WWE Universal Championship: What Would You Do?

[Jack-Hammer]

Since making the decision to put the WWE Universal Championship on Brock Lesnar, WWE has taken even more of a pounding than usual from internet fans. This is based mostly on the disappointment of his run as WWE Champion which saw Lesnar popping up every 3 months or so to defend the title, which ultimately resulted in a total of 3 title defenses in a 224 day period. Such infrequent title defenses are common in Mexican and Japanese promotions, even in higher profile indy promotions like Pro Wrestling Guerilla; Zack Sabre, Jr. has been PWG World Champion for in excess of 420 days and has defended the title a total of 4 times. Some companies are routinely praised for having such long reigns on champions, especially New Japan in the past several years, but it's easy for a champion to have a 6 month+ run when he/she often doesn't defend a title but once every 4 or 5 months.

Anyhow, according to Dave Meltzer, Brock Lesnar is going to be around a lot more for his run as Universal Champion than as WWE World Champion. His first defense is set for the Raw ppv Great Balls of Fire...yeah...I know...in July and his opponent is rumored to be Braun Strowman. Last night on Raw, we saw both Seth Rollins and Finn Balor throw their hats into the ring, so to speak, with Rollins saying he wanted the beast and Balor wants back the title he never lost. The live crowd was enthusiastic in its response to see either of these men in a title bout vs. Lesnar and even though part of me was as well, a bigger part felt a sense of dread. As is common knowledge, Vince McMahon wants Roman Reigns to ultimately be the one to slay the Beast at WrestleMania 24 next year and this coupled with this coupled with the formula for nearly all Lesnar matches, outside of someone like the Undertaker, creates an image of Rollins and Balor being squashed in matches that last MAYBE 5 minutes, depending upon how many brief flurries of offense they might get and/or how long Lesnar decides to play with them.

So ultimately, what would you rather have happen? Would you rather have Vince's plan come to fruition regarding Reigns and Lesnar? Would you rather Balor or Rollins wins the title at some point before dropping it to Reigns next year? Would you rather either of them win the title and not drop it to Reigns next year? Would you rather Braun Strowman beats Lesnar, keeps the title and drops it to Reigns next year? Would you rather Strowman wins the title and drops it to either Balor or Rollins, etc. Basically, whatever sort of situation, reasonably realistic, you can think of.

As for me, in all honesty, I think I'd be perfectly satisfied if Balor and Rollins lost to Lesnar in entertaining, competitive matches that didn't make them look like a couple of chumps that should be carrying Lesnar's bags rather than wrestling him. Either of them can carry Lesnar in a strong match and they deserve better than simply being cannon fodder for Vince's master plan. I'd be thrilled to see either of them go over him and take the title from him, but I think the goal of having them come off as strong, able contenders who gave Lesnar all he could handle is more realistic.

I'm not saying this to put Reigns down, but I simply don't think they can use him exactly the way they used John Cena for a decade because Reigns just doesn't have that same sort of personality or presence. Cena's sometimes hyper, passionate and his sermonesque promos have made him a hero to lots of kids and a great traditional babyface. As a result, they used him in a pretty similar manner to Hulk Hogan but I just can't see Reigns like that. Reigns can still be THE overall top star in WWE if that's what Vince wants, but Vince also needs to have guys with the necessary credibility, guys who look like they can go with Roman Reigns and feasibly beat him, and guys like Rollins & Balor are two of those guys, but it just becomes harder if they're fed to Lesnar after about 8 or 10 German Suplexes before he F5's them through the ring.

 

[OYDK]

I don't mind Lesnar holding the title, I don't even care if he holds it until Mania but it would be nice to see him defend the strap about 5 times before now and then, preferably against five different opponents. If he were to defend the belt at say... Great Balls of Fire, Summerslam, Survivor Series, the Rumble, and Fastlane, that's good enough for me. A lot of good can come out of this title reign if WWE decides to ease up on the unstoppable aura that Lesnar has had for the past few years and I do think this is the best time to do it.

