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Stop me if you've heard this one - Brock Lesnar is holding one of the major titles in WWE. The Beast has had a stranglehold on one of the company's major belts every year since 2017. While he previously hoisted the Universal Championship over his shoulder, he currently has his clutches on the WWE Championship.
Lesnar technically landed on SmackDown since he had bested Kofi Kington on the debut episode of SmackDown on FOX. Due to Rey Mysterio attacking him in a post-match segment, however, the Beast ultimately "quit" the blue brand in order to enact revenge on Mysterio.
It was refreshing at least for Lesnar to be a member of the blue brand since he had previously done most of his work on RAW. He had also faced off with Seth Rollins numerous times over the title over the last few years. Being on a different show opened up more feuds for the current WWE Champion.
What had become the same story albeit with some new potential chapters ahead once again reverted to being the same old story. A few of his prior challengers for the Universal Championship are now on SmackDown (Roman Reigns, Braun Strowman), but he does have some Superstars who could feasibly dethrone him for the title if booked to do so. All of the options are not created equal, however, so here are three of the best options to take the title from Lesnar and three options that are less favorable.
#3 Best - Drew McIntyre
Maybe I just have high expectations for the Scottish Psychopath, but McIntyre is everything you'd want in a top guy in a wrestling promotion - big, jacked, good looking and good on the mic. He's also great in the ring and would logically provide a physical threat to the Beast.
For whatever reason, however, he hasn't had the luxury of holding a singles title. He did suffer a minor injury a few months ago which put a potential King of the Ring win on the backburner. Since his return following WrestleMania 34, his lone title reign has been as a RAW Tag Team Champ alongside Dolph Ziggler.
Mac just needs to get the right people behind him at the right time. Few current Superstars would be believable as physical matches for Lesnar, but McIntyre is one of them. They gave Rey Mysterio a shot at the Beast so why not the Scottish Psychopath? It would be the biggest push/win of his career and WWE would have created a new star. McIntyre is someone to build around for the future and a huge title victory over Lesnar could be the first step.
#3 Worst - Bobby Lashley
Lashley's return to WWE after WrestleMania 34 was a mixed bag. It's always a surprise and refreshing when a big name comes to or returns to the company. The former ECW Champion had just come off of a good run in Impact and returned to the WWE with some unfinished business.
Just like McIntyre, Lashley is everything that management wants in a top star with two big exceptions. Whereas McIntyre can carry his own on the mic and has some charisma, the Almighty lacks both skills for the most part.
Those two problems were briefly remedied when he was first paired with Lio Rush and now currently with Lana. Both Lashley and Lesnar are technically heels, so that alignment wouldn't really work out. The Almighty could be a physical match for the Beast, but the likes of Samoa Joe and Braun Strowman were as well. Both men didn't fare so well in their bids for the title against the current Champion.
Since Lashley isn't really able to carry his side of most feuds on the mic, he'd have trouble holding his own with Paul Heyman. For that reason and the fact that the crowd has a lukewarm response to him, the Almighty isn't a good option.
#2 Best - AJ Styles
Styles already fell to the Beast at Survivor Series two years ago. Despite that and being an undersized threat to Lesnar, the Phenomenal One would still be a good option to eventually dethrone the Beast.
It might seem weird since both men are heels like Lesnar and Lashley are, but no matter what he is doing, a large portion of the crowd will cheer for Styles. They respect his all-around work and his in-ring ability.
He's just too popular to be a full-blown heel in the vein of someone like Baron Corbin. Today's fans cheer for whichever star they want to and some usually cheer for those stars who are great at their jobs. It's why the Undisputed Era and the likes of Kevin Owens are still rooted for even though they are despicable heels.
Styles transcends the good guy/bad guy dynamic even if he is currently a heel leading his own group. Simply put, the Phenomenal One is one of the top stars in all of WWE and is someone that would be met with applause when/if he ever won another major title in the WWE. Hardcore and casual fans alike would likely cheer for the former Impact star if he bested the Beast for the WWE Championship.
#2 Worst - Randy Orton
I'll first admit two things about Orton. I'm not a huge fan of his because I feel that he hasn't adapted or changed his character in 10 years. He acts the same way regardless of if he is a heel or if he is a face. The other thing I'll admit is that despite Orton not being my cup of tea, he is still generally beloved by a large portion of the WWE Universe.
With those statements out of the way, I don't think the Viper besting Lesnar for the WWE title would do wonders for RAW. First of all, the two men are from the same generation that kicked off over 15 years ago. Orton's still one of the biggest stars in the WWE, but he doesn't necessarily need a major title to be considered one of the top guys in the company.
The former leader of Legacy is one of the top faces currently on RAW, but WWE really needs to start focusing on some newer talents as potential stars of the future. Orton's best days are behind him and he's still easy to plug into the main event or mid-card whenever he is needed.
The fact remains that both brands are chock full of talented stars newer to the main roster. Those wrestlers just need that one push forward to becoming leaders of the company for the next generation. RAW performers like Buddy Murphy, Andrade, Aleister Black and Ricochet are capable of carrying the WWE next decade, but they just need the chance. Orton has already succeeded when given that chance on 13 different occasions.
#1 Best - Kevin Owens
Owens has been a top face on both brands ever since challenging Shane McMahon this year. His ascent as a top good guy is still ongoing even though he got rid of Shane-O-Mac on the debut episode of SmackDown.
During the Draft, Owens joined RAW once more. While he previously had a top run as the Universal Champion during the brand split, that run atop the red brand was that of a cowardly heel. Instead of a fighting Champion who took on all challengers, Owens was routinely booked to only win if he cheated or if he had outside help.
A huge chance now exists for the former NXT Champion to continue his fantastic work as a face since Owens is possibly one of the top faces on RAW. Very few people are able to match with Paul Heyman on the mic, but the Prizefighter is certainly someone who can. He's proven that every time he has a microphone and more recently during his promos against both McMahon and Rollins.
It appears as if he's going to be embroiled in a feud with the Beastslayer for the foreseeable future, but Lesnar will pop up once again around the Royal Rumble. If not then, he'll show up again on the build to WrestleMania 36. I think having Owens as a a challenger to the Beast and eventually taking the title would be a huge moment for fans everywhere.
#1 Worst - Seth Rollins
Any good will that Rollins had built up after beating the Beast twice for the Universal Championship is now gone. Between SummerSlam and now, fans have turned against the former Shield member. Part of it isn't his fault, as the Fiend was just such a juggernaut right away. It would have been hard for anyone to get over on him due to Wyatt's fantastic work to both create and hone his new character.
Since fans began turning on Rollins around that time, it started what might now be a full-blown heel turn. Fans have booed Rollins since the Fiend feud and the boos only got louder and louder. Calling out CM Punk didn't help things once Punk joined WWE Backstage.
Rollins isn't technically a heel yet, but after a somewhat truthful yet condescending promo on RAW, it appears he's going to be a bad guy once more. He didn't outright align himself with AOP but they also did not attack him. He did, however, attack Owens after AOP laid the Prizefighter out. That's a heel move, folks. Since Rollins may now be a heel and he has already fought Lesnar during 2019 and in the past, pitting the Beast against the Kingslayer once more would be a mistake.
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