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Seth Rollins is going to defend his WWE Universal Championship against Baron Corbin at Stomping Grounds this Sunday at the Tacoma Dome in Washington. The match is all set except for one crucial piece in the puzzle. The referee for this match is yet to be decided.
This past week on Raw and SmackDown Live, Baron Corbin put in a lot of effort to find a man of his choosing to officiate this match. However, all the possible candidates for the job faced blows from a steel chair on their backs, thanks to Seth Rollins.
When the cameras stopped rolling at the conclusion of SmackDown Live, there was no one who was willing to put his name in the hat to be the referee in this main event match on Sunday. Considering the current landscape of WWE, here are the five people who can be the referee in this marquee match.
#4 Shane McMahon dons the stripes – Roman Reigns interferes
Although Shane McMahon will be in Drew McIntyre’s corner this Sunday at Stomping Grounds, he doesn’t have a match himself. Considering he will be the only McMahon who will be live on the show, it is quite possible that he chooses to do the job himself.
If he indeed chooses to do the job, it is obvious that he won’t be calling the match right down the middle (due to his tussle with Roman Reigns). However, this provides an angle for the “Big Dog” to interfere and incapacitate Shane in the match, which could lead to a neutral official to conclude the match.
Not only will this ensure that the rivalry continues between Roman Reigns and Shane McMahon, but it will also provide closure to the championship story for Baron Corbin.
#3 Daniel Bryan
This past week on Raw, Seth Rollins went one-on-one with one half of the SmackDown Live’s tag team champion, Daniel Bryan. The current Universal Champion managed to defeat the former WWE Champion. It’s a score which the saviour of the planet would like to settle.
Considering the match card for this PPV, the bout for the SmackDown Live tag team Championships is going to be somewhere near the middle of the show. On the other hand, the Universal Championship match will most probably be the main event. Hence, there will be a reasonable gap between Daniel Bryan’s appearances in the ring.
If this indeed happens, it will solidify the heel character of the goat-faced Superstar irrespective of the result of the match. Not to mention, it will bring more gravitas to the recently introduced Wild Card Rule as this will guarantee that Seth Rollins will be appearing on the SmackDown Live in the near future.
#2 One of the ruled out Superstars – Elias
Seth Rollins has assaulted quite a few Superstars last week on WWE. The list includes Elias, Eric Young, EC3, Curtis Axel, and Bo Dallas. Not to mention, Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens withdrew their candidature after witnessing the attacks from the “Architect”.
As of now, it appears that the above Superstars will no longer wear the referee’s T-shirt for this match. However, it can be a surprise if one of them decides to do so.
If we reconsider the above list, the strongest candidate appears to be the SmackDown Live’s greatest acquisition, Elias. This is due to the fact that he is friends with Shane McMahon and Drew McIntyre. This assures him a helping hand if Seth Rollins decides to swing the steel chair again. If this happens, Elias might open the show with his concert and end the show as a referee.
#1 A neutral referee starts the match, Brock Lesnar takes charge at the closing moments
The most unexpected person to officiate this match from the get-go will be a neutral referee. It would make perfect sense to have a neutral referee to start the match due to Baron Corbin’s failure to find a referee of his choosing.
As the fans have witnessed on numerous occasions, referee gets hurt during the match, which requires a second official to continue the proceedings. If this happens, it will be the most opportune time for Mr. Money in the Bank, Brock Lesnar, to don the stripes.
He will be in a favourable position to cash-in his contract once the match is over. Last month, the WWE Universe witnessed the Beast Incarnate make his presence felt at the closing moments of the Money in the Bank match. Can it happen this Sunday at Stomping Grounds as well?
