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There are more deserving men on RAW.
When it was announced that Roman Reigns would be taking some time off to recover from a relapse of Leukemia, immediate speculation began as to what the WWE would do with the Universal title.
Would they hold it up and have a tournament? Have the top two contenders face off? Or perhaps even put the title on hiatus while Reigns recovered?
WWE chose the second option, to have the two top contenders face off. Braun and Brock Lesnar, the Beast Incarnate and the Monster among men had their contest and Brock Lesnar walked away the winner. The only problem with that is there are men who are far more deserving of being the WWE Universal champion.
Here are ten men who deserve to be WWE Universal champion more than Brock Lesnar.
#1. Seth Rollins
We'll start with perhaps the most obvious choice. Seth Rollins, the Crossfit Jesus himself. The former Tyler Black who came up the brutal yet technical ranks of Ring of Honor to distinguish himself in NXT.
Once brought up to the main roster as one of the Shield, Seth spent some time struggling to stand out in that group for more than just his multicoloured hair. He persevered and developed the 'Architect' character, who would eventually turn on his Shield mates and join the dark side of the Authority.
From there, WWE has seemingly been unsure what to do with Seth. His first WWE title reign was cut short by injury, and these days he was mostly acting as support for main star Roman Reigns before his untimely exit.
Seth is a full-time wrestler with plenty of toughness and technical skill. He excels at the WWE style of wrestling and would make a better choice than Lesnar or Strowman.
#2. Bobby Roode
For fans who have followed Bobby Roode's career since the beginning, they know that he has been continually frustrated in his attempts to get to and stay at, the main event level.
In TNA wrestling, he was the first part of an ensemble (Team Canada) before a failed makeover attempt into a Million Dollar Man clone. While still technically the stockbroker character, he entered into a tag team with James Storm based mostly upon the fact the company didn't know what to do with either man.
However, lightning struck and the duo became known as Beer Money, one of the most celebrated tag teams in Impact history. Their feud with the Motor City Machine Guns paved the path for a lot of modern wrestling style.
He did ascend to the role of world champion, but it was short lived and soon he found himself struggling for attention in an increasingly crowded Impact locker room.
His jump to NXT and the Glorious character seemed to add that secret ingredient that had been missing from Bobby Roode. He was insanely over as champion and was hastily called up to the main roster of Smackdown--where he was put into a midcard role. Now on Raw, he continues to languish when he should be utilized in the world title picture.
#3. Dolph Ziggler
The hardest working man in WWE just continues to get even better.
Dolph Ziggler seems like he's stuck in a Dean Malenko or Shane Helms role. The company obviously recognizes his supreme wrestling talent but does not believe he belongs in the main event picture. It is for this reason that men like Malenko and Helms never held a major promotion's big belt.
There are a grocery list of things that are holding Ziggler back from the main event picture. For one, WWE doesn't consider him to be world champion material, even though they put the belt on him once. His title reign could have been much better if he had better talent to work against.
Another knock against Ziggler is his size. He's obviously not small enough to be a cruiserweight but is also undersized for a heavyweight. Lower weight wrestlers can be successful in WWE, as AJ Styles has proven, but Styles uses a lot of high flying offence, something that Ziggler can do but normally eschews in favour of his top-notch technical offence.
Ziggler deserves to be world champion by virtue of his hard work and the fact that he can have a great match with anyone.
#4. Cedric Alexander
Cedric Alexander is a hard-working man, too. He had a great run from WrestleMania 33 to Super Show-Down, where he defended the Cruiserweight Championship time and again. Every time Cedric steps into the ring, it's probably going to be the match of the night, and will also likely be a contender for match of the year!
While Cedric is smaller than men like Brock Lesnar, you can't doubt his toughness. He once took on NXT champ Tomasso Ciampa in a 'fight without honour' match in ROH. A fight without honour means there are no rules, basically like a hardcore match only with the brutality ramped up even further.
Cedric came up short against Ciampa, but their match is still being talked about years later. Cedric has all the tools he needs to reign as world champion, and unlike Brock Lesnar, he's not shy about working six days a week to do it.
#5. Finn Balor
Speaking of mishandled talent; You can tell with just a glance that Finn Balor is a supreme athlete. Blessed with strength, agility, and speed, he was possibly the most popular NXT champion in history. Then he came up to the main roster and has not fared as well.
Finn actually was the first ever Universal champion but suffered a shoulder injury after a botched powerbomb by Seth Rollins. Finn has flirted with the main event picture since but largely seems to be relegated to the mid-card.
The other aspect that has been mishandled about Finn is his character. Is he a heel or a face? He's jumped over the fence so many times fans are confused. Is he the invincible Demon King, an heir to the throne left vacant by Undertaker, or is the inclusive rainbow warrior who rarely trots out the makeup anymore?
One thing that is for sure about Balor; He is a much more deserving Universal Champion than Brock Lesnar.