If you let Strowman, Balor, Rollins, Joe, and whoever else (for instance) work a program with Lesnar and allow them to have relatively back and forth matches with him, it would go a long way in legitimizing these guys and building a strong core of top talent that can hold down the fort once Lesnar eventually drops the title and goes back to showing up three times a year. Brock's not gonna be around forever. There is a legitimate chance here to get a number of other guys over the hump through Lesnar and this title reign; whether Vince and Co. actually decide to do that is another story completely.

As for what I would like to see, I wouldn't mind seeing Strowman take the strap as he's pretty much the hottest thing going right now, but there's almost no chance of that happening at this point, at least not in their first encounter which is likely to be in July. In that case, I would do pretty much what I laid out. Have Lesnar defend the belt every couple of PPV's against your future main-eventers, allow them to have good showings, and eventually let Reigns or Strowman go over at Mania depending on the circumstances. In the meantime, while there's no Universal title around, you can use the vacuum to showcase the IC title more prominently and work towards building it up to an acceptable standard again.

 

[Bernkastel]

WWE now has 2 world champions. They can afford to give one to Lesnar and have him disappear for months at a time. Anyone who doesn't like that can simply watch Randy Orton on SD Tuesday nights. Regarding Lesnar, I'd rather see Reigns beat him than Rollins or Balor. Especially Balor. I am of the opinion that Balor and Lesnar shouldn't even be in the same division. I'd rather see his popularity benefit the cruiserweight division. As far as Strowman goes, he should be a strong attraction. If WWE is going to use Lesnar as a champion right now, then Strowman should be built up to be the guy that carries the PPV's and shows that Lesnar doesn't work. I think having Lesnar defeat Strowman in any kind of match this soon would be a mistake. Further on down the road, yeah. And when Roman wins the world title, then maybe WWE can move either Lesnar or Strowman back to SD to boost numbers there. There'll come a point where having 2 top attractions on the same brand would defeat the purpose.

 

[The Perfect Max]

I'm warming to the idea of Lesnar staying champion so long as he does show up more often as the reports suggest. I understand other companies may have champions who defend their title as infrequently as Lesnar does / will, but equally WWE is not one of those other companies, and there is an expectation in the modern era to have a champion at the head of a show defending their title monthly or so. Admittedly, I think the aura of Brock Lesnar is what makes him the only feasible superstar to contradict this. His character demands you to respect that he doesn't have to show up all the time. I can warm to this, so long as the challengers are dealt correctly as you say.

There are two ways to look at a match between Lesnar and either Finn Balor or Seth Rollins, or someone equal to them. Either, it's gonna be a complete squash because Lesnar is so massive in comparison. Or, it's gonna be an entertaining mesh of speed versus power, and a contest of which can endure the other. Honestly I think Balor could have a greater 10-15 match with Lesnar if booked correctly. And I can see this being the case. I really don't think Vince would be okay with having the entire Raw roster be beaten by Lesnar in two minutes JUST to make Reigns look great at the end of it all. It's just so counter-productive.

Having said that, Braun Strowman maaaan. The guy is on a major roll and he's looking like a very formidable opponent for Brock. It's perfect really. These two mammoths battling at GREAT BALLS OF FIRE. Fucking poetic. Honestly I don't think I'll ever get over that pay-per-view name. Anyway, I really think this is the way to go. Strowman defeats Lesnar and does so epically. It doesn't have to be a squash like with Goldberg. It can be a major battle. But Braun standing strong at the end with the title would be pretty cool. I can imagine intertwining Reigns in this and making a triple threat at SummerSlam. Now that could be fantastic.

 

[Dagger Dias]

What would I do? Have someone, ANYONE, dethrone Lesnar. I hated it when he held the title hostage last time. I don't want to sit through a whole year of this nonsense. I don't care if it's Roman Reigns, Strowman, Finn Balor, Seth Rollins, or even The Miz. We need a full-time wrestler holding the belt. Brock can be a special attraction without the title. The guys at the top of the card NEED something to fight for. As I described in one of the Live Discussion threads, this situation with Raw having no World Championship to fight for is like having a house without a foundation. The program should be built around the top prize. That's how it works. Within kayfabe, the wrestlers should want to be there to become a World Champion. Without the title they are just there sorta there. Personal feuds aren't enough and the Intercontinental Championship would feel like a demotion for guys like Seth or Finn. So, have someone dethrone Brock in order for there to be a top prize up for grabs at monthly PPV events.

