Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns Needs to Happen at WWE SummerSlam

Brock Lesnar is currently embroiled in a feud with Samoa Joe, but a huge rivalry Roman Reigns remains on the horizon. It sounds like that battle could happen sooner than expected.

Ever since Roman Reigns retired The Undertaker at WrestleMania 33, the prevailing belief has been that “The Big Dog” would face Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 34 in yet another coronation moment for the former SHIELD member. Lesnar is the Universal Champion and conquered an impressive foe of his own at “The Showcase of the Immortals”, finally ridding himself of his inability to defeat Goldberg.

Reigns retired The Undertaker and Lesnar was the first superstar to defeat “The Deadman” at WrestleMania, so the two have been on a collision course since that moment. Paul Heyman didn’t shy away from hinting at this, noting Reigns’s accomplishment during the episode of Raw after WrestleMania.

Most of the speculation about Lesnar’s opponents during his reign as Universal Champion has kept in mind the future match with Reigns at WrestleMania 34, but it sounds like that clash could be happening sooner rather than later.

According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter’s Dave Meltzer (hat tip to WrestlingINC.com), Brock Lesnar vs. Braun Strowman is still the scheduled Universal title match for SummerSlam. However, Meltzer leaves the door open for Reigns to face Lesnar at SummerSlam, changing the date of their expected match. The WWE could do this as a reaction to the low TV ratings, which may be the result of the lack of activity surrounding Raw‘s main championship title.

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Although the TV rating for Raw increased this past week, the ratings have mostly been dreadful over the past month. Lesnar has been on Raw just once, and he hasn’t defended his title yet. That will change at Great Balls of Fire against Samoa Joe, but if the Reigns vs. Lesnar program is accelerated, then the fans will presumably be getting more title defenses.

If the WWE is concerned about the lack of attention being placed on one of their most important titles, then it stands to reason that Reigns would win. Now, they could have Reigns lose at SummerSlam before winning at WrestleMania 34, and Lesnar could go on a tear through the rest of the roster.

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Whether or not Reigns wins at SummerSlam, it would be best for this match to happen sooner rather than later. Most fans are expecting Reigns vs. Lesnar to be the main event of WrestleMania 34, and that isn’t a universally appreciated idea (to put it in as diplomatic terms as possible).

For now, Samoa Joe vs. Brock Lesnar will likely be “The Beast Incarnate’s” match for SummerSlam, but it will be interesting to see how Reigns fits into the picture. His big announcement on Raw this past week involved him re-inserting himself into the title picture by naming himself the No. 1 contender before losing to Joe, thanks to interference from long-time nemesis Braun Strowman.

If Reigns is the No. 1 contender to the winner of the Universal Championship match at Great Balls of Fire, then it stands to reason that he will be in a championship match at SummerSlam. The smart money is on Samoa Joe losing to Lesnar for two reasons. Firstly, it saves a Joe vs. Reigns program. Secondly, I have a feeling the WWE wants Reigns to defeat Lesnar in memorable fashion, because Reigns’s WrestleMania match against Brock was switched into a huge moment for Seth Rollins.

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Reigns defeating Lesnar at some point seems like an inevitability, so it’s better for the company to do it at SummerSlam. Based on the caliber of this Pay Per View in past years, there will be other matches on the card of a high enough caliber to prevent upset fans from hijacking the show if Reigns wins, and I don’t think the WWE can say the same about WrestleMania 34, simply judging by the reaction to Reigns’s win over Triple H at WrestleMania 32.

I wonder if Albert El Patron thinks he and Bobby Lashley can put on a better match than Lesnar and Reigns, if that ends up being the case.