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Roman Reigns finally dethroned Brock Lesnar and won the Universal Championship at Summerslam this year after multiple attempts in the past year. He has since then defended the Universal Title against Finn Balor and Braun Strowmman.
While he defeated Finn Balor cleanly, his championship match against Braun Strowman at Hell in a Cell, which was Reigns' first PPV Universal Championship defense, was ruled a no contest after the returning Brock Lesnar interfered in the final stages of the match and knocked down both the competitors with vicious F-5's.
Roman Reigns is now set to defend his Universal Championship next against both Braun Strowman and Brock Lesnar in a triple threat match at the Crown Jewel Event in Saudi Arabia on November 2nd.
The event in Saudi Arabia is kind of a glorified live event so a title as big as Universal Championship is not expected to change hands at the Crown Jewel event.
According to popular belief, Roman Reigns is set to hold onto the championship for a considerable amount of time and is not expected to lose the title any time soon. So we might not see a new champion until Survivor Series or even until the Wrestlemania season.
With that in mind, let's take a look at WWE superstars who have the best chance to dethrone Roman Reigns.
Honorable Mention - If Dean Ambrose turns heel he also may be a potential superstar to defeat Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship.
#3 Bobby Lashley
Bobby Lashley returned to the WWE on the Raw after Wrestlemania. Everyone expected big things from him upon his arrival in Vince McMahon's yard. But his booking has been abysmal since his arrival as he has been involved in disastrous feuds with Sami Zayn and Jinder Mahal, which reduced the interest of fans in his character.
He needs a change of character, a heel turn, and feud with Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship which might help to re-establish himself as a monster heel on the main roster. Given that the two have won one match each against each other, the rubber match for Universal Title may not be a bad idea, but only if Bobby Lashley turns heel this time.
#2 Braun Strowman
Braun Strowman has been engulfed in a feud with Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship since the Raw after Summerslam. He even turned heel in this feud with the Big Dog and got Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre as accomplices to negate the Shield advantage.
He cashed in his Monster in the Bank contract for a championship match at Hell in a Cell. Braun Stroman joined the likes of John Cena, Damien Sandow, and Baron Corbin in the exclusive list of failed Money in the Bank contract cash-ins, albeit by a no contest.
He is set to get another shot at Universal Championship Title at Crown Jewel event but is not expected to win the title there. Survivor Series is the only big PPV left this year which is also renowned for brand exclusive contests, so it looks highly unlikely that Braun Strowman may get a chance to defeat Roman Reigns this year.
He may get his chance come Wrestlemania season. According to this author, he is the second likeliest Superstar to dethrone the Big Dog.
#1 Drew McIntyre
The Chosen One, Drew McIntyre, returned to WWE last year when he was signed to NXT. He was released back in 2014 after a highly unsuccessful run in the company. He went to the independent circuit, honed his skills and returned to WWE better than he left them three years ago.
He was then brought onto the main roster after a successful stint in NXT as its primary champion. He looks like a really big deal now and performs at a high level inside the ring. He has all attributes to be the top star of the WWE's flagship show Monday Night Raw.
He is also being booked pretty strong ever since he returned to the main roster as he yet to suffer a pinfall defeat. His two one on one defeats this year came against Seth Rollins and Finn Balor, and both won by disqualification when his partner, Dolph Ziggler, attacked them.
It is quite clear from his booking that he is being groomed for big things in the near future. As Vince McMahon is also high on McIntyre it may not be much longer until Drew breaks up with Dolph Ziggler and embarks on his quest for gold.
He may be the Ideal cocky heel challenger for babyface champion Roman Reigns as Edge was to the face of the company John Cena during the last decade. Drew may win the title from Roman Reigns around Wrestlemania time and truly start a new era in the WWE.
