3 WWE Universal Championship matches you must see, and 3 you should avoid
This year's SummerSlam will mark the third anniversary of the debut of the WWE Universal Championship. Initially met with a hostile reaction by fans who hated the red design, the title has gone on to become the most sought after accolade on Monday Night RAW, with a litany of huge stars wearing the gold.
Since SummerSlam 2016, the title has been on quite a journey, spending several months off-screen thanks to the contract of a certain Beast Incarnate, to being vacated, twice, due to injuries and health concerns. There have also been some great matches for the red strap, and some that had fans demanding their money back.
Here are the 3 best and 3 worst WWE Universal Championship matches:
#3 Must see: Brock Lesnar Vs. Finn Balor (Royal Rumble 2019)
When Finn Balor was forced to vacate the Universal title just one day after winning it, fans wondered when the Irishman would get another chance at the gold on Pay Per View. That chance came at the 2019 Royal Rumble Pay Per View, and though Balor had a unique journey leading to the event (replacing Braun Strowman), he certainly made the most of his opportunity.
Whilst most matches featuring the Beast see Lesnar dominate, it was Balor who kicked things off in a big way, taking it straight to the Champion. This gave the match a fresh feeling that other Lesnar matches have lacked. Everything Balor did had a little something extra behind it. Still, all it took was one mistake for Balor to get caught in a Kimura lock and had to tap out, though this was one of the best matches to ever last less than ten minutes.