3 WWE Universal Championship matches you must see, and 3 you should avoid

This year's SummerSlam will mark the third anniversary of the debut of the WWE Universal Championship. Initially met with a hostile reaction by fans who hated the red design, the title has gone on to become the most sought after accolade on Monday Night RAW, with a litany of huge stars wearing the gold.

Since SummerSlam 2016, the title has been on quite a journey, spending several months off-screen thanks to the contract of a certain Beast Incarnate, to being vacated, twice, due to injuries and health concerns. There have also been some great matches for the red strap, and some that had fans demanding their money back.

Here are the 3 best and 3 worst WWE Universal Championship matches:

#3 Must see: Brock Lesnar Vs. Finn Balor (Royal Rumble 2019)

Balor put on a hell of a fight against the Beast, but fell to the Kimura lock.

When Finn Balor was forced to vacate the Universal title just one day after winning it, fans wondered when the Irishman would get another chance at the gold on Pay Per View. That chance came at the 2019 Royal Rumble Pay Per View, and though Balor had a unique journey leading to the event (replacing Braun Strowman), he certainly made the most of his opportunity.

Whilst most matches featuring the Beast see Lesnar dominate, it was Balor who kicked things off in a big way, taking it straight to the Champion. This gave the match a fresh feeling that other Lesnar matches have lacked. Everything Balor did had a little something extra behind it. Still, all it took was one mistake for Balor to get caught in a Kimura lock and had to tap out, though this was one of the best matches to ever last less than ten minutes.

#3 Should avoid: Brock Lesnar Vs. Roman Reigns (WrestleMania 34)

The Beast and Reigns' rematch failed to deliver in 2018.

When The Beast and The Big Dog first collided back at WrestleMania 31, the two had an epic contest which ultimately ended with Seth Rollins escaping the show as WWE World Heavyweight Champion. When the pair met three years later though, The Architect was nowhere to be found, and it was up to Reigns and Lesnar, two of WWE's most controversial stars at the time, to deliver on their own merit.

Though it started hot, the match never seemed to get going. The crowd was apathetic and didn't care, especially since the show had been going on for over five hours by that point. The later stages went into overkill mode as Reigns kicked out of five F5s before finally losing to a sixth. It ended a good WrestleMania on a sour note.

#2 Must see: Seth Rollins Vs. AJ Styles (Money in the Bank 2019)

Rollins held nothing back to retain the Universal title at Money in the Bank 2019.

Though AJ Styles is one of WWE's most talented Superstars, The Phenomenal One does have a history of disappointing dream matches. When Styles met Shinsuke Nakamura in 2018, what should have been an epic feud quickly turned sour. Thus, when he was set to face Seth Rollins, fans had serious doubts.

Styles and Rollins started slowly, building to something great. Each move they did mattered in the grand scheme of things as they struggled to gain control. Once they hit second gear, it reached a new level of intensity and never let up. Eventually, it would be Rollins who would get the win to retain his Championship, and though AJ had failed in his mission, nobody came out of this match looking like a loser.

#2: Should avoid: Kevin Owens Vs. Goldberg (Fastlane 2017)

Goldberg's win was a nice nostalgia victory, but severely hurt all of Kevin Owens' momentum.

Kevin Owens' run as Universal Champion was far from perfect, but at least it gave fans a consistent champion who was always around. The idea that he would defend against Goldberg, who wasn't a regular roster member, rubbed a lot of fans the wrong way. But then the match actually happened and people were even more upset.

Before the bout, Owens stretched the final few moments of his reign out by avoiding Goldberg outside of the ring, but things weren't much better when the bell finally rang. A distraction by Owens' former pal turned foe Chris Jericho made the usually smart Prizefighter seem stupid, and thanks to a quick spear and Jackhammer, what should have been a historic reign for the Canadian ended with very little fanfare.

#1 Must see: Brock Lesnar Vs. Roman Reigns Vs. Samoa Joe Vs. Braun Strowman (Summerslam 2017)

The Beast reigned victorious at Summerslam, but went through three huge opponents to do so.

When Brock Lesnar entered the Barclays Center for Summerslam 2017, his title had never been in greater jeopardy. With three opponents gunning for him, the Beast only had a 25% chance of victory, though it wasn't just Lesnar, but all four men involved in the hard-hitting match that impressed the fans in the arena, and those watching at home.

Braun Strowman was the star, launching a chair at Reigns and putting Lesnar through multiple tables, causing the Champion to be taken out on a stretcher. Though the action never slowed, Lesnar did return in time to secure the win by planting Reigns with an F5. It was a spectacle of a match that is the high point in the Universal Title's short history.

#1 Should avoid: Brock Lesnar Vs. Braun Strowman (WWE Crown Jewel 2018)

Lesnar captured his second Universal title with an assist by Baron Corbin.

Roman Reigns' being forced to vacate the Universal title in October last year could not have come at a worse time for WWE. For over a year, Reigns had chased Brock Lesnar for the title, and the only silver lining to this, was that it seemed that with Reigns out of the picture, it would finally be Braun Strowman's moment to shine. Meeting The Beast in Riyadh, it seemed Strowman's title win was guaranteed.

However once the bell rang for this encounter, Lesnar demolished him. With the help of an attack by Baron Corbin, Lesnar reeled off four F5s and won back the title in easy fashion. It could have been a crowning achievement for Strowman, but was instead just another case of Lesnar doing the bare minimum and coming out on top.