What if The Fiend had attacked Braun Strowman at WWE Clash of Champions?
At WWE Clash of Champions, Seth Rollins defeated Braun Strowman in the main event. It was a solid match that offered a satisfyingly clean finish as Rollins put away a formidable challenger to solidify his new Universal Championship reign. However, in the moments to follow the bout, The Fiend struck.
Bray Wyatt attacked Seth Rollins, and though WWE had already somewhat quietly announced he would challenge for the Universal title at Hell in a Cell, this ambush solidified the issue between these two. Their rivalry would lead to a Hell in a Cell bout, and the inconclusive nature of that match’s finish set up a rematch for Crown Jewel.
But what if things had played out differently? Specifically, what if, rather than going after The Beast Slayer, The Fiend had instead set his sights on Strowman at the end of Clash of Champions? This article takes a look at what might have followed.
#5 Seth Rollins faces A different challenger
Though WWE had already alluded to The Fiend challenging for the Universal Championship at Hell in a Cell, it wouldn’t have been unheard of for the company to change directions and shuffle the deck coming out of Clash Champions. As such, WWE might have put Seth Rollins vs. Bray Wyatt on hold, in favour of The Fiend further establishing himself opposite Braun Strowman for the program to follow.
Rollins, then, might have taken a different course in his championship defenses. He may not have had a lot of obvious challengers waiting in the wings—which is arguably why The Fiend advanced to number one contender status so quickly.
Nonetheless, a perennial contender like AJ Styles or Dolph Ziggler could have readily renewed their issue with Rollins for a one-off bout at Hell in a Cell, or else WWE might have heated up someone like Bobby Lashley for that purpose.
A retuning Rusev, who put on a great match with Rollins for title a few weeks ago, could have also been one who could have benefitted with a feud with The Architect.
While none of these options are necessarily ideal, they may have nonetheless served WWE well in putting off The Fiend’s first title match.