Now, for the second part of the problem. The rumored year-long build to the "epic" (quoting it since I hardly find it epic at all) confrontation between Lesnar and Reigns at Wrestlemania 34. If this is what they want, then fine. Them both having defeated Taker at Wrestlemania writes itself as a feud plus that's without addressing the history Brock and Reigns already have with each other. You can do this match without the title and they SHOULD do it without the title. Why sacrifice the chances to make more top level stars this year, JUST to have Brock lose the title to Roman? If Brock's not holding the title hostage for the next year then that same year can be spent allowing guys like Finn, Seth, Samoa Joe, Strowman, and more to fight for a top prize that they would benefit from having/chasing. Have the Universal Championship available once more for the main event talent, and go through with the Brock/Reigns showdown as a non-title match. Reigns could then win the belt at next year's Payback or something.

 

[shafe_41]

I'm a fan of Lesnar with the title. Because whoever beats him SHOULD be special in some way. It'll be Reigns which is predictable and garbage but whatever. But after they talked more than once about a champion having to defend his title once every 30 days, Lesnar disappears with the title. I can't get on board with that. I just can't. I mean... having Lesnar show up at every PPV and issue an "open challenge" of sorts would be better than him disappearing with it for three months at a time.

Strowman SHOULD be the guy that takes the title off Lesnar. It doesn't work if it's Reigns. People will boo him out of the building. Then what? Heel Strowman/Reigns again next year... just for the title? I'm not that interested. Unless Reigns goes heel and Strowman goes face... I just have no interest in that feud again. At least I don't think I will.

If you're going to throw Balor at Lesnar at some point this summer... it can't be 1-on-1. Protect Balor in some way. Make it a Triple Threat with Rollins. Maybe even a Fatal 4-Way match of some sort. Balor never lost the title. So I wouldn't think you can make him look weak like the ragdoll Lesnar could make him to be. Sprinkle Reigns in or something. Sprinkle Wyatt in there too.

But back to Lesnar... I think he should have to show up at every PPV. Open challenge. Make a match or two in there look close against Balor, maybe even Ambrose again, Cesaro/Sheamus or something like that. This is obviously only if there's no build to a title match. Advertise Lesnar to appear. He'll help sell tickets. And do that open challenge thing. It's the least you can do with a title that has been somewhat inconsistent with Balor dropping it right after he wins it. Owens wins in controversial fashion. It's then hot potato'd to Goldberg only to be dropped to Lesnar and then for him to disappear. For a new title, it's not the best look.

 

[Navi]

To be honest I've sort of given up on the whole thing. Some want Lesnar at every PPV and some don't care. I was in the "would like to see the guy more" camp, but it's not going to happen.

I have no problem with the title not being defended on every RAW, simply because it shouldn't be. It's something that should be built towards so eventually the title match is something you want to see, something special in other words.

It was mentioned that we now have two champions and that's fine, but the WWE title that is held by Orton shouldn't be used as an excuse for letting Lesnar sit at home. Orton is out there defending the title at PPV's. SD Live also has the US title which is also being defended, while all RAW has is the IC title, which quite frankly Miz should hold for awhile. I have no idea where that leaves the rest of the RAW roster, they can't have a number one contenders match every week for a year.

The WWE doesn't seem to care though, so like I said bugger it why should I.

 

[ShinChan]

It's wrong for a world champion to not defend it in 3 months. Be it Brock Lesnar or anyone else. When it's wrong then it's regardless of who's doing it.

Saying to watch Smackdown instead of Raw is pointless. Why do the split then? Every brand has a top champion and that person should defend his title in atleast 30-40 days. Nothing justifies the part-time schedule of Brock Lesnar. And it'll become even more pointless when Brock squashes the likes of Balor and Rollins after defeating Braun Strowman. Because All Hail The Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar.

Even Braun Strowman is more intriguing than the so-called Universal Champion now. But he'll lose to Brock Lesnar as well. I like shafe's idea of open challenge but WWE and Brock Lesnar just don't care.

