Seth Rollins won a 10-Man Battle Royal to become Brock Lesnar’s Universal Championship opponent at WWE SummerSlam 2019, but fans shouldn’t rule out the chances of a Triple Threat match taking place.
Brock Lesnar changed the landscape of WWE heading into SummerSlam this year, as he successfully cashed in the Money in the Bank briefcase on then-Universal Champion Seth Rollins to close Extreme Rules. This is Lesnar’s third reign with the Universal Title, and fans are worried that they could be headed for more months of an absentee, part-time champion.
Rollins gave wrestling fans quite the pleasant shock earlier this year at WrestleMania 35 when he defeated Lesnar to kick off the show, stomping The Beast Incarnate’s lights out. There’s a chance Rollins wins at SummerSlam, but defeating The Beast twice in the same calendar year seems like an impossible task, even for an architect.
However, there’s also a chance this ends up being another multi-man title defense for Lesnar at SummerSlam. Another superstar could be added to the mix to make this a Triple Threat match, because a second Rollins vs. Lesnar bout at a major Pay Per View could be deemed too predictable.
Lesnar did face Roman Reigns at both SummerSlam and WrestleMania last year, so a multi-man match at SummerSlam 2019 isn’t close to a guarantee. But it’s a possibility fans can’t rule out as Paul Heyman looks to keep us on our toes.
If a wrestler is added to Lesnar vs. Rollins on Aug. 11 in Toronto, here are three possibilities.
Braun Strowman
When Extreme Rules closed with Brock Lesnar standing tall as the new Universal Champion, I immediately thought that Braun Strowman could be an ideal opponent for The Beast Incarnate at SummerSlam. Sporstkeeda’s Tom Colohue had already reported that Strowman could be poised for a “monster” push from Paul Heyman, so the dots seemed to connect.
While Strowman didn’t get a victory in the 10-man battle royal on the following episode of Raw, he’s still in a good position to work himself into the title picture. Like Strowman, Rollins has plenty of history with Lesnar. But unlike Rollins, Strowman has never defeated The Beast Incarnate, and he’s honestly never been convincing in any of his performances against Heyman’s client.
After losing momentum, Strowman feels like a big deal again, and he’s back to being at his best when he’s just wrecking everything in sight. Strowman had a marquee victory over Bobby Lashley at Extreme Rules in a Last Man Standing match that the Philadelphia crowd absolutely ate up, loving every second of the carnage that unfolded in front of them.
Strowman’s inclusion could even increase the odds of Rollins picking up a sneaky victory, as the two monstrous figures could wear themselves out so much that the sly Rollins slips in to add another defining victory to his resume.
Bobby Lashley
We still haven’t seen Bobby Lashley and Brock Lesnar take each other on in a Universal Championship match, even though it seemed like this was a possibility last summer. But Roman Reigns ended up being Lesnar’s opponent. That ended up being all for the better, since Reigns finally ended Brock’s Universal Title reign at The Biggest Party of the Summer.
Lashley once spoke about the “legit tools” he possesses to beat Lesnar, and it’s baffling that WWE doesn’t underscore his MMA career more. The Dominator is an incredibly accomplished fighter, having racked up a 17-2 record thus far in his career.
That makes Lashley an excellent singles matchup for Lesnar, but maybe putting him in a Triple Threat at SummerSlam wouldn’t be a bad way of teasing a future box office matchup between them. Lashley and Rollins also have some history together in the Intercontinental Championship victory, as he and Lio Rush swooped in to take the title away while Rollins was feuding with Shield brother Dean Ambrose.
I find it hard to believe that Lashley’s never had a Universal Championship match yet and that’s something WWE should rectify as soon as possible. He’s way too good to not be a main event player, as anyone who watched his work in Impact Wrestling can attest.
Randy Orton
Not only does Bobby Lashley have his eyes on Brock Lesnar, but Randy Orton tweeted about wanting payback on Lesnar for the real-life concussion he received at The Beast Incarnate’s hands three years ago. It was an incredibly reckless and irresponsible moment, but it could serve as kayfabe fuel for Orton to get another title match in 2019.
Most diehard WWE fans don’t want to see Orton in the title picture anymore, since he’s alienated the hardcore fanbase, who also see The Viper as boring. But Orton is a big name, someone WWE likes, and has no shortage of history with Rollins and Lesnar. Because not only would he be out for revenge on Lesnar, he’d also love to get his hands on his replacement in “The Authority” (and a former WrestleMania opponent).
Orton came the closest to unseating Rollins in the 10-man battle royal on the Raw after Extreme Rules, so perhaps that plays into a storyline that sees Orton get one last shot at Lesnar. This would be Orton’s first Universal Championship match, too, as he’s spent all his time on SmackDown pursuing the WWE Championship since 2016.
Out of the possible Triple Threat options, Orton would be the least appealing, but he’s an experienced wrestler who could add to the quality of this match. And if fans are that bored of another Lesnar vs. Rollins confrontation, Orton could be a trick up Heyman’s sleeve as the new head of creative on Raw.