How WWE should book the Universal Championship through WrestleMania
The Universal Championship is pretty much a non-factor in WWE programming at the moment and has been for some time with the champion, Brock Lesnar, defending the title rarely and winning comfortably.
However, with the road to WrestleMania about to commence, a title match against Braun Strowman at the Royal Rumble and the possibility of the winner taking on Lesnar at 'Mania, perhaps fans can finally get hopeful that there may be an end in sight to Lesnar's title reign.
Reports currently seem to suggest that Mr. McMahon is favoring a Braun Strowman versus Drew McIntyre WrestleMania match for the title.
While this would be refreshing in that it would be two relative newcomers to the top of the card, it doesn't seem like the perfect fit. As talented as the pair are, this simply doesn't quite feel like a WrestleMania main event and one can't help but feel that there are better options out there.
Similarly, there is talk that Triple H would like to see a Brock Lesnar versus Seth Rollins WrestleMania match for the title which again has its pros and its cons. While this has much more star power and a real main event feel to the match, it does very little in terms of bringing up rising talent and would only serve to cement Rollins as a top star in the company, a label most would agree he already holds.
With WrestleMania still months away there is, of course, plenty of room to manoeuvre. Plans can, and frequently do, change in the WWE and so perhaps we will see an altogether different main event from the two listed above. With that in mind, here is how I would like to see the title booked through WrestleMania.
#4 Royal Rumble
Brock Lesnar (c) vs Braun Strowman
This one is pretty straight forward, Strowman should go over clean. Strowman losing this match would be a final dagger to the momentum he had generated as a break out superstar in recent years and would end fan perception of him as being capable of winning the big one.
Lesnar already has an inexplicably clean title victory over Strowman and so would lose nothing in terms of credibility here. While the most likely way this will go is either party winning in controversial manner, for this to have the greatest impact and to truly usher in a new era to the Raw brand, which WWE seems to be pushing at the moment, a clean Strowman win works best. Strowman becomes a star and Lesnar becames a dangerous, pissed off beast.
Result: Braun Strowman defeats Brock Lesnar, wins Universal Championship
Elsewhere on the card, Rollins should lose to Ambrose for the Intercontinental title to clear the way for him to move on into the Universal title picture. He can then enter the Rumble match in the top 10 and clearly be feeling the effects from this match.
Lesnar too can enter the Rumble match, bringing it some real star power and showcasing how dangerous he can be now he's lost his title. Shockingly, however, Lesnar can be quickly eliminated from behind by Dolph Ziggler, looking to make a name for himself.
Ultimately Rollins should go on to win the match as he is the only one that really makes sense to do so at the moment, with Miz seemingly tied up in a Shane McMahon storyline and McIntyre likely not a big enough star quite yet to do so.