#6. Drew McIntyre
The so-called Chosen One had a great start to his WWE career when Vince McMahon himself introduced him upon his debut as a future world champion. Would you like to know how many times Vince has said this about talent? Only once.
However, McIntyre stumbled a bit out of the gate. While he wasn't bad in the ring, he was obviously still green and needed seasoning. He ended up bundled into the comedy trio 3MB, and basically became a clone of Heath Slater.
After months of air guitaring and losing matches, Drew was released by WWE. At this point, he could have been bitter and complained on social media, following the example set by Ryback and CM Punk.
However, Drew instead re-dedicated himself to his craft. He joined the indie circuit to not only build up a reputation but to refine his skills. Once he polished both skills and character, he joined TNA/Impact for a brief time before making his triumphant return to WWE.
McIntyre wasn't ready years ago when he first joined WWE to be world champion, but he is now.
#7. Chad Gable
Chad Gable is one of those rarities; An amateur wrestler who actually made a great transition to the professional ranks without virtue of a gold medal. He and partner Jason Jordan were probably the most over tag team in NXT history as American Alpha.
Openly emulating the Steiners, the Road Warriors, and other classic tag teams, American Alpha were a huge hit on NXT but wound up floundering on the main roster. Possibly, the lack of real emphasis on the tag team division may have hindered them, but we're betting WWE wanted to gamble on Jordan being the bigger star.
With Jordan's injury making a return uncertain, the time has come to give Gable his due. Much like Ricky Steamboat or his idol Ric Steiner, Gable's quicker, more athletic style of wrestling makes for exciting matches that often overshadow the main event picture. If he's going to outshine men like Lesnar anyway, why not make it official?
#8. Braun Strowman
When Braun Strowman came out with the Wyatt family, the main reaction from the WWE Universe was a huge yawn. Sure, he was big, but he had little in the way of personality, and his ring style is far from flashy.
However, with some time on the main roster and more experience, Strowman has really come into his own. Not only have his ring skills been polished up, but he's also really become comfortable with his character. Braun is no longer a grunting misanthrope who breaks stuff. He's now an articulate, intelligent performer who sees the value in making alliances and leading factions.
Strowman might need a little more time before he truly becomes worthy of a world title reign, but unlike Brock, he's under a full-time contract, and his wrestling his above the Universal champ's level as well. Braun Strowman might be in a gatekeeper role right now, but he could serve WWE well as its Universal champion.
#9. Bray Wyatt
Bray Wyatt is perhaps the most compelling, original character to come down the pike in WWE in positively ages.
Between his golden mike skills and unique look, Bray would already be a contender for the world title picture. Then you factor in that he's actually a very skilled technical wrestler with surprising agility given his bulk, and it's a no contest.
Bray is one of those wrestlers that doesn't even have to get in the ring to get a great reaction from the crowd, whether as heel or face. His oddly compelling and engrossing cult leader figure has not only removed from people's minds the dreadful gimmick of Husky Harris, it's also gotten him out of the shadow of his famous father, former WWE tag team and NWA World television champion Mike Rotunda.
Whether working on his own or with a stable of followers, Bray makes the WWE Universe pay attention. His involvement in the wildly successful Ultimate Deletion has cemented his place as an innovator and world-class talent. Bray definitely deserves the title more than Brock Lesnar.
#10. Undertaker
Let's just get these out of the way:
"But he's retired!"
"He'd be just another part-timer like Brock!"
"He's old."
Yes, yes, and yes, all of those statements are true. Undertaker is officially on a Legends contract and was 'retired' by Roman Reigns. It's doubtful he could be enticed at his age and physical condition into a full-time contract, and yes, for a professional wrestler he's advanced in years.
Now let me tell you why none of these things matter. Undertaker's 'retirement' has been far from a constant state, as he is constantly coming back for matches and special events. Obviously, he still has the physical tools he needs to perform at high-level shows like Crown Jewel and Wrestlemania.
Now, as to his being a part-timer; The idea of a world champion wrestling every single Monday or Tuesday night is a relatively new concept. Previously on WWE programming, Hulk Hogan was known to be absent from the weekly broadcasts for weeks or even months at a time, showing up only in pre-taped interviews and promos. When he did wrestle, it was usually something like MTV's Rock and Wrestling, Saturday Night's Main Event, or a Pay per View--and keep in mind there only used to be a handful of those every year.
The point is, Undertaker could easily fulfil the obligations of world champion by only wrestling at Pay Per Views. He could preside over the roster as the mysterious and enigmatic phantom force, appearing in his trademark smoke and lightning and delivering chilling promos. If managed correctly, Undertaker could function just as well if not better than Lesnar in the role of Universal champion.
There you have it; Ten men who deserve to be Universal Champion more than Brock Lesnar. Who do YOU want to see wearing the big red belt? Please comment and let us know, and thanks for reading.
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