WWE Raw: Who Should Defeat Brock Lesnar For The Universal Championship?
By Josh Raibick
As Brock Lesnar inches closer to CM Punk’s record breaking championship reign, some fans are growing tired of the current WWE Universal Champion. That poses an important question, who should be the chosen superstar to defeat Lesnar?
WWE has had their eye on breaking CM Punk’s modern day championship record since the Voice of the Voiceless walked out of the company at the start of 2014. The major obstacles that have stood in WWE’s way is the amount of time that a superstar would have to hold a major championship for, the number of opponents defeated, and the lack of excitement for such a title reign.
Then WWE WrestleMania 34 happened and the powers to be decided that the Universal Championship would stay on Lesnar opening up a realistic opportunity for WWE to mark the Punk record off of their bucket list. Fans should expect Lesnar to hold the Universal Championship despite a potential return to the octagon in Lesnar’s future.
Despite the past year plus of dominance from The Beast, it is still WWE and the decision will eventually be made to have The Beast be conquered. Let’s take a look at a few potential suitors.
Samoa Joe
If there has been one superstar who has truly brought the fight to Lesnar, it has to be Samoa Joe. Joe not only was consistently able to stuff Lesnar’s take down attempts, but also showed zero signs of intimidation when coming face to face with Lesnar.
The match itself was one sided in favor of Joe, and ended with a desperation F5. The story that was told in the lone one on one match between Joe and Lesnar, was that Joe dominated, but Lesnar survived.
The following night on WWE Raw, Paul Heyman told Joe that he will never get another shot one on one with Lesnar again. This adds to the belief that maybe Lady Luck had a hand in the outcome of that match, and it would be rolling the dice to accept a challenge from Joe again.
Currently Joe is feuding with Roman Reigns, but a win over The Big Dog would certainly make a strong case for a Joe vs. Lesnar rematch.
Seth Rollins
Seth Rollins is currently the WWE Intercontinental Champion after surviving a ladder match at WWE Greatest Royal Rumble. While right now having Rollins challenge for the Universal Championship does not make sense, who says Lesnar is losing his championship in the next month?
When The Architect eventually drops the Intercontinental Championship, he will instantly elevate back into the main event scene. In the build to WWE Elimination Chamber 2018, the WWE Universe got to witness how great Rollins is when he lasted over an hour in a Gauntlet match.
Which brings us to Lesnar. The superstar who took the WWE Championship off of Lesnar at WrestleMania 31, would be chomping at the bit to have an opportunity to do so again. This time instead of being the cowardly heel though, Rollins would be the babyface that is attempting to bring the Universal Championship back to weekly television.
Rollins does not stack up to Lesnar like Joe does, but that is what adds to his underdog appeal in this dream scenario.
Braun Strowman
Then there is the obvious choice, Braun Strowman. Strowman has been on a path of destruction for the past year from his beat downs to Reigns, flipping of large vehicles, and even defeating the WWE Raw Tag Team Champions basically single-handedly.
Add the fact that Strowman was the most dominating force in the history of the Elimination Chamber earlier this year, and there is a reason why The Monster Among Men is a fan favorite. Even this past Friday at the Greatest Royal Rumble show, Strowman was dominated by eliminating 13 other contestants and winning the biggest Royal Rumble in WWE history.
Strowman’s current wave of momentum is a good argument for him, but what about his rivalry with Lesnar? The story with Lesnar has been told for the better half of the past year, and it would only be fitting for Strowman to go over and become the new intimidating force of WWE.
Next: WWE Backlash: Why Seth Rollins Should Retain
Was there a superstar that you felt was left out? Please let us know in the comment section about who you believe should take the Universal Championship off of Lesnar.