AJ Lee Retirement... Outta Nowhere!

On Friday 3 April it was announced that AJ Lee had retired, with immediate effect, from in-ring competition.

Pregnant? Irresistable offer from TNA?
Heading to UFC? Find out what's next for AJ
when she hits the shoot video circuit!

Despite the large amount of time she's taken off over the last year and the persistent rumours that she was leaving, or had decided not to re-sign when her contract expires, this news came as a surprise. AJ had only returned to the company in February and had been involved in a storyline opposite Divas champ Nikki Bella. She had, in fact, made Nikki tap out at WrestleMania. That's an indication that WWE believed she'd be around for a while. Had they known, or even suspected, she would be retiring less than a week later it's likely Nikki would have found herself tapping out to Paige's PTO instead.

The initial response from many people has been to label this a huge loss. "#ThankYouAJ" trended on Twitter within minutes of the news being announced and was still trending a day later. It is a loss, no question, but I don't think it's quite the blow people think it is.

For starters it's important to note that, rightly or wrongly, the Divas division is not that important in WWE right now. AJ may be one of the main names attached to it but it's still a very minor part of the overall product. The division isn't presented with any legitimacy so it doesn't really matter if one of the women who has legitimacy leaves. It won't change the way the division is viewed the way, for example, a Lita or Trish Stratus departure would have done in 2002. Then the women's division was well-booked and they were two of its most popular contributors. Now there aren't any fans of WWE's Divas division, just fans of individual Divas.

There's also the question of AJ's ability. She's frequently credited as being one of WWE's best female wrestlers. She's good, but is she really head and shoulders above the rest of the women under contract? On the main roster Paige and Natalya are easily as good as her, if not better. Naomi isn't far behind, and I don't think the Bellas (on a good time with some time behind them) are either.

If you widen things and consider the women in NXT too then AJ's status takes a further hit. In the last year Emma, Bayley, Charlotte, and Sasha Banks have all had better matches than I can ever remember AJ having. They benefit from more time than AJ has ever done for her matches, true, but that only further highlights how little AJ is able to contribute as part o the Divas division. Alexa Bliss is rough around the edges but improving. The only women on televised NXT that can definitely be said to not come close to being as good as AJ are Becky Lynch and Carmella. That's hardly glowing praise.

Less AJ means more Natalya and Naomi. I'm down with that.

This is not to knock AJ. She's very good. It's certainly not to knock the impact she's had on WWE. Since her debut on the third season of original format NXT (the unfortunate Vince McMahon experiment that gave us the Nexus) she has become one of the most important female wrestlers of the last decade. She was a believable character who got to interact with guys at the top of the card, something which may still prove to be a significant point of progression for WWE in the long run. At a time when women in WWE are marginalised and have their work presented as filler material AJ managed to get over and make herself a meaningful character. That was impressive and speaks to her ability. It's something others will benefit from in the future.

But in terms of match quality AJ Lee's retirement is not the monumental loss it's being treated as. This is one of those periodic shifts wrestling companies actually benefit from. An established star leaves and creates a spot for someone else. A new addition was probably going to get called up to the main roster soon anyway, so AJ's departure means we could get two instead. Imagine how much better the Divas division could (important to note I'm saying could, I'm not confident WWE will actually start giving their main roster female performers the time they deserve) be if Sasha Banks got brought up alongside lead candidate Charlotte.

AJ's impact over the last few years has been important. I think we'll see that when we look back in years to come. But at this point, with the Divas still not getting much air time and the entire division feeling overly familiar, AJ's departure is for the best. It allows fresh names to come in and shake things up. There could be no end more fitting to her legacy than the Divas division flourishing in the wake of her retirement. I hope it's allowed to and I hope she enjoys whatever she gets up to next. Let's just hope it's not a move to UFC. I don't think a fight against Ronda Rousey would end well for her.

The Manager of Champions

It’s looking like Brock Lesnar may soon be losing the WWE championship. Whether he loses the prize to Roman Reigns in the WrestleMania main event, to a Money in the Bank contract cash-in from Seth Rollins or via some other, as yet unknown, means, the likelihood is that he won’t be champion come Tuesday March 31. In fact that day may see him start preparing for his return to MMA. Which would put an end to his relationship with advocate extraordinaire, Paul Heyman.

