The reigning, defending, undisputed Universal Champion Brock Lesnar is all set to make his return next week on Monday Night Raw. Although he's the brand's main champion, he still does not make frequent appearances.
So much so, that this upcoming week will be his first appearance after more than three months of absence within the company. With that in mind, it's natural that Raw ratings will benefit from a significant increase as fans are intrigued about how they will handle Brock's situation.
Recently, Lesnar challenged UFC heavyweight star Daniel Cormier for the Heavyweight title and according to the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer stated that Lesnar's contract will expire shortly after his SummerSlam booking - while it's still unknown as to whether or not he has agreed new terms with the WWE.
So, SummerSlam next month may be the final pay-per-view for Brock before he makes another return to the UFC. However, there are still several things that fans want to see, should his inevitable departure come sooner rather than later. Here are three things that could potentially happen before he does opt for pastures new.
#1 Braun Strowman cashes in
Braun Strowman is going to defend his Money In The Bank briefcase at SummerSlam against Kevin Owens, who demanded a match for it. Typically the briefcase is reserved for heel wrestlers, though there are still plenty of cases where the company has defied the norm. The same happened with Strowman too, as he is one of the wrestlers who is dominant over everybody on the roster - so the concept of holding such power and responsibility does not fit with his monstrous persona.
Recently, Strowman lost his match against Kevin Owens by disqualifying himself. This saw Owens receive plenty of heat from the WWE Universe and as a heel, this is very beneficial for him. In this week's edition of Monday Night Raw, he demanded a match from Stephanie McMahon with Braun, where his contract will be on the line.
Having come out victorious over Strowman at Extreme Rules, many believe this may happen again at SummerSlam too. But for now, Strowman is a huge draw for the company and considering his booking, right now, this appears very unlikely to happen.
On the other hand, Brock is set to defend his Universal Championship against Roman Reigns at SummerSlam. Supporters are keen to avoid both leaving the pay-per-view as champion, so now the only option left for the WWE is to let Braun cash-in his contract on Lesnar during his upcoming match, which could later lead us toward a rematch between Reigns, Strowman and Lesnar depending on how things transpire.
#2 A match with Bobby Lashley
At Extreme Rules, Bobby Lashley and Roman Reigns fought each other and once again WWE shocked the world by his win over Reigns. The following night on Monday Night Raw, the general manager announced that there will be two triple-threat matches that night to determine the next challenger for the Universal Championship.
Reigns and Lashley both won their respective matches and now they are about to collide once more, with the winner of this match becoming Brock Lesnar's next challenger. Alas, Reigns defeated Lashley by way of a devastating spear - though it has caused frustration for fans who were eager to avoid watching him face Lesnar again at the upcoming SummerSlam.
Lesnar is returning to Raw next week and it's possible that The Dominator will demand a match against Lesnar at SummerSlam, as Reigns and Lashley are currently tied in their head-to-head record. WWE can manage to involve him into the title scene, making a triple-threat encounter for SummerSlam, which would make the match more interesting, at least.
#1 Lose against 'The Big Dog' at SummerSlam
At WrestleMania 34, everyone thought that Roman Reigns would defeat Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship but WWE had other plans for him and finally, Lesnar pulverised Reigns.
Two weeks later at the Greatest Royal Rumble, they collided once more but this time in a steel cage match, where again Lesnar walked out victorious as the champion. Since then, he was absent from Monday Night Raw and now is returning after a three-month hiatus.
Roman is scheduled to face Brock for the third time at SummerSlam and it appears this time, he will be victorious over the Beast. Fans do not want to see him as a champion but if WWE plans to make him the company's top guy, he must defeat Lesnar. Reigns is a very talented wrestler and has all the capabilities to become the new face of the WWE and a victory over Lesnar can change a lot of things for him.
Do you want to see these things really happen? Have your say in the comments.
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