Side note: Raw had the lowest viewership in 2017 at this week's episode.

 

[Big Nick Dudley]

Do I care that he doesn't defend a fake wrestling title every month? Not at all. The Championship doesn't mean you're the top guy anymore, so what's the difference? I think if someone like Finn Balor, who I really like, were injured and kept the title without defending it for six months, not a single internet smark would complain. Not one. It's all about who the person is. If it's a part-timer, a guy with muscles or another object of the internet's hatred, it's a problem. None of this surprises me, and no, WWE shouldn't care, at all.

 

[Navi]

Do I care that he doesn't defend a fake wrestling title every month? Not at all. The Championship doesn't mean you're the top guy anymore, so what's the difference? I think if someone like Finn Balor, who I really like, were injured and kept the title without defending it for six months, not a single internet smark would complain. Not one. It's all about who the person is. If it's a part-timer, a guy with muscles or another object of the internet's hatred, it's a problem. None of this surprises me, and no, WWE shouldn't care, at all.

I think there is a huge difference between someone not being able to defend a title, any title because they are injured and someone not defending it because it's not being booked that way.

If that were the case, then Daniel Bryan, Finn Balor and others who had to relinquish the titles because of injuries would never have had to do so. In Daniel Bryan's case it happened twice. And I also think that you "are" the top guy if you have the title, you are the one everyone is gunning for.

Yes wrestling is fake but there is a hierarchy and the titles do matter. If they didn't then there would be any.

 

[ShinChan]

Do I care that he doesn't defend a fake wrestling title every month? Not at all. The Championship doesn't mean you're the top guy anymore, so what's the difference? I think if someone like Finn Balor, who I really like, were injured and kept the title without defending it for six months, not a single internet smark would complain. Not one. It's all about who the person is. If it's a part-timer, a guy with muscles or another object of the internet's hatred, it's a problem. None of this surprises me, and no, WWE shouldn't care, at all.

That so-called fake wrestling title is the most important thing for any wrestler. If you're taking it as fake, then why care about wrestling itself?

And the typical "Being above every Internet smark" thing. Wow. If there's an injury, the title is relinquished in a month or so. That's a totally different story. Still, if he doesn't relinquish it, then many people will complain about it and rightfully so. Champion actually means the top guy. If WWE doesn’t care about its audience, the audience will also do the same.

 

[adam]

I'm in the camp of having a full time champion, who is there each week on
Raw. As it stands, we have an ineffective Intercontinental champion in Dean Ambrose and Raw is suffering after the exchange with the loss of Kevin Owens
and now Jericho.

I'd have him drop the belt to Samoa Joe, perhaps with the help of Triple H.

 

[Spencesc11]

WWE Should do this....

Pay Lesnar the extra money and have him defend at every Raw PPV up to Mania

Opponents
Stroman, Rollins, Balor, S. Joe, & B. Wyatt

* All these guys benefit from a match with Lesnar even with a loss. And it brings prestige to the Universal Title. Brock could be the brash champion just doing promos the week prior to the PPV's.

* Then at Mania do the ultimate swerve where Lesnar starts arguing with Heyman prior to his match with Reigns. Then the big flip at Mania as Ambrose & Rollins come out to help Reigns and Heyman is behind the whole thing. Ref is down 3 on 1 Shield beatdown. They triple power bomb Lesnar through a table. Reigns covers for the 1, 2, 3 to end Mania. Heyman grabs the mic and says yes folks you've just witnessed history. The reformation of The Shield. And previously in the night Ambrose/Rollins win tag gold from the Hardy's so all 3 guys stand with belts in the Ring along with Heyman!!! Could you really have any other ending to Reigns-Lesnar that would go over better than this??? Heel Shield close the show!!!

 

[AnthonyM4]

I say in his next title defense, which I guess will be at the July Raw ppv, have him lose the title. Not cleanly though. Have Braun Strowman help whoever Brock faces and then Braun and Brock can feud leading to a match at summerslam.

 

[SSJPhenom]

I'm completely fine with Brock having the championship and IMO if he defends it only 3 or 4 times in the next year I think that the WWE would be all the better for it.