Well, probably. There’s nothing to say the Heyman-Lesnar partnership won’t transfer over to UFC, Bellator or wherever Lesnar goes (assuming he goes at all). But it’s not likely. Heyman’s brand of obnoxious, bragging hype is well-suited to wrestling. Elements of it would work in an MMA environment but what makes him so good in pro wrestling is the predetermined nature of the sport. He can seed things in before a loss or make proclamations based on already made booking decisions. That’s something he obviously wouldn’t be able to do elsewhere.

There’s also the question of money. Who would pay Heyman for his time promoting Lesnar and his fighting prowess? Lesnar himself? Maybe, but I think giving Heyman a cut of his wages would be a rude awakening for Lesnar, who’s used to having someone else foot the bill for Heyman’s services as his mouthpiece. Then again, it’s not like Lesnar is or would be hard up and he clearly respects Heyman and understands how talented he is at what he does. Perhaps he would be willing to take him with him.

Heyman trying to telepathically communicate with Lesnar.

But I can’t imagine WWE letting Heyman go without a fight. He’s one of the company’s most valuable performers. His promo ability elevates those he’s associated with. This includes guys who are pitted against his clients. One of the saving graces of the upcoming Reigns-Lesnar programme, for example, is the fact that Heyman’s around to talk at length on ‘The Beast’s’ behalf and set up Reigns to reply with monosyllabic grunts that seem apt instead of embarrassing. He understands how to make those around him look good. Plus, there’s the fact that his last couple of years as an agent have basically established Heyman as one of the most effective men to ever work in the role. Any wrestler associated with him after his partnership with Lesnar ends would gain a huge credibility boost.

Should Lesnar leave I’d like to see Heyman stick around in WWE and be given someone else to manage, long-term. It’s unlikely any new agent-client relationship would surpass the one he has with Lesnar, if for no other reason that they have been linked since 2002. But that wouldn’t have to be the goal. Putting Heyman with someone new could elevate that new person and make them a bigger star for the future, after Heyman’s moved on, retired or turned on them.

The obvious person to point to is Roman Reigns. He’s a worse talker than Heyman’s current client Lesnar. At least ‘The Beast’ can make a pre-taped or studio-bound segment work. Heyman would cover Reigns’ obvious deficiency and enhance his already established status as the next main guy in WWE. The only downside is that Heyman is going to spend the next two months cutting promos against Reigns before he challenges Lesnar at WrestleMania. Heyman turning on Lesnar would feel wrong at this point. A segment could be broadcast in which Heyman, after Lesnar’s gone, offers his services to Reigns and convinces him that the fans will never take to him, but I can’t see WWE going with something like that. Although having said this the January 26 RAW featured interplay between Heyman and Reigns that could be read as the agent trying to court the Rumble winner for a business partnership.

The guy I’d really like to see Heyman put with in the absence of Lesnar is Seth Rollins. He’s one of the company’s best workers, he’s proven he can make it to the top, and Heyman has already acknowledged that he’s talented. Again there’s the awkward situation of Rollins having a briefcase that he needs to cash-in, but that’s not quite as tough to write around as the Reigns and Lesnar stuff. They could simply reveal that Heyman and Rollins agreed that Heyman would help to distract Reigns for Rollins should Reigns defeat Lesnar. It would be a logical progression and set up a new partnership for Heyman without writing off the one he has with Lesnar.

Whether he remains at Lesnar’s side or gets a new client I’d like to see Heyman stick with WWE. He’s too good a manager for them to lose.

The Future of 'The Beast'

Brock Lesnar. Right now he’s the WWE world heavyweight champion. Come Monday 30 March that probably won’t be the case. Because that’s the night after WrestleMania 31 and if Lesnar doesn’t lose the title before he’ll definitely lose it on that show.

