Confusion and Anticipation Surrounding Brock Lesnar’s Royal Rumble Booking
The two options to face Brock Lesnar at Royal Rumble which appear most likely are Randy Orton and Kevin Owens. Owens seems to make more sense as Lesnar’s ‘Mania opponent because he is currently involved in a featured storyline with Seth Rollins. He is also gaining more support from the WWE universe.
Orton, however, makes perfect sense because WWE could easily end his feud with AJ Styles rather quickly. Orton could also serve as an opponent for Lesnar who could instantly provide a whole lot of credibility and star power. And, he certainly doesn’t need another world title victory at this stage in his career. WWE can also build off their previous match at SummerSlam 2016 where Orton had his head busted open by The Beast.
Other Formidable Options
Another great option to face Lesnar at Royal Rumble would be Aleister Black because of the enigmatic, superstar-like aura that seems to permeate the arena every time he walks out. However, it is doubtful WWE would choose a superstar who is not very established yet (even though Paul Heyman is a huge fan and will likely book him to have a huge 2020). Black has not been around long enough to be considered (like Finn Balor clearly was when he challenged Lesnar for the Universal Championship at Royal Rumble last year.
Meanwhile, Samoa Joe is standing off to the side as the X factor in this whole equation. His excellent work on the commentary team the last several weeks on Monday Night Raw, filling in for Dio Maddin (who decided to leave his role on Raw to once again pursue his in-ring career), has served as an avenue for the WWE universe to appreciate Joe’s impressive mic skills.
Joe would make for a very credible Royal Rumble opponent for Lesnar, not to mention the fact that they have history together. Joe played a believable rival for The Beast in 2017. WWE could always pull a surprise and book Joe to dethrone the WWE Champion, given that he plays the role one might imagine Lesnar what occupy if he were a full-timer.