If you were a new fan of WWE tuning into the Royal Rumble for the first time when the promotion filled up Tropicana Field with 48,000 fans for the first Premium Live Event of the 2024 calendar year, you'd think that Bron Breakker was one of the most dominant wrestlers in the world.

Entering the match at spot 20, Breakker exploded into the match like he was shot out of a cannon, quickly eliminating four performers before taking part in two of the signature moments of the entire event, a big man stare down with the “Ring General” and Intercontinental Champion, Gunther, and Pat McAfee's quick exit a few moments later.

Was this incredibly impressive five-and-a-half-minute run the sort of star-making turn that has been known to happen at the Royal Rumble? Well, as it turns out, there was plenty of star-level consideration in the booking of the sequence, as it was initially supposed to be executed by Brock Lesnar before his return was pulled due to his inclusion in the lawsuit against Vince McMahon.

Discussing the spot on an incredibly informative episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer explained how quickly plans changed in the lead-up to the opening bell of the Royal Rumble and how it could affect Breakker's booking moving forward.

“I think most people know this, but Brock Lesnar was scheduled to return at the Rumble, and this was a change, obviously, that was made because of the lawsuit. So, the change was made probably Friday, most likely, perhaps Saturday morning,” Dave Meltzer said via WrestleTalk.

“Bron Breakker, because of that, and the fact that the match was pretty much scripted out already, Bron Breakker essentially fulfilled the Brock Lesnar role. He came in when Brock Lesnar was going to come in, he threw out the guys Brock Lesnar was going to throw out, he got thrown out exactly how Brock Lesnar was going to get thrown out.

“Brock was going to be in there looking impressive, so they needed someone to fill those shoes. There weren't a lot of guys that they would give that spot to.”

Meltzer then went on to describe how Lesnar was likely going to wrestle Dominik Mysterio, the man who would have eliminated him in the match, at the Elimination Chamber, before paying off his stare down with Gunther at WrestleMania 40. While Meltzer is unsure if Breakker will continue to fill Lesnar's shoes, working big matches on the main roster while simultaneously competing in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic on NXT, it's safe to say the “Meanser Than Evil” second-generation Steiner is excited about a new role on either RAW or SmackDown and isn't planning on slowing down any time soon.

Bron Breakker is already feeling at home on the main roster.

Taking part in an interview with Cathy Kelley immediately following the biggest moment of his professional wrestling career thus far, Bron Breakker was asked what it was like to make such an impact in his first main roster math since 2022. Though Breakker's time in the match was short, he acknowledged that he was grateful to make a statement, even if it helped him to start a new feud with the faction that “runs RAW,” Judgment Day.

“I feel very grateful right now,” Bron Breakker told Cathy Kelley via Fightful. “What an opportunity tonight was for me to make a statement, and I thought I did that tonight 100%. Things didn't go my way, but I'm not done with the Judgment Day by any means.”

Breakker also had words for McAfee, who arguably threw off his momentum and cost him what could have been a match-leading fifth elimination. Despite their shared experience in professional football, even if Breakker only had a cup of coffee, the former Baltimore Raven informed the ESPN personality to stay as far away from him as possible.

“Yeah, Pat McAfee maybe needs to stay on College Gameday and stay the h*ll away from me,” Breakker noted. “That's all I got to say about that. Maybe he should go back to punting or something.”

Last but not least, Breakker was asked about what it felt like to wrestle against so many main-roster talents, as he's almost exclusively worked with his fellow NXT members since debuting a few years back. While Breakker is still relatively new to the sport of pro wrestling, the Royal Rumble made him feel like he belongs, and he plans to make either RAW or SmackDown his home moving forward as a result.

“Tonight, I proved that I belong on the main roster. This is my home now, and I'm ready for the work,” Breakker declared. “I'm ready to prove to my peers and to the people and to everyone out there who believes in me that this is where I belong. This is what I was born to do, and I'm here. I'm ready to go. Maybe get back to the Judgment Day.”

Whoa, so if (likely) RAW is Breakker's new home, what does that mean for his tag team with Baron Corbin down in NXT? Will they lose their match against the winner of Trick Melo Gang versus LWO? Or will they continue uninterrupted, much like how Carmelo Hayes is working as a babyface on SmackDown in his program with A-Town Down Under but is much more of a heel in NXT trying to prevent Trick Williams from unseating Ilja Dragunov as the NXT Champion? Fans will potentially get a few more answers on RAW.