It took Brock Lesnar three matches and a tumultuous year under two separate WWE contracts, but on May 19, The Anomaly may finally feel at home for the first time since returning the squared circle. That’s because at Extreme Rules, the 266-pound destroyer will face archrival Triple H inside the familiar confines of a steel cage.

The flesh-tearing tendencies of chain-link fence might not offer Lesnar the same solace as a weekend spent hunting in the woodlands of Jackson Hole, Wyo., but there is little reason to believe the burly bruiser and his advisor Paul Heyman were anything but calculating in demanding Lesnar vs. Triple H III take place in a cage. “The Beast Incarnate,” after all, saw a cage fight or two during his eight-year sabbatical from WWE, during which he ascended the heavyweight ranks of the Ultimate Fighting Championship faster than any other competitor in the history of mixed-martial arts.

It took Brock Lesnar three matches and a tumultuous year under two separate WWE contracts, but on May 19, The Anomaly may finally feel at home for the first time since returning the squared circle. That’s because at Extreme Rules, the 266-pound destroyer will face archrival Triple H inside the confines of a steel cage. While Triple H may have more experience competing in WWE cages, Lesnar has a much different perspective.

The flesh-tearing tendencies of chain-link fence might not offer Lesnar the same solace as the woodlands of Jackson Hole, Wyo., but there is little reason to believe the burly bruiser and his adviser Paul Heyman were anything but calculating in demanding Lesnar vs. Triple H III take place in a cage. “The Beast Incarnate,” after all, saw an eight-sided cage fight or two during his eight-year sabbatical from WWE, during which he ascended the heavyweight ranks of the Ultimate Fighting Championship faster than any other competitor in the history of mixed martial arts.

Who will benefit more from the steel cage: Triple H or Brock Lesnar?

The steel walls on a standard UFC Octagon measure 6 feet tall. Gates are built into two sides of the structure, allowing both combatants’ corner men to enter the Octagon between rounds, and the fighting surface area measures 750 square feet. According to the UFC website, the structure was designed with fighters’ safety in mind.

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The well-being of Superstars, in contrast, was far from a primary concern in the construction of WWE’s steel cage. The cage’s steel walls tower over even the tallest of Superstars, clearing the 7-foot tall Big Show by three feet or more. There is only one door in a WWE steel cage, controlled by a WWE official, and instead of vinyl padding on top, a dangerous steel trestle frames the perimeter and is intended to be used as a weapon. The WWE ring measures approximately 400 square feet — meaning less opportunity for fighters to stall or avoid locking up.

It’s clear these two steel domains are not perfectly analogous, but are the disparities between them enough to invalidate the experience Lesnar gleaned while dominating the UFC?

Starting with his Extreme Rules Match against John Cena last April and continuing through to his No Holds Barred Match against The Game at WrestleMania, Lesnar has yet to compete under a standard set of WWE rules since making his return to the ring. As such, the former three-time WWE Champion has enjoyed the freedom to bully and batter his opponents however he’s seen fit.

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In his three bouts, Lesnar has not shied from bringing his fights outside the squared circle. The WWE Universe remembers the sight of The Anomaly heinously trapping Cena in their bout last year, hanging the Cenation leader by his feet from the ring post and using him as a heavy bag. At The Grandest Stage of Them All, some of Lesnar’s most dangerous offense — from repeat overhead throws to a table-smashing suplex — occurred outside the ring. At Extreme Rules, these options will not be available to The Anomaly unless he and Triple H somehow escape the cage.

Even though the steel cage will likely keep Lesnar vs. Triple H III from degenerating into a sprawling ringside brawl, the match conditions could nonetheless favor Lesnar for one specific reason: Triple H won’t be able to use steel steps. If The Anomaly has shown an Achilles’ heel since making his return, it hasn’t so much been lingering effects of his bout with diverticulitis but, rather, the steel steps.

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Cena threw everything he had at Lesnar during their match last year, but it wasn’t until after the Cenation leader delivered a steel chain to the head and then an Attitude Adjustment onto the steps that The Anomaly could be pinned. Similarly, The Game managed to keep Lesnar’s shoulders down at WrestleMania only after he DDT’d and then Pedigreed the former UFC Heavyweight Champion onto the steps, which had been brought into the ring. Barring some unforeseen incident in which the steel cage door comes unlocked, Lesnar need not prepare for a run-in with the steel steps.

As the heated Lesnar–Triple H rivalry approaches its endgame, the WWE Universe is left to wonder exactly how the addition of a steel cage will affect the third battle in this treacherous war. Will Lesnar’s background in MMA — and, in turn, his experience competing in an eight-sided cage — work to his advantage? Or does it risk doing just the opposite, fostering a false sense of complacency in a match format that has historically punished anyone foolish enough to let down their guard for even a second?

May 19 will represent Lesnar’s first time in a classic WWE steel cage since summer 2003 and his first time fighting in a cage of any sort since his last UFC fight in December 2011. By comparison, Triple H is among WWE’s most experienced Superstars when it comes to Steel Cage Matches.

What do you think, WWE Universe: Who benefits most from this bout being held inside a cage, Triple H or Lesnar? Add your voice to the conversation now by voting in a WWE.com exclusive poll.