Regarding speculation on WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar returning to UFC once his WWE deal expires after WrestleMania 34, from within WWE it appears that Lesnar is very interested in staying with WWE and that officials expect the same “photo finish” that they had a few years back when his deal expired and a decision was made right before or after his last date.
The Wrestling Observer Newsletter adds that publicly WWE officials are still moving forward with the idea that Lesnar is leaving and part of the mentality right now is to downplay Lesnar on his way out so it won’t look like such a big loss if he does leave. The idea is to create an environment where fans celebrate Lesnar’s departure instead of having them feel that UFC just landed one of WWE’s biggest Superstars.
WWE has had each creative step laid out for the WrestleMania 34 main event between Lesnar and Roman Reigns but Vince McMahon changed things last week based on his reaction to the photo of Lesnar in Las Vegas with UFC President Dana White on Elimination Chamber Sunday getting so much attention from the fans and the press. This is why Lesnar was not on RAW for the face off with Reigns. As noted, one of WWE’s goals for the Reigns vs. Lesnar build is to get Reigns cheered by the crowd, which is something that isn’t always guaranteed, leading to a positive reaction when he wins the title at WrestleMania. WWE also wants the build to come across like a shoot as much as possible.
Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter
