Pro wrestling and MMA fans know that Brock Lesnar sometimes works in mysterious ways. It looked like a UFC fight between Lesnar and Daniel Cormier was inevitable after Lesnar called him out at UFC 226. When Seth Rollins defeated him in the opening match of WrestleMania 35, it looked like Lesnar had been effectively written out of the WWE for a while. However, later the same month Lesnar retired from MMA and a few weeks later showed up unannounced to win the Money In The Bank ladder match, reentering himself into the WWE world title picture.
ESPN’s Marc Raimondi asked Cormier, who is gearing up for a rematch against Stipe Miocic at UFC 241 in August, how he felt about seeing Lesnar return to WWE. Cormier, historically a fan of certain styles of pro wrestling and of trolling Lesnar, had a straightforward answer:
I’m sure Brock couldn’t come to terms with the UFC in terms of financial offer. There’s a lot of uncertainty in the world of mixed martial arts right now in terms of pay-per-view. It’s not as straightforward as when Brock was there. I think when Brock looked at the landscape of the sport, what they were offering him, Brock said, ‘I can make guaranteed money [in WWE.]’ Not work as hard. He’d have to work his ass off [to fight me] and it’s probably gonna go the bad way. Whereas with the WWE, it’s usually determined in his favor. So, as a businessman, I think Brock made the right decision.
Cormier also thinks that Lesnar’s return has worked well for him and the company so far, pointing out, “Brock was on the pay-per-view and then Brock was on Monday night and the ratings increased… There’s a method to the old man’s madness. He just continues to kind of rely on Brock and Brock has shown to be a commodity that keeps working for him.”
No word yet on what Cormier thinks of Lesnar’s sweet dance moves.
