WrestleMania 35: What if Brock Lesnar retains the Universal Championship?
Brock Lesnar is a truly unique Superstar for WWE. Yes, he’s special for his UFC and NCAA wrestling credentials that pair nicely with his imposing size and obvious athleticism to make him tremendously credible. There’s also the matter of his part-time schedule and heavily protected booking that have made him one of the imposing and kayfabe dominant heels in wrestling history.
Lesnar’s success has had some backlash. The general consensus, particularly from hardcore fans, is a sense of boredom with Lesnar reigning, particularly as Universal Champion, for so long while showing up on WWE television so sparingly. There seems to be a general desire to see Lesnar unseated as champion, and his WrestleMania 35 challenger Seth Rollins is a prime candidate to get the job, given his own credibility in the WWE Universe and his tremendous talent as a performer.
When Rollins won the Royal Rumble, it seemed quite feasible he would be the man to take the title off Lesnar. However, if the past five years have demonstrated anything, it’s that there’s no such thing as a sure thing loss for the Beast Incarnate. Moreover, since Roman Reigns has returned to action, it begs question if WWE might hold off on going all the way with Rollins in favor of the original “chosen one” of this generation. This article considers the question: what if Brock Lesnar retains the Universal title?
#5 Roman Reigns slays the Beast
Brock Lesnar’s character has been nothing if not dominant, particularly when he has the Universal Championship in hand. He has beaten back speedy underdogs like Finn Balor, AJ Styles, and Daniel Bryan, as well as fellow monsters like Braun Strowman, Kane, and Samoa Joe. Roman Reigns has been booked as the closest thing to an equal to Brock Lesnar. While The Big Dog doesn’t have a totally clean, decisive win over him, Lesnar only really has one over him, from WrestleMania 34, across their rivalry.
When Reigns pinned Lesnar at SummerSlam 2018, it looked like a passing the torch moment. The fact that Lesnar regained the Universal title at Crown Jewel came across as less of a part of WWE’s long term plan, than hitting the reset button after Reigns had to step away from the ring. If WWE wants to follow a similar conservative logic, it would make some sense for Rollins not be crowned champion at WrestleMania. Rather, it would follow that Lesnar would drop the title over again to Reigns to continue the originally intended story and for Reigns to see through his feel-good comeback story to its highest point.