Brock Lesnar's seismic return to WWE back at SummerSlam was a supercharged shot of adrenaline to the WWE system, changing the entire landscape of the professional wrestling world. The Beast Incarnate then terrorized and ultimately demolished John Cena almost two months later at Wrestlepalooza in Indianapolis in a squash match, then left members of the Cenation livid. Now, the former UFC heavyweight champion has left for the wilderness once again, leaving many to ponder what's next for the most legitimate superstar WWE has ever known.
November's Survivor Series: War Games is just around the corner, and following that, January's Royal Rumble will kick off the road to WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas. But who will Lesnar face at the Showcase of the Immortals? And what road will he take to get there? Here are the current frontrunners to face the Beast on the grandest stage of them all.
Gunther
Online news and media outlets have long speculated about possible dream matches for Brock Lesnar. Back in his UFC days, MacMally from the popular Bodog News site once earmarked Lesnar as arguably the greatest heavyweight of all time, with Fedor Emelianenko as the dream heavyweight slugfest. In WWE, the dream match has long been Lesnar vs Gunther.
For two years, the prospect of a collision between the two has stalked social media and podcasts like a hungry wolf. The Austrian's “end boss” tease at the 2023 Royal Rumble—where Gunther brazenly declared Lesnar as the ultimate challenge—crystallized a narrative too potent for creatives to ignore. His recent victory over Goldberg—a man who has gone to war with Lesnar numerous times—could well suggest that the blockbuster meeting is just around the corner.
Fresh off a reign that redefined brutality and technical prowess in WWE’s heavyweight division, Gunther is the perfect foil. His offense? Surgical, suffocating, and designed to bruise—those thunderous overhand chops are already the stuff of legend. Lesnar, meanwhile, is chaos incarnate, a living storm of suplexes and ground-and-pound ferocity fuelled by very real fighting ability. Any potential upcoming staredown feels less like wrestling hype and more like a myth in the making.
There would be poetry in the timing should the long-anticipated clash finally come to fruition. Gunther has been absent from WWE screens since that crushing world title loss to CM Punk—a defeat made more surreal when Punk immediately surrendered his championship to Seth Rollins.
When the former champ returns, the Austrian could well receive a hero's welcome, ushering in a maiden babyface run after five years on the main roster. Picture the narrative: Lesnar, ever the spoiler, robs Gunther of Royal Rumble triumph, goading the Ring General into the most bruising, cathartic war of WrestleMania 42. Las Vegas, Allegiant Stadium, twenty minutes of visceral violence that surely finishes with Gunther going over.
Any Member of Seth Rollins’ Vision
If Lesnar vs. Gunther is brute force mythos, then the Beast crossing paths with the Vision promises modern Shakespearean drama. Paul Heyman now advises both Lesnar and Seth Rollins, with the latter currently reigning as World Heavyweight Champion. Surely another slimy Heyman betrayal with Lesnar being the victim is just around the corner.
Should such a moment arrive, any WrestleMania permutations likely won’t feature Rollins himself, with heavy rumors indicating a Rollins-Roman Reigns clash at WrestleMania as pretty much a done deal. Instead, heavyweight henchman Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed become the two young powerhouses tasked with slaying the Beast.
Bron Breakker is not just a blue-chip prospect; he’s WWE’s rocket ship prepped for launch. Reports paint a portrait of a company intent on forging its next megastar in Lesnar’s image. Breakker’s main roster run—a string of hard-hitting, athletic clinics against the likes of Roman Reigns and Jey Uso—reads like a dress rehearsal for WrestleMania main events, beginning with a blockbuster clash with Lesnar next April.
Bronson Reed, meanwhile, is the Vision’s battering ram. His Tsunami finisher rivals Lesnar’s F-5 for spectacle, and his recent rampages against CM Punk and Roman Reigns have marked him as a breakout star just waiting for the right spark. Reports suggest strong internal enthusiasm for Reed’s evolution into a headline talent among WWE brass, and a no-holds-barred war against Lesnar could be his breakout moment.
Drew McIntyre
WrestleMania 36 was supposed to be Drew McIntyre’s coronation. Instead, his WWE Championship-winning victory against Lesnar in the main event happened in eerie silence—a historic title win as confetti drifted through an empty arena, global events having emptied the seats that would have thundered his name. That hollow victory has haunted the Scottish Warrior ever since, his crowning moment forgotten in the annals of history and subsequently fueling his rage across feuds with the biggest names in the business: CM Punk, Seth Rollins, and Cody Rhodes.
Now, with Las Vegas' Allegiant Stadium poised to host a monster crowd, the script feels almost divinely appointed. No other opponent offers McIntyre such poetic closure as the man who defined his bittersweet finest hour: Lesnar. Outlets have spotlighted the dramatic weight of this potential rematch—a cathartic, career-shaping moment for McIntyre and an irresistible story for fans who witnessed his ThunderDome-era triumph.
Imagine the crowd finally roaring as McIntyre counts down to the Claymore in the match’s dying seconds, the ghosts of 2020 about to be exorcised. Or, conversely, Lesnar reversing and hitting an F5 to steal yet another moment away from the proud Scotsman. Either way, 60,000-plus fans would be in for a treat in Sin City.
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