There are two main reasons for this. First is that last year Lesnar ended The Undertaker’s WrestleMania winning streak. That’s a winning streak that consisted of twenty-one victories over a variety of names, compiled over twenty-three years. Since at least 2008, though arguably several years earlier, The Undertaker’s annual defence of his undefeated status had been one of the major selling points of the show.

Lesnar being the man to defeat ‘The Phenom’ was a big deal. The next person to beat Lesnar will be elevated by the victory. They’ll not only be beating a big star they’ll be pinning the man who ended The Streak, the man who beat the man. The longer this chain becomes the less impact it will have but that’s not important here. Whoever beats Lesnar next gets a significant boost, and if he’s the champion come WrestleMania he’ll be in a position to give that boost at the biggest WWE show of the year, ensuring a huge number of people are watching and bolstering ‘Mania’s status as the premier event of the company.

Secondly, and far more mundanely, Lesnar’s contract expires shortly after WrestleMania. Nobody outside of the company knows exactly when but it’s known that Lesnar signed a two year extension in 2013 that runs through WrestleMania 31. It’s presumed to include the following evening’s RAW too, because post-‘Mania RAWs have become pretty big deals too in recent years.

What will this guy be doing in April?

It’s been impossible to miss the talk of Lesnar’s contract. There have been reports of MMA outfits UFC and Bellator (who, just for laughs, I’ll remind you were once affiliated with TNA) both preparing to make hefty offers and counter-offers to the current wrestling champ. It’s not clear how keen WWE are to keep Lesnar around but you’d assume they’d at least make a token offer to retain his services.

So there’s a choice coming up for Lesnar. He can return to the MMA world, where he was successful for several years and made good money. He can stay with WWE, where he has also been successful for several years and made good money. Or he can take all his good money and return to his log cabin in the woods, leaving the fighting game, both real and predetermined, behind.

MMA and WWE provide Lesnar some of the same things. They both allow him to pursue his own sponsorship deals, pay him well, and present him as a major box office attraction. But there are things unique to both too. MMA allows him to sate his competitive desires in a way that the world of pro wrestling never would. WWE provides a safer working environment and a less gruelling training regimen.

At 37 Lesnar is not old but he’s also significantly older than many of the men who compete in companies like UFC and Bellator. While he wouldn’t have the same stigma he carried on his initial foray into MMA (thanks to the fact that he’s already proven he can succeed in the real-righting world) he would still be a marked man. In addition to being a former UFC champion he’s coming off a hot year as a pro wrestler. Is it far-fetched to believe that an MMA guy would want to beat Lesnar to brag about being the man who beat ‘The One’? I don’t think so. MMA and wrestling are very different things but they ape one another in certain ways, one of them being the fashion in which MMA guys promote themselves with wrestling style promos. And dropping in references to beating Lesnar after the year WWE’s given him is great material for that.

It’s also worth noting that Lesnar has a five- and a four-year-old at home (plus a teenager from a previous relationship). Would he want to risk any sort of serious injury with a return to the MMA world, limiting the way he can interact with his kids?

Actually, I think he might. Anyone involved with MMA can’t afford to have the attitude of “What if I get really hurt?” It’s not a mindset that matches the sport. Looking back at Lesnar’s career, which saw him go from amateur standout to WWE, to trying football, before moving into MMA, tells us that he’s a man who wants a steady stream of challenges and an environment that allows him to be competitive. He also has a knack for getting himself very cushy deals: his current WWE schedule and the fact that he’s the only man in company history to be allowed control of his own sponsorship deals tells us that. I can’t imagine he’ll retire before he hits 40.

A new contract with WWE isn’t out of the question but I think it’s more likely that Lesnar will use his status as a top WWE star to leverage a sweet deal with an MMA company. The likeliest one is UFC, because they’re bigger. WWE could probably scrape enough cash together to compete with them financially for Lesnar’s services, but I doubt they’d want to grant him even more concessions or a lighter contract. After a couple of years in UFC I could just as easily see Lesnar returning to wrestling for one final run. Because they’ll have him back. They’ll always have someone like Lesnar back. He knows that and he’ll use it to his advantage.

The Next Big Thing

On December 30^th former Brock Lesnar was defeated by Alistair Overeem in his UFC comeback match. Following the loss the former UFC and WWE champion announced his retirement from MMA competition. A few days later Dana White (the UFC equivalent of Vince McMahon) confirmed that Lesnar was free to work for WWE if he so chooses.

It’s not a question of if he’ll return to WWE, but when.

Lesnar originally left WWE due to an intense dislike of the gruelling travel schedule and a desire to be involved in a competitive sport again. No matter how physically demanding professional wrestling may be its predetermined nature was never going to satisfy a man as driven as Lesnar for long. His amateur background and lust for competition meant he was always going to want to move onto a sport where he could win in a non-staged environment.

UFC was the ideal place for Lesnar. He only had to travel away from his home once or twice a year, and when he did it was for a fight in a cage in which he could be as physical and aggressive as he pleased. During his time there he gained a lot of mainstream name value and recognition. That is going to play a large part in WWE trying to bring him back in, and what will make contract negotiations easier for Lesnar.

WWE has a number of big name opponents they could pit against the former ‘Next Big Thing’. Top of everyone’s wish list seems to be the Undertaker. That was a bout teased as early as October 23^rd 2010 (when Lesnar was still firmly tied to UFC), when the two men had a brief staredown following Lesnar’s victory at UFC 121. Both parties later stated that the confrontation dated back to a disagreement they had had during ‘The Pain’s’ time in WWE. Rumours at the time were that a deal had been struck for the two to face one another at WrestleMania (presumably the 2011 instalment, which was six months away at the time).

Obviously that didn’t happen, but ‘The Pain’ versus ‘The Phenom’ would still be a tremendous addition to any WrestleMania card. I think it’s more likely to take place at next year’s event than this year’s. Lesnar is going to want more than three months off before getting back into the ring, and a Triple H v Undertaker rematch feels like the way WWE will go considering the success and critical acclaim their match at last year’s ‘Mania received.

Brock Lesnar back in WWE: a question of "when" rather than "if".

Below Undertaker on that list are established main event talents John Cena, Randy Orton, CM Punk and Triple H. All four of those matches would be huge pay-per-view sellers if marketed correctly. There are also big money opponents outside of WWE’s current roster. A rematch between Goldberg and Lesnar could be an enjoyable attraction, especially if a retirement stipulation were added for Goldberg (considering his age and his lack of involvement in wrestling since leaving the WWE spotlight that’s not as farfetched a suggestion as it sounds). Lesnar versus Batista could also be an enjoyable encounter, especially if ‘The Animal’ were allowed to be the obnoxious heel he was last time we saw him in WWE.

The biggest name opponent for Lesnar would be ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin. Austin may have said he’d only come out of retirement to face CM Punk but I think he could be convinced to work with Lesnar. Perhaps he could wrestle more than one match and face both men. Austin v Lesnar would be a profitable event for both individuals and WWE, and could be marketed in a number of ways. The most obvious would be to be built on the derisive comments the two have directed towards each other already, with Lesnar saying Austin’s scared of him and Austin saying he wanted to save Lesnar for a big event.

An alternative method would be to cast Lesnar as the heel who deserted pro wrestling to find fame and fortune elsewhere, with Austin playing the role of the avenging babyface taking him on to stop him using wrestling as a quick payday.

I don’t expect to see Lesnar sign back up for a full-time schedule again. He doesn’t need to. He can get the money he wants by agreeing to wrestle on pay-per-view and appearing on select episodes of RAW to promote matches. That’s what I expect will happen. WrestleMania, as I’ve said, seems too early. But SummerSlam would be just about right.

Reaching for the Stars

It’s no secret that WWE is desperate for star power. Retirements, office jobs and injuries have taken their toll on the roster, to the point where there are barely any workers left capable creating a ratings boost. This is why The Rock, Undertaker, Triple H and ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin were called back in for WrestleMania. The company realised it could not promote a satisfactory show without them.

