Fox Den Sports

On the March 16th edition of RAW, The Beast was introduced to the Ruler.

Brock Lesnar was in the ring dealing with Seth Rollins after Seth had called out Paul Heyman.

The arena went dark, and then the pop of lights to introduce Oba Femi, the Universe exploded. I had not heard a pop like that in ages. It was even hard to hear Cole/Cory.

There are a lot of parts to all of this, and I will try to organise them in the best order I can.

**What We Know at This Point

The Minneapolis Connection: With rumours swirling that Brock’s final match will be at SummerSlam 2026 in his hometown of Minneapolis, every match between now and then is a countdown. Keeping him strong until that final moment makes that eventual “last loss” mean everything. If they do this, it’s going to be hard to watch Oba lose, but I get it. This is a storyline in the making

Paul Heyman’s Influence: Heyman has always been the architect of the Lesnar mythos. Reports suggest he’s been very vocal about keeping Brock dominant to preserve his “final boss” status. Paul had a lot of pull with Creative. I have a feeling that he will have a lot of say in how this story opens. This storyline has Paul written all over it.

The Oba Femi Factor: For Brock to personally suggest that Oba put his foot on his chest shows that he doesn’t just see a “colleague,” he sees a successor. It’s a rare public endorsement from a man who is notoriously private about “doing business.” I think we got a huge insight into Brock and how knowledgeable he is about the business.

The Argument for Oba: If WWE wants to create a superstar overnight, having the 27-year-old “Ruler” dominate a 48-year-old Brock is the way to do it. It mirrors how Brock himself started in 2002. Do you use Brock’s beginning as a blueprint to help Oba get established, or do you throw the blueprint out the window, creating something new?

The Twist: Some reports suggest Brock and Paul Heyman are pushing to keep Brock undefeated until his final match. If WWE listens to them, Brock might actually win at Mania, only to have Oba “earn” the win in a rematch later, or do you give Oba the win at Mania with Brock getting the rematch later? (They did a 2 out of 3 matches with Cody a few years back. Would it work again?)

The Gunther Path (The “Career Killer”)

The SummerSlam Theory: Gunther has already “retired” Goldberg, John Cena, and AJ Styles in the last year. He’s the established “Final Boss” of the new era. Is Gunther really worth getting the match against Brock?

The Minneapolis Connection: With SummerSlam 2026 being in Brock’s hometown of Minneapolis, many insiders believe that is the only place Brock should truly lose and “go out on his shield.” It should be Brock’s call on what happens, especially with SummerSlam being in Minnesota.

The Conflict: Gunther currently doesn’t have a clear WrestleMania path (partly due to Rey Mysterio’s injury), leading some to think he might interfere in the Oba/Brock match to set up a Triple Threat or a SummerSlam showdown. Why would you do a triple threat when you run the risk of Gunther getting hurt? He doesn’t have the strength to hold his own.

The Verdict?

If you’re writing the blog today, the “smart money” is on Oba Femi being the one to actually get the win, but Gunther being the one who “retires” him.

Brock making Oba look like a god on Monday suggests he’s ready to give Oba the “WrestleMania Moment,” while saving the actual “Retirement Loss” for his hometown and a fellow veteran-style worker like Gunther. The question is, how does Gunther even earn the right to be the one to retire Brock? They have never faced each other. Are you giving it to Gunther just because? My other question is this: Who does Brock want to have the honour?

The “Oba Femi” Launchpad (WrestleMania 42)

The Pop: Vegas would come unglued. If Oba pins Brock clean after that Fall From Grace, he’s instantly made for life. It’s the modern-day equivalent of Brock beating Rock at SummerSlam 2002. That would put Oba in the history books for his career.

The Risk: If Oba wins now, where does Brock go for his “Road to Retirement”? Does a loss at Mania take the sting out of his final match at SummerSlam? Or does it make the retirement feel more “necessary” in the story? You can still give Oba a win over Brock, but it needs to be done correctly, still keeping Brock on course for the final match at SummerSlam.

The “Gunther” Career-Ender (SummerSlam 2026)

The Pop: This would be a different kind of “pop”—more of a respectful, passing-of-the-torch roar in Brock’s hometown of Minneapolis. With the kind of career that Brock has had, it’s a career that needs to be celebrated.

The Logic: Gunther is already being branded as the “Career Killer” after taking out Cena and AJ Styles. If Brock stays undefeated through Mania (beating Oba) and finally falls to Gunther at SummerSlam, it preserves Brock’s “Final Boss” aura until the very last second. Brock can snap Gunther like a twig. If you’re giving Gunther the honour of retiring Brock, he needs to be in the General’s battle jacket.

It’s a bold take, but imagine the heat: Oba looks like a monster, takes Brock to the limit, but the “Old Guard” finds a way to win. It makes the fans desperate to see who can finally stop him, setting up a massive “Winner Retires Brock” main event for SummerSlam. They have the makings for a fued for the ages with Oba and Brock. You could see and hear how much the fans want this match, which the Universe is getting. I don’t think it will sit well with the fans giving Gunther the right to retire Brock. Work it right, give Oba the right to retire Brock, and the passing of the torch would be complete.