10 alternative candidates to dethrone Brock Lesnar

Despite rumors to the contrary, Brock Lesnar won't be defending the Universal Championship at Money in the Bank. And so Raw's main event continues to be held hostage with no end in sight.

The situation is dire. In Brock Lesnar, Raw has an absentee champion that, whenever he does bother to show up, is always part of the same promo or match. On the other hand, his challenger, Roman Reigns, is involved in a weird angle centered on management trying to keep him down. It's not working.

If anything, this angle has made Reigns even more detested than before, as seen at Backlash and on this week's Raw, where Jinder Mahal of all people was cheered for attacking him.

And now Roman Reigns will be put in a feud with Jinder Mahal to be kept warm for Lesnar, possibly at SummerSlam, where Brooklyn will be no friendlier to the match than New Orleans was? The whole thing is a gargantuan disaster.

The company had its chance to put Reigns over Lesnar, and, for whatever reason, didn't pull the trigger. It's now time to start thinking about alternative candidates, both to end this boring title reign as soon as feasibly possible and to let Roman Reigns catch a much-needed second wind as a performer by doing something else, possibly feuding with one of these candidates as a heel.

If not Roman Reigns, then, who can reasonably take the championship from Brock Lesnar?

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#10: Johnny Gargano

Admittedly, this is a massive long shot, but there has been no better performer in the company in 2018 than Johnny Gargano, who put on two all-time classic matches in the span of three months.

"Johnny Wrestling" has a devoted and adoring fanbase which could help build him up on the main roster, and with the right booking, fans would be clamoring for the beloved underdog to unseat Brock Lesnar in the ultimate David vs. Goliath match.

If anyone can bring a good match out of Brock Lesnar these days, it would be Johnny Gargano.

There are some cons, though.

First, Johnny Gargano still doesn't appear close to being called up to the main roster, and Brock Lesnar's reign really needs to end sooner than that.

Second, even should he be called up to Raw, Johnny Gargano would need a lot of building up for this match, and again, Lesnar's reign really needs to end sooner than that.

Third, that building up would need to happen because, on the face of it, Johnny Gargano doesn't look like a believable challenger to Lesnar. There needs to be a build for fans who don't watch NXT to invest in, and again, Lesnar's reign really shouldn't be allowed to continue for that much longer.

#9: Aleister Black

The current NXT Champion is a truly unique performer with a silent charisma that need not be spoken (though he's pretty good on the microphone, too). Many legends, like Edge and Christian, have praised his work and prophesied that he's destined for greatness. Whenever he gets called up to the main roster, likely later this year, he'll stand out. If his booking isn't atrocious, it shouldn't take too much to get non-NXT fans invested in him.

If he's called to Raw, he would represent a unique contrast to Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman's act. They rely on the intimidation game, but if there's one superstar who can't be intimidated, it's the dark, enigmatic Aleister Black. It would make for a good story.

Black is also a great ring performer, whose encounters with Adam Cole and Andrade "Cien" Almas should firmly be in the match of the year conversations in December. He represents a style opposite that of Lesnar, with him being the fast, agile striker and the Beast being the consummate powerhouse grappler. It could potentially make for an interesting match, and Black's Black Mass finisher looks so devastating that it could believably take Lesnar out.

Brock Lesnar's reign need not last much longer before Aleister Black is called up, and a victory over Lesnar would be both unexpected and make him an instant made-man.

The cons are that Black is on the smaller side compared to Lesnar, so some fans might not be convinced without at least some building. And assuming Brock Lesnar doesn't drop the title at a C-level event like TLC, can we realistically wait until Survivor Series, Royal Rumble, or even WrestleMania 35?

#8: Dean Ambrose

Dean Ambrose should be returning from injury before the warm months are out and the "Lunatic Fringe" remains popular. When he returns, he'll have the benefit of getting an adoring crowd welcoming him back.

Although Dean Ambrose could really use a heel turn, would anyone really mind him taking the title off of Lesnar? There were many avenues of that feud that were unexplored two years ago.

Of course, a fatal objection will present itself. We saw that match at WrestleMania 32 and it was terrible. Is Brock Lesnar likely to want to have a different match? No. If anything, this would just be a mercy killing for a title reign that jumped the shark a long, long time ago. Dean Ambrose would then become a popular champion.

This would be akin to the end justifying the means, then.

#7: Bobby Lashley

Bobby Lashley has been lost in the shuffle already since his return last month. What better way to make him a huge deal than with a victory over Brock Lesnar? Indeed, a match with Lesnar was one of the reasons we were led to believe that Lashley returned.

If anyone can believably take down the beast, it's Bobby Lashley. The two men are similar in size and physique and both have MMA experience for those fans that care so much about "legitimacy."