Championships in the WWE these days just don't mean a damn thing anymore. This started to happen in the Attitude Era when everybody and their mother's were either getting title shots or actually winning the title. It's only gotten worse and worse from there. Just look at the evidence. Bret Hart is what; a 5 time champ? HBK; 4 times? Hulk Hogan; 6 times? See where I'm going with this? Then, in the Attitude Era, Austin wins the title 6 times from 1998-2002. The Rock wins it 7 times from 1998-2002 and I'm not even counting his 2 WCW title wins. Now we have John Cena who is a 16 time champ. Orton who 12 or 13; I lost count and so on. I think having Brock have a lengthy title reign where people actually have to work to earn a shot at it would bring some much needed legitimacy back to the title. I mean, it doesn't mean a damn thing anymore. The Miz is a former champ; look at him now. Del Rio anyone? Sheamus anybody? These are former champions and some of them multiple times and look at them now. It shouldn't be like that.

So having the title be something that's only defended a few times a year might make people look at it a little differently. Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

 

[stingray11214]

I have no problem with Lesnar holding the belt. However, they are doing it all wrong. They should kick this "old school" They should have Hayman and Lesnar come out on every other Raw. Then, Heyman pulls out a promo that pushes Lesnar against X in a Universal Title match at the West Bumblefuck Arena, West Bumblefuck, Tennessee. They would say "Seth Rollins (or whoever) you say that this title was taken from you unjustly. Well, this Friday night at the West Bumblefuck Arena, West Bumblefuck Tennessee, 8 O'Clock bell time, it will be YOU vs the Beast Incarnate, Brrrrrrrrock LLLLLesnar. So, Seth, You want this Championship? You show up to the West Bumblefuck Arena, West Bumblefuck Tennessee, at 8 O'clock, and the Beast Incarnate, Brrrrrrrrock LLLLLLesnar will make you wish you never showed up."

So, what did you do? First off, you got people interested in attending a card that they would not have cared about going to. Secondly, you will now probably get a huge walkup for a HOUSE show, which would make WWE more $$$$. That little speech became "found" money. The World and Universal straps should NEVER be defendd on Raw/SD. If people want to see the World/Universal Champeens, let them pay for it.

 

[ISkye]

Don't really care. Just being honest Brock is a more legit champion than almost anyone they have on both rosters. He's also a bigger draw than anyone on both active full time rosters. All Paul has to do is say "Imagine... Lesnar, vs... *Blank* and if they're an internet / general crowd favorite they get applauded and you know you'd be looking forward to that match. Totally fine with it, and he should be rare attraction wise.

If you don't like it watch another promotion where the champion has better matches, and cuts more entertaining promos. Of course you won't, because there are endless excuses to not do it. If there is a huge vocal section present it in a manner that gets their attention. Of course it'll be done in a way that has no business or common sense so they won't listen and they'll get the same criticisms from the same brainwashed fans that keep their revenue going up continuously annually.

 

[d_henderson1810]

I wouldn't have put the title on a part-timer.

If Brock wants to show up and only do shows that he feels like, then he can't be champion. His choice.

I believe that the top title should be on someone who will be there every week. Someone who will do it justice, and promote the title and promote the PPVs event by main-eventing it.

Many here have no problem with Brock being a "special attraction". If you want this, do you then think he should be the one to have the belt?

Personally, I would have kept the Universal belt on Kevin Owens, and have him and Chris Jericho fight for that at Wrestlemania. Still have Goldberg v Brock, but that would draw interest without a title involved.

If Brock wants the belt, he gets it if he shows up on RAW every week, to promote it. He does a full-time schedule. Otherwise, he doesn't get the belt. He can take it or leave it IMO.

 

[Deoxyribonucleic A.C.I.D.]

Lesnar is coming back to wrestle on July and then he will definately wrestle at Summerslam in August and probably at Clash of Champions in September. Which means that Lesnar will be around July, August, September. Which means that he won't be around for April, May, June as well as October, November, December. He will probably come back at the Royal Rumble in 2018.

My question is simple: why not take Lesnar's appearences that will happen all together in the span of 3 months and not spread them out, so that his absence won't be so visible? That's what I would do for the fans.

