Backstage News On WWE Not Mentioning Brock Lesnar On RAW
As noted, there was no mention of Brock Lesnar on RAW this past Monday night. Lesnar appeared at UFC 226 this past Saturday and shoved new UFC Heavyweight Champion Daniel Cormier, teasing a future fight between the two . Lesnar also put himself back in the USADA drug-testing pool last Tuesday, making him eligible to fight again for the UFC after January 8, 2019.
Despite the UFC appearance playing into WWE's storyline about Lesnar wanting to leave the company for the UFC, Dave Meltzer reported in the latest edition of The Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Vince McMahon made the decision not to mention him to focus building on Sunday's Extreme Rules pay-per-view. McMahon told everyone at the production meeting before RAW that Lesnar's name wasn't to be mentioned and they can start talking him again "When he's being offered to our audience and we can capitalize on it."
Meltzer noted that McMahon "is adamant" about creating the idea that Lesnar is turning his back on the fans and leaving for the UFC. The storyline is to make it appear that Lesnar is leaving without dropping the WWE Universal Championship, which they hope will get Roman Reigns cheered more when they face each other, potentially at SummerSlam.
As noted, Lesnar is currently not advertised for SummerSlam at the Barclays Center. While WWE and the Barclays Center don't have Lesnar listed on their websites for the post-SummerSlam RAW, Meltzer added that Lesnar is appearing on advertising for the show, despite not yet being advertised for SummerSlam.
Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter
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