnar throw hundreds of suplexes on an opponent than a John Cena match. I’d rather see Lesnar bleeding the hard way than a Mike “The Miz” Mizanin match. Lesnar is a tough human being and that’s his gimmick, the legit fighter that WWE desperately needs as ratings continue to plummet on a weekly basis.
Lesnar is a special attraction like Andre the Giant was in the 1980s. He doesn’t need to be on my television every week because his value may become oversaturated in the long run.
The WWE should be applauded for their actions with Lesnar rather than criticized because it’s the best thing going on in wrestling today.
Luis Torres can be reached at arg-sports@uidaho.edu or on Twitter @TheLTFiles