WWE: Lesnar vs. Strowman Is The Ultimate Test Of The New Era

On Monday’s episode of WWE Raw, the McMahon family declared a “New Era” in response to the flagship show’s all-time low ratings. Changes were promised for the coming weeks but in order to show true change, Raw needs a full-time Universal Champion.

The latest edition of WWE Raw took a step in the right direction. New roster additions were promised. Underutilized names such as Tyler Breeze and The Revival got some decent time to shine and the show was headlined by a women’s gauntlet that set the stage for an intriguing clash between Natalya and Raw Women’s Champion, Ronda Rousey.

However, the largest problem with Raw is that its Universal Champion is not a weekly fixture on the show. Brock Lesnar’s appearances have been widely known to be few and far between since 2012 yet his recent Universal title win has made him a three-time champion since his return. This isn’t to say Lesnar is undeserving but the well-known problems of having a part-time champion have shown that Raw’s main issue is self-inflicted.

Braun Strowman becoming Universal Champion is an easy fix to this issue. Strowman is one of WWE’s greatest unlikely success stories. He didn’t forge a lengthy path on NXT TV like many of his main roster counterparts did. There was no prior fan investment and no back-history to the Monster Among Men when he made his main roster debut alongside The Wyatt Family. Strowman was essentially fed to the wolves and he responded by turning himself into arguably the most popular wrestler—face or heel—on WWE’s roster.

Despite being at or near the top of the card for almost two years, Strowman has failed in all of his attempts to capture the Universal Championship. With Roman Reigns on indefinite hiatus, the trigger could’ve easily been pulled but WWE questionably opted to go with Brock Lesnar instead. To make matters worse, a pre-match attack from Baron Corbin and five F5’s were used as poor distractions from the fact that Strowman mounted just about no offense.

Strowman defeated Corbin at WWE TLC with heavy assistance from Kurt Angle, Finn Balor and others due to his injury limiting his ability to fully compete. As a result, the former strongman punched his ticket to a rematch with Brock Lesnar at the Royal Rumble.

Brock Lesnar has been the biggest beneficiary of WWE’s infatuation with special attraction performers. While the combination of Lesnar’s monstrous aura and the added bonus of Paul Heyman’s superb hype-man ability has been compelling over the years, the Beast Incarnate as champion has run its course.

The majority of the Universal Championship’s two-year lifespan has been spent on the sidelines and that needs to come to an end soon. The Intercontinental Championship has carried the load thanks in large part to the efforts of former champions, Seth Rollins and Dolph Ziggler but the Universal Title is meant to be the top prize on Monday nights.

If WWE wants to convince its audience that the “New Era” is more than just a tired phrase, Braun Strowman should win at the Royal Rumble and bring the Universal Title back to having a full-time presence.