Opinionated: A Shot in the Arm… Curt Hawkins, WWE Champion?
I’ve had a bit of a thought in the past week or so, thanks in part to some-thing Brian Pillman Jr. proposed in an interview. Pillman Jr.’s idea was that Curt Hawkins, who has had a losing streak going which may very well become a legend in its own right, should break that streak by beating… Brock Lesnar. That idea gave me some-thing even larger to ponder and I now have a scenario in mind that will likely never be used, but would yield some interesting results if applied:
Brock Lesnar versus Curt Hawkins for the WWE Universal Championship
I’m aware that this sounds like a stupid idea on the surface, but just hang in there for a few minutes and you might see what I’m driving at here. What is Brock Lesnar at this point in his career, if not the ultimate winner? Lesnar hasn’t lost to any-one but Goldberg for the most part and even gained that loss back just a few months later. What is Hawkins if not the ultimate loser? Hawkins has lost over two-hundred matches consecutively, which is usually a feat you don’t applaud, but in this case, it might be the best thing to do. What could not be the easiest, purest match to book and promote then a match between the ultimate winner and the ultimate loser? Professional wrestling has always been about winning and losing and what both can do to the mettle of an athlete, so why can’t a match featuring each extreme not be a success?
It’s true that Hawkins has never drawn a dime in his life and that the person that breaks Lesnar’s victorious run should be a big star, but in this instance, having an angle like this practically books itself. Consider this, if you will. Let’s say Roman Reigns gets the title shot for Summerslam at Extreme Rules. A Reigns/Lesnar match won’t sell any-more tickets and it could be argued that it never did any-way. It’s entirely Vince McMahon’s fault that Reigns is not ready to beat Lesnar for the strap and there’s nothing reigns can do to change that. What any future match between Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns needs is a bolt of lightning to strike some life in what could be called Vince’s failed attempt at being Dr. Frankenstein. Having some-one like Curt Hawkins play the part of a last minute spoiler is a radical shift in speed during a time when a devastating malaise has plagued the entire WWE. If any-one is going to pay attention to the Universal Title match at Summerslam, then some-thing truly exciting has to happen before then and it must happen in spectacular fashion.
Okay, so Roman Reigns is number one contender for the Universal Title and Reigns makes his standard challenge to Lesnar in this latest fight between the two. Lesnar arrives one week after Reigns challenges him to confront his new contender. After some of the usual lame banter, Lesnar and Heyman taunt Reigns until he attacks them both. As Lesnar repels Reigns’s attack, Bobby Lashley runs out to attack both men, until Braun Strowman comes out to fight all three. At the end of it, Reigns gets taken out by an attack from Strowman, which puts Reigns on the shelf for a little while. Since Lashley and Strowman attacked without provocation, they are not allowed to fill the vacant contender’s spot. Heyman reveals that Lesnar has a contractual stipulation that states that he can pick his new contender, which becomes Hawkins. The battle of the ultimate winner versus the ultimate loser begins, with Hawkins training for the biggest match of his life.
Just before Summerslam, Reigns gets his clearance to return and gets into a triple threat rivalry with Bobby Lashley and Braun Strowman for the MITB briefcase. At Summerslam, Strowman retains his MITB contract. In the Universal Title match, Lesnar gets attacked by Strowman before the bell starts and uses his contract on Lesnar to become the Universal Champion. It’s now Strowman versus Hawkins for the Universal Title. Strowman brutalizes Hawkins like no else before, but Hawkins won’t stay down. Hawkins can’t get any offense on the new champion, but he won’t concede the fight. Suddenly, Lashley runs down to try and attack both men, but Reigns cuts Lashley off and brawls with him. Then, Lesnar comes back out after being stretchered to the back after his loss and takes out Strowman while the referee is knocked-out. Hawkins gets the chance to pin and win the title from Strowman.
From there, Vince would probably convert Hawkins back to a cowardly heel for as long as he was champion, but you would have several people fully primed for title shots for the next few months. This is no perfect scenario, but it is one that could get enough momentum going for a while and could do a lot of good for the roster and the Universal Title.
______
What do you think of this idea? Good? Bad? Let us know in the comments below!