Of course, Bobby Lashley is 40 years old, so the "Lesnar rub," for whatever it's now worth, maybe "wasted," but Bobby Lashley need not reign long. He can at least be a champion that does more than two moves every few months until he drops the title.

#6: Finn Balor

Finn Balor has seen odd booking since his return from injury last year, but he remains one of Raw's most popular performers. There's also ample history to go on here. Balor was the first Universal Champion, losing the title due to injury. Many fans want to see him reclaim the title that he never really lost in the rematch he never got.

The contrast in styles with Brock Lesnar could also make for an intriguing match. If Finn Balor breaks out the Demon, yet more intrigue would get added.

There will always be the issue of the size discrepancy, though. It might just stretch belief to see Balor go against Lesnar, and he's not as good at playing the underdog as Daniel Bryan or Johnny Gargano are, nor does he have an ace up his sleeve to make up for the size disparity, like Aleister Black would with his strikes, especially the Black Mass.

Still, there's no doubt that many fans would be happy to see Balor get his title back, and away from Brock Lesnar.

#5: Daniel Bryan

As soon as Daniel Bryan was cleared, fans began thinking of the dream match they had from years ago, which would see the Yes Man reclaim the title he never lost from Brock Lesnar in the ultimate David vs. Goliath match.

Though Bryan is on SmackDown, his name needs to be included in the conversation. A great deal of fans would prefer him more than anyone else to take the championship off of Brock Lesnar. It would be a legitimate mega match, almost justifying a wait until next year's WrestleMania to make it happen.

The concerns come from Daniel Bryan's health. A match with Brock Lesnar isn't ideal for someone who has had concussion problems. Additionally, Bryan is a made man, so the "rub" would arguably be wasted. It would also still be a long wait, and the sooner this reign is over, the better.

#4: Jason Jordan

This one sounds wacky, but it has the potential to be very intriguing. Jason Jordan was finally finding his groove as the babyface that didn't know he was really a heel before injury cut him short. What better way to indulge in his delusions than get into some kind of match with Brock Lesnar when he returns?

Even more stunning, what if he were to somehow win?

His delusions would then be able to grow and make a full-blown heel turn arguably the biggest in many, many years.

Jason Jordan is also still young, at just 29 years old, so it would be a massive boost for a long-term star on the roster.

#3: Drew McIntyre

Years ago, before Roman Reigns was ever a thing, Drew McIntyre was "the chosen one." It didn't work out that time, but with his return, he now looks like exactly that.

Obviously, Drew McIntyre looks every bit believable as a foe for Brock Lesnar. A clash between them would almost resemble a Spartan going up against a Viking. And this time, the Viking would actually be the smaller man in the encounter.

The segments and promos would be hugely intense as well. With Drew McIntyre's attitude, a feud between them could resemble the red-hot feud between Lesnar and Samoa Joe last summer. If ever there were a "big fight feel," this could be it.

We'd still have to see how long this angle with Dolph Ziggler plays out, but Drew McIntyre is arguably better positioned in talent, timing, and appearance to take the championship from Brock Lesnar than anyone else. He's still young at just 32, and a win here could make him a huge star that could serve the company well for years to come.

#2: Seth Rollins

So far, 2018 has been the year of Seth Rollins. No one is hotter in the entire company right now. The Architect is the bona fide MVP of Raw and he's finally crossing that threshold into massive stardom that his knee injury cut short.

There's also ample history between Rollins and Lesnar. It was Rollins who cost Lesnar his last championship with his historic WrestleMania Money in the Bank cash-in. Lesnar pinned Rollins in an excellent triple threat match at the Royal Rumble that year and had an intense match with him that summer that was cut short by The Undertaker.

Astonishingly, however, Seth Rollins is the only Shield alumnus who Lesnar has yet to defeat one on one.

That all makes for a great starting point in a feud. Fans would be firmly behind Rollins to take the Universal Championship and make himself official as Raw's true champion, which he is right now in all but name.

WWE isn't wrong in telling the story of Lesnar as the absentee, lazy champion, because it reflects real events. They're just using the wrong protagonist. Seth Rollins would be the right one.

#1: Braun Strowman

What could be more natural than Braun Strowman getting a title shot after winning the biggest Royal Rumble match in history?

Ever since he exploded onto the scene last summer, fans have been clamoring for Braun Strowman to capture the Universal Championship. He remains Raw's most popular performer and has been a constant threat to Brock Lesnar for the past year, despite his loss at No Mercy last September. Many avenues in their feud remain to be explored.

What better way to give a huge new star a definitive win than by having Braun Strowman flatten Brock Lesnar, Goldberg-style, inside the very same building in which he cemented himself as a superstar before - Brooklyn's Barclays center?

Brock Lesnar finally getting those hands would be a massive SummerSlam main event, end his boring title reign at an appropriately quick time, and put the top title on Raw on a man who many believe has already truly become "the guy."