But when it comes to WWE, first thing that matters is getting subscribers. When someone subscribes in January or March, in time for the Rumble or Wrestlemania, their 6-month subscription ends in July and September. Summerslam is also in between. So what do you do? You have Lesnar appear in that span. It's bussiness. But RAW is suffering because of that.

What can you do until then? Why not hold a tournament? You have 2 more months. You need to do something that will remind us that there is a world champion! Do a tournament where the winner faces the Universal Champion at Summerslam and the runner-up faces Lesnar at GBoF.

Opponents
GBoF: Lesnar vs Strowman
Summerslam: Lesnar vs Bray Wyatt
Somewhere between SSlam and SSeries, Lesnar vs Finn Balor
SSeries: Lesnar vs Seth Rollins. Seth Rollins wins due to help from Reigns!
Royal Rumble: Lesnar and Reigns clash in the Rumble.
Wrestlemania: Lesnar vs Roman Reigns

Also Lesnar vs Joe needs to happen in some Network Special.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Lesnar was an excellent world champion the first time around. Every match had a must-see feel, and the matches delivered.

Although, I do have a lot of doubts about the end game for Lesnar's reign. WWE is not trying to hide the inevitable match up between Reigns and Lesnar at Wrestlemania 34 (just listen to Heyman's post Wrestlemania Raw promo), and I'm just not looking forward to another attempt at solidifying Reigns as the undisputed face of WWE.

Reigns and Lesnar proved they're capable of delivering one hell of a match at Wrestlemania 31, and if you're going to use someone to solidify Reigns' position as the top dog, Lesnar is the guy to do it with. He's on a short, short list of elite guys in WWE, and he has the aura of a star. My only concern is the quality of the matches leading up to Wrestlemania 34. There's a good chance Lesnar will demolish his opponents before he meets Reigns at Mania, so Reigns' win will look more impressive, because he did what nobody else could do.

I'm just hoping for some competitive matches along the way to add excitement to Lesnar's reign. I want to know there's a reason to really anticipate Lesnar's returns and his matches, but WWE is probably going for a squash, repeat, squash, repeat formula for Lesnar's run as champion.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I think there is a huge difference between someone not being able to defend a title, any title because they are injured and someone not defending it because it's not being booked that way.

If that were the case, then Daniel Bryan, Finn Balor and others who had to relinquish the titles because of injuries would never have had to do so. In Daniel Bryan's case it happened twice. And I also think that you "are" the top guy if you have the title, you are the one everyone is gunning for.

Yes wrestling is fake but there is a hierarchy and the titles do matter. If they didn't then there would be any.

Agreed. If championships don't matter, then a MAJOR component of pro wrestling is taken out of the picture. What you have left are simply a bunch of directionless people getting into scripted fights. If they don't matter, then nothing else does so why even bother with wrestling at all? Also, in regards to whether or not a title makes you a top guy, Lesnar is one of the very, very few who doesn't need a championship in that sense because of the sweetheart booking he's gotten. For the rest of the mere mortal son the roster, however, that's not the case at all.

I also agree with the points made regarding to vacate titles due to injury. I don't expect or want a wrestler to defend a title every week on TV or anything like that but I do believe that there should be at least one televised title match, whether it's on ppv or television, every 30 to 40 days. If a wrestler can't do that due to legit injury, or just doesn't want to do it, then the title should be stripped and/or the title should've never been put on the person in the first place whether it's an indy darling or one of Vince's picks.

The whole "must see" feel regarding the matches during Lesnar's reign with the WWE Championship, that someone mentioned, held true because, for the most part, those matches were competitive. His rematch with Cena, while still one sided, wasn't nearly as so as their WrestleMania match while his match with Cena & Rollins at the Royal Rumble in 2015 may have been the most competitive, non Undertaker involved bout Lesnar's had since CM Punk at SummerSlam 2013. His match with Reigns was also a surprise that most didn't see coming.

 

[Big Nick Dudley]

I was attempting to make a general point about what angers internet fans and what gives them wood. Maybe Finn being injured was a poor example.

