After crushing both Rey Mysterio and his son at Survivor Series, Brock Lesnar has been away on one of his characteristic long absences. As much as WWE have tried to make his part-time appearance on WWE an issue for a feud, Brock remains a big draw and Vince McMahon knows how to best use him.
But with him holding the world title, there is one question on everyone's mind: Who will be the next opponent of The Beast? Since WrestleMania is just over three months away, one also has to wonder who will face him at the biggest event of WWE calendar.
Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns are out of the picture as they have had their fair share of matches against The Beast. Randy Orton is an interesting option but he too has been left pummeled by Lesnar in the past. The rivalry with Mysterio and his son seems to be at an end. So, who is left?
John Cena, who has also become a part-time performer, may be an option. But he too has had his fair share of contests in the past with the current champion. However, they were some years ago. So, a rekindling of an old rivalry is certainly an option for WWE.
But what about pitting Lesnar against a new rival? That opens up many avenues of opportunity. Kofi Kingston was humiliated by him earlier in the year. So, he is not in the picture and is currently holding the tag-team title. Among the other lot, there are some good contenders.
Braun Strowman is back in action and a match between him and Lesnar would get the fans very excited. The possibility of their being a unification match between him and Bray Wyatt is not very strong since The Fiend is in the process of getting his character aggrandized.
What about Daniel Bryan? He has already been part of a storyline where he overcomes the odds of being a smaller guy and beating the bigger lads. That scenario can be re-enacted with Lesnar. Another man who can possibly enter the race for the title is Kevin Owens, after he is done with the feud with Rollins.
A lot may depend on Royal Rumble. It won't be surprising if Lesnar remains absent till then or only takes on jobbers. Meanwhile, the return of Sheamus is being built up greatly. Perhaps he could be the one to try and stop The Beast. He certainly has the power and explosiveness to counter that of the World Heavyweight Champion.
In the end, only time will tell who will The Beast take on next? But WWE better make that contest interesting, unlike most of Lesnar's feuds.
