The 5 names most likely to leave WrestleMania 35 as WWE Universal Champion
Before you know it, April 7 will be here and we’ll all be eagerly sitting down to watch the Showcase of the Immortals, the Grandest Stage of Them All: WrestleMania.
Emanating from MetLife Stadium, WrestleMania 35 is so nearly upon us.
First and foremost of course, we’ve got the small matter of the annual Royal Rumble PPV later this month. Following that, there’s still the Elimination Chamber and Fast Lane PPVs to come before it’s fully ‘Mania time. But lets be real – once the Rumble is in the record books, it’s officially the Road to WrestleMania.
While many are expecting WrestleMania 35 to be the first ‘Mania to be headlined by a women’s bout – seemingly Ronda Rousey vs Becky Lynch vs Charlotte Flair – one of the other biggest matches on the show will be the Universal Championship match.
Right now, Brock Lesnar is the reigning Undisputed Champion, having defeated Braun Strowman for the title at WWE Crown Jewel. Many are expecting Lesnar to still be the Universal Champion heading into WrestleMania 35, but whether he leaves with the gold is a whole other matter.
And then there’s also the fact that Lesnar will first have to defend the Universal Championship against Finn Balor at the Royal Rumble.
With all of these factors taken into account, here are the 5 most likely candidates to leave WrestleMania 35 as the Universal Champion.
#5 Finn Balor
It would be a tad remiss to not make mention of Finn Balor at least somewhere in this feature. After all, Balor is now the #1 contender for Brock Lesnar’s Universal Championship, and will be challenging Paul Heyman’s Beast at the impending Royal Rumble PPV.
Many are already presuming that Balor is simply in that match to make up the numbers; to serve as an opponent who can make Lesnar look good, while simultaneously it doesn’t mean anything particularly major should Balor lose against Brock. That thought process might well prove to be true, but let’s just imagine a “what if?” situation for a moment.
What if Finn Balor did the unthinkable and slayed the Beast come Royal Rumble? What if Balor went all out, full-on Demon make-up, amped up the intensity, and the WWE decided to go with a fresh face to lead the Raw brand onward towards WrestleMania?
Sounds pretty good, right?
Sure, you’re right in thinking that is an unlikely scenario, but never say never in the wrestling business; especially when the WWE has readily made mention of how they are going to start listening to their fans and shake things up.
How better to shake things up by having the massively popular Balor topple Lesnar, then head to WrestleMania as the Universal Champ?