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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar may be making a return to the world of professional wrestling this Sunday, as Dave Meltzer at The Wrestling Observer reported this week that he's in negotiations with the WWE for a potential return.
"The two sides have been talking in recent weeks as was hinted in the Dwayne Johnson interview last week when Lesnar's name was brought up as a possible opponent for next year," Melter wrote regarding talks between Lesnar and the WWE. "Dana White confirmed that Lesnar is legally able to do WrestleMania. He had been under a UFC contract but had retired from the promotion. White was not aware if Lesnar was doing the show."
Lesnar retired from the UFC following a loss to Alistair Overeem in December, his second straight stoppage loss and his first fight after the return of his diverticulitis last year. However, while there's a possibility Lesnar may return as early as tomorrow night's Wrestlemania 28 event, Meltzer added an update on Friday that things aren't set quite yet.
"Regarding Brock Lesnar, he had not agreed to a deal as of a few hours ago," Meltzer wrote. "There are a number of issues, both financial and number of dates, that needed to be worked out."
Penick's Analysis: It's not surprising that he's looking to return. There's a lot of money to potentially be made in his return, and he's softened on his stance against the WWE in recent years. Part of that was because he was finally taken seriously by most as a legitimate threat in the UFC, but two straight stoppage losses, where he looked particularly vulnerable, won't have him looking like the same monster he was during his first stint in the WWE. That said, if he does return on Sunday, it'd likely only be setting something up for next year, similar to what Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson did last year to set up Sunday's match with John Cena. If Lesnar were to get involved in that in some way on Sunday, it could see him plant the seeds for something next year. He's not going to be getting back into any type of regular grind with the WWE, as that's the reason he left in the first place.
[Brock Lesnar art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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