"The Beast" will be the first man to ever be simultaneously employed by the WWE and UFC, but it's a huge gamble by Vince McMahon's company.
The WWE granted Brock Lesnar his wish to compete at UFC 200 on July 9 in Las Vegas in a move that could prove costly.
WWE will get some nice cross-promotion when its former World Heavyweight Champion appears in the Octagon, but they are risking their plans for SummerSlam, which airs on Aug. 21 from New York City.
Lesnar, 38, revealed on ESPN on Monday that he will be facing Mark Hunt, 42, and that he received a very hefty paycheck to return to the Octagon. "The Beast" also noted that he sought out UFC president Dana White about a comeback because he felt he had unfinished business.
The former UFC heavyweight champion hasn't fought since 2011 when he retired due to two bouts with diverticulitis. Lesnar called up White three months ago to facilitate the deal and the WWE released a statement on allowing him to compete in July:
"Brock Lesnar remains under contract to WWE, however, he has been granted a one-off opportunity to compete at UFC 200," the statement said (via Wrestlingheadlines.com). "Following this milestone event on July 9, Brock will return to WWE for SummerSlam on Sunday, August 21, live on WWE Network."
The WWE is taking a huge gamble.
If Lesnar gets seriously injured, which is possible given this is a platform where he will engage in a real fight, it could put their SummerSlam plans at risk. Also, if he wins, he may get the urge to have more fights, which could lead to an impasse between him and the WWE in the future.
Lesnar closed the door on a UFC return when he signed a three-year contract with the WWE last year, but he clearly regretted that decision.
"I couldn't live with that decision, that decision has haunted me for the last 15 months," Lesnar said on 'SportsCenter,' according to WrestlingInc. "I'm a big believer in facing your fears and facing the reality of not sitting 20 years ago saying 'Son, you should have done that.' I was on UFC 100, so why not UFC 200?," Lesnar said.
There are some positives to this development for the WWE as they will likely get some advertising for SummerSlam out of it and could potentially convince White to allow Ronda Rousey to have a match, possibly at WrestleMania 33.
"Rowdy" is an avid wrestling fan and got physical with Triple H and Stephanie McMahon at WrestleMania 31 in March 2015.
Rousey has said she is dying to get back to the WWE, so the company could use Lesnar as a leverage move to score a Rousey bout down the line. Cross promotion between the WWE and UFC is very interesting and has positives for both sides.
There is also one giant negative if Lesnar -- the WWE's biggest draw this side of John Cena -- gets injured.
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