Rock’s affiliation with the company is going to remain strong until at least next April when he faces John Cena. During the intervening months he will presumably make appearances on RAW every once in a while to keep interest in their feud alive. As long as these appearances are announced in advance they should help with the ratings struggle. If the booking team are smart major angles will be saved for shows on which Rock is set to appear, giving viewers who have only tuned in to see ‘The Great One’ a reason to tune back in the next week.

Austin is in a similar position to his former rival. Both are essentially retired and concentrating on acting careers. Rock has been confirmed to return to the ring for at least one match next year, and while nothing has been mentioned on air regarding the possibility of an Austin match ‘The Rattlesnake’ did mention in interviews before ‘Mania XXVII that he would be physically capable of wrestling a full time schedule if he wanted. While I don’t think he would actually agree to doing so I do think he could be convinced to wrestle a one off match at a suitably prestigious event. WWE should attempt to get something arranged now, ideally for this year’s SummerSlam. Austin returning to the ring would be a big draw in itself: against the right opponent it could be massive.

But Austin’s return is currently nonexistent and Rock’s appearances are going to be irregular. Neither man is the immediate solution that’s needed. Creating new main event talent is the obvious answer and something fans have been crying out for the company to do for years. But that process takes time.

Besides The Rock and Steve Austin there are a handful of people outside the company that could be brought in to help reverse the slumping ratings. The biggest name on the list is Brock Lesnar. While he’s currently under contract to UFC, and will be for some time to come, he would bring a lot of UFC viewers and media attention to WWE if he returned. When he left the promotion in March of 2004 he was one of the biggest names in wrestling, and his UFC career, and reign as heavyweight champion, has only enhanced his profile. If Vince McMahon could convince Brock to re-sign with his company when the opportunity rises then Brock would be worth his weight in gold.

More readily available are Chris Jericho and Batista. Up until a few weeks ago Jericho was on TV every week as a contestant on Dancing With The Stars. Doing that show has exposed Jericho to a new audience who found out what wrestling fans already knew: Jericho is a talented, witty individual and a natural showman.

As the most likely man to return to WWE there’s a lot of talk as to whether his first appearance back should occur on pay-per-view. There are arguments for and against that move. There’s potentially a lot of money to be made in making people to see his first appearance in a wrestling ring this year. But if the market being targeted is those people who first saw Jericho on DWTS (and that’s who the return needs to be aimed at if viewership is to be increased) then having his return on RAW is the best option. I don’t think too many people would buy a pay-per-view just to see the appearance of a guy they found reasonably amiable on a dancing show, but I do think they’d tune in to a free TV show for it.

Ideally Jericho would return as a babyface. It’s true his best work has traditionally been done as a heel, but right now popular guys that make you want to tune in every week are what are needed. Jericho telling people they’re morons for watching is not going to have the desired effect.

As for Batista, he’s not done too much since leaving to embark on an MMA career twelve months ago. At the tender age of 42, and having spent a year trying to sign a deal with an MMA organisation and meeting no success, a return to wrestling is the best chance he has of making a living.

He has his detractors, but Batista is easily a better addition to WWE’s television product than John Cena or the majority of bland big men that the company has in developmental. Over the years he has participated in many memorable matches and angles, been smart enough to stick to what he’s good at in the ring, and been a hit as both a heel and a face (just look at how over he was as a narcissistic heel before he left last year). He’s underrated as a talker and as someone who can carry opponents. His return may not create the same buzz as Chris Jericho’s, but he would be a welcome addition to a very thin line-up.

Both Jericho and Batista are likely to return in the near future. Jericho’s comeback has been rumoured ever since he was voted off DWTS, partly because he said he would be returning to the world of wrestling once he was eliminated. While that return has yet to happen it’s surely imminent. Batista, as noted above, has spent a year attempting to get signed by an ultimate fighting group. That he has name value, a great physique and has apparently begun training for his first fight and still hasn’t landed a deal should tell everyone, including ‘The Animal’ himself, all they need to know about how good his chances are.

I hope Batista and Jericho both return soon. They would freshen things up and, with any luck, start helping to create the new batch of stars that the company desperately needs. These men are not going to be around forever, they need to be used to build new acts whilst the chance is still there.