WWE Rumors: Brock Lesnar’s Universal Championship Reign Plans

Brock Lesnar will make his first WWE Universal Championship defense in July, but what’s in store for the future of the belt?

At WrestleMania 33, Brock Lesnar won the WWE Universal Championship, and then appeared on the following episode of Raw. He hasn’t been seen since, but will appear on next Monday’s episode of the Flagship Show.

The reason for Lesnar’s appearance is Samoa Joe, who choked out Paul Heyman in an in-ring segment. It played up Lesnar and Joe’s Universal Championship match, which will take place at the Great Balls of Fire pay-per-view.

According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Lesnar vs. Joe will be a one-off for the latter in the Universal Title scene. It will then lead to Braun Strowman as the next opponent at SummerSlam, with Seth Rollins and Finn Balor likely to follow after this August show. Roman Reigns is still the planned opponent for Lesnar at WrestleMania 34.

If these plans stay in place, then Lesnar’s title reign will last for 10 more months, since WrestleMania 34 isn’t until early April 2018. It sounds like there will be four title defenses in between, including the Samoan Submission Machine’s opportunity in July. If Strowman’s is at SummerSlam, then it leaves Balor and Reigns for anytime between September and February. Of course, that could change with six total PPVs that the Raw brand will be part of during that time.

For now, the focus will turn to the Great Balls of Fire match. Joe will get his first Universal Championship match since joining the main roster. He won this opportunity at Extreme Rules, defeating Balor, Rollins, Reigns and Bray Wyatt in a fatal five-way bout.

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There’s plenty to be seen from a Lesnar title reign. Will these plans follow through in 2017 and 2018?