Let's say CM Punk returned on a part-time basis. Do you think the IWC would be nearly as upset with this same situation? They wouldn't.

In a perfect world, they would just pay Lesnar to work more. Obviously that isn't happening.

As far as the title, I'm saying it really isn't what makes the show great. Stories and characters do that. I'm all for guys fighting one another for a few months to see who gets the shot at Lesnar. It's entertainment, people.

 

[No Count Pup]

The wrestling calendar moves at warp speed between SummerSlam and WrestleMania. If the goal is for Lesnar to hold the Universal Title until WrestleMania, that should not be a problem.

The summer is covered for Raw. Lesnar defends in July and August. After SummerSlam, WWE has a few options. For September through December, I anticipate Lesnar will only wrestle once. If he successfully defends at Clash of Champions in September, he will have thwarted contenders for three PPVs in a row. Lesnar would not need to show up for Hell in a Cell. That gimmick sells itself without needing a world title match. Survivor Series sells itself on its gimmick plus Smackdown can put on a WWE Championship match for the show. The December PPV can be spent on establishing a number one contender for Lesnar to face at the Royal Rumble. Therefore, it would be perfectly sensible for Brock Lesnar to take the rest of 2017 off after Clash of Champions and prepare for a Royal Rumble title defense. Lesnar could then retain at the Rumble and defend his championship against Roman Reigns at WrestleMania.

There’s another option: WWE could simply save Lensar for the Big 4 PPVs after his July match. That would make for three title defenses after July, (SummerSlam, Survivor Series, and Royal Rumble). Either way, I have little to no doubt that Lesnar will defend the Universal Title at WrestleMania against Reigns.

After Lesnar goes on hiatus or leaves WWE after WrestleMania, the wrestlers who held the fort in 2017 will get their rewards in 2018. Though Seth Rollins, Finn Balor, and Braun Strowman will likely incur losses to Lesnar in the coming months, I think they will enjoy numerous world title runs and opportunities in 2018 between the Universal Championship and the WWE Championship.

 

[d_henderson1810]

I was attempting to make a general point about what angers internet fans and what gives them wood. Maybe Finn being injured was a poor example.

Let's say CM Punk returned on a part-time basis. Do you think the IWC would be nearly as upset with this same situation? They wouldn't.

In a perfect world, they would just pay Lesnar to work more. Obviously that isn't happening.

As far as the title, I'm saying it really isn't what makes the show great. Stories and characters do that. I'm all for guys fighting one another for a few months to see who gets the shot at Lesnar. It's entertainment, people.

WWE pay Brock more to work more dates? Hell, Brock gets paid more than most in the company, for working less dates.

Brock is a self-entitled, self-obsessed prick who doesn't care about wrestling. He left to play football, failed, and then did UFC. He only came back to WWE because he got owned in his last fight in UFC and was yesterday's news, and because Vince loves bulked meatheads rather than hard-workers, so he agreed to be Brock's bitch for a ratings spike, and then let him be the one to end the Streak, instead of someone like Bray Wyatt ending the WM Streak, and it make his career.

Brock should be put back in his place. Let him leave. He can't do UFC, as he has a ban for failing a drug test, so it is WWE or nothing. With people like Braun Strowman around, you don't need Brock anymore.

Promote Braun as the new "Brock". He is cheaper, looks bigger, and is there most weeks. I would rather see the belt on him, have Heyman promote Braun, and then Vince can tell Brock to take a hike.

(I know what I said doesn't relate to the quote above. I meant to type this in the "Quick Reply" box, but the screen jumped, and I accidentally posted it here instead).

 

[BigDaddyKewl]

I hope they get the title off of Lesnar by Summerslam and that these rumors of him carrying The Universal for the rest of the year and into next years Mania aren't true. I would have him face Rollins at Great Balls of Fire and go on over. I think Rollins would be a good opponent to carry Lesnar to a good match. I would hope it would better than there match at Battleground a few years ago and they allow Rollins to get some more of offence in.
I think they should have Lesnar vs Reigns sooner rather later at Summerslam. Reigns is one of the only guys on the main roster who can believably beat Lesnar. He's somebody who has the size and has been protected.