Jonathan Coachman Slams Roman Reigns And Brock Lesnar For Part-Time Schedules

It has been quite some time now since both Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns have made regular WWE television appearances. WWE fans genuinely want to see them on weekly shows, especially on the critical Road to WrestleMania. The lack of their presence has drawn criticism from several industry veterans.

In a recent episode of the “The Coach & Bro” podcast, Jonathan Coachman slammed Reigns and Lesnar’s part-time schedules in WWE. The former SmackDown commentator did not hold back his frustrations regarding the current state of the main event picture.

“I’m so tired of hearing that Brock Lesnar is an attraction. I’m tired of hearing that Roman Reigns is an attraction,” Coachman stated aggressively. “Well, guess what? In order to get people to walk in the building in Vegas in less than two months, they need to show their a**** up on the show and do something impactful.”

WWE’s 2026 Road to WrestleMania 42 hasn’t generated the massive hype fans were initially expecting. From big stars being injured to creative plans constantly changing, the road has been rough. Moreover, the high ticket prices have not been justified by the seemingly lackluster build to the Grandest Stage of Them All.

On the last episode of WWE RAW, Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar announced a confusing open challenge. This would be to see who faces The Beast at WWE WrestleMania 42. While there could be a chance that Oba Femi or GUNTHER steps up, fans were expecting a structured storyline or proper build for such a major star.

Needless to say, many viewers were disappointed by the creative direction. Even former head writer Vince Russo mocked the WWE’s booking on his YouTube channel. He pointed out the obvious flaws in their current strategy.

“So now here we are. How many weeks away is WrestleMania? … WrestleMania is five weeks away…whatever. Let’s give them eight weeks. Let’s give them two extra weeks. It doesn’t matter,” Russo ranted. “Here we are, bro. And they don’t have an opponent for Brock Lesnar. He’s going to do the open challenge.”

Russo highlighted the repetitive nature of the booking. “When I hear open challenge, bro, and I’m a casual fan, here’s the first thing I’m saying. When I hear open challenge, the first thing in my mind is, ‘Oh bro, it’s going to be the goof that accepted Randy Orton’s open challenge… what’s his name again?’ … Joe Henry.”

He argued that the audience has already seen this specific setup fail. “Well, the last time they did this, if I’m a casual fan and I’m tuning in, Joe Henry answered the call. So they’re going back to that same well again. And any casual fan who saw the last time is sitting there saying, ‘Oh, who’s it going to be this time?’ They’re just absolutely clueless,” he claimed.

Russo called for severe consequences for the creative team. “Bro, if you don’t have an opponent and a program for Brock Lesnar going into WrestleMania, every single person in that freaking room needs to be fired.” He mocked the episodic nature of the challenge.

“They came up with the best they had — open challenge for six different shows upcoming that he’s booked for. So who are the marquee, who’s it going to be matches? And there’ll be a comedy one, there’ll be a serious one, there’ll be a nostalgia one. It’s just for the pops, like opening a present. That’s what it is. Who’s in the mystery box?” he ended.

The company will have to address these criticisms as they finalize their plans. The current roster is focused on the Elimination Chamber premium live event taking place on Saturday, February 28, 2026, at the United Center in Chicago. The results of that show will heavily dictate the final card for WrestleMania 42 on April 18 and 19 at Allegiant Stadium.

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