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The WWE Championship is a symbol of excellence that has been held by some of the all-time greats in the history of this glorious sport. The current Champion who holds this prestigious Championship is none other than a man who's dominated wrestling with his physical prowess.
But wrestling is a never-ending soap opera and every great villain, as invincible as he/she may seem, meets his/her match eventually. So who can take Brock Lesnar down, and become the next WWE Champion then?
So, who are the most likely candidates that can potentially take the title from the grasp of 'The Beast'? In this article, I shall list out the names that immediately come to mind, at least for me.
I wouldn't be surprised if The Beast's reign continues beyond WrestleMania, so let me factor in challengers who can potentially arrive on the same brand as Brock Lesnar, after the next Superstar Shake-Up.
#5 Drew McIntyre
When you look at Drew McIntyre, you know that he's a man that has Superstar and also, future WWE Champion written all over him. I have a feeling that he may go babyface sooner rather than later and take The Beast on, for his title. And if he does, I wouldn't be surprised at all if Drew McIntyre defeats him with a mighty big Claymore Kick.
It's almost like WWE didn't want to push Drew McIntyre all the way to the top, booking him first to be the muscle for Dolph Ziggler and later, Shane McMahon's bodyguard. At long last, it does seem like McIntyre is being allowed to showcase his wares as a breakout star.
I wouldn't be surprised if he goes on to win the Royal Rumble and challenge Brock Lesnar in the main event of WrestleMania.
#4 Kevin Owens
I know a lot of people want to see Samoa Joe as the man who'll take The Beast down, but I honestly think that the foremost contender for such a role is one Kevin Owens. Samoa Joe is awesome, but Kevin Owens has been booked in a position where he's the face of RAW with Seth Rollins going rogue.
One had to watch Starrcade to know just how much value and faith WWE has in The Prizefighter right now because the man pretty much carried the show, be it in the ring or in the segment with Ric Flair. Kevin Owens is one of those men who was a cool heel that the audience loved, and they love the edge that's part of his babyface character too.
One can only imagine the promo battles between Paul Heyman and Kevin Owens if the two men have a chance to engage in a war of words, ahead of the clash.
#3 Matt Riddle
I think that, right now, there are a whole bunch of Superstars in NXT that could potentially square off against Brock Lesnar and come out smelling of roses. The first name that comes to mind is Keith Lee, especially after his outstanding performance at Survivor Series.
But I'd say that of all the names, the one leading the pack is Matt Riddle. You can catch him in conversation with Sportskeeda's own Gary Cassidy here and he has a lot of interesting things to say about The Beast Incarnate:
NXT has made mention of me wrestling Brock in promos and other things like that, but I've been calling out Brock since I started wrestling. It's such a huge goal. If I get close to that, I'll probably be really successful. If I do it, probably be a legend. Now I'm as close I've ever been but I'm still pretty far.
Because of the fact that both men hail from the MMA world, it could be an explosive contest. Unlike Cain Velasquez, Matt Riddle is a very good wrestler already.
The two men could actually, realistically have a great MMA-style bout in WWE.
#2 The Fiend
The Fiend is just as dominant on SmackDown at this point in time, as Lesnar is on RAW. One has to imagine that these two forces of nature are headed for a collision course, somewhere down the line. So let's just assume that The Fiend loses his Championship at WrestleMania but Brock Lesnar manages to retain his title.
The two men could certainly be a part of the same brand thereafter and this could lead to a collision of these two mammoths for the WWE Championship. I can totally imagine The Fiend becoming the WWE Champion and sending Brock Lesnar packing away after WrestleMania. It would start a very interesting storyline that could be resolved later in the year.
It is impossible to predict how a match between these two men will actually play out, which is what makes the contest so awesome and so very must-watch, in my opinion.
#1 Braun Strowman
It's absolutely impossible to fathom that Braun Strowman hasn't been the WWE Champion or indeed the WWE Universal Champion until this point. Right now, he seems content to be friends with The New Day, shaking and gyrating his hips to some groovy tunes.
But it's always possible that Braun Strowman will win the Royal Rumble and choose to face Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania for the WWE Championship. He's a monster in real life, and therefore, will always be booked as someone that could potentially win the Rumble easily.
Also, he could always move from SmackDown to RAW in the next Superstar Shake-Up to take Brock Lesnar on and claim his title in the contest that will ensue. Mind you, someone like Strowman always has a chance against The Beast.
It's only a matter of whether or not WWE is ready to go all the way with him or not.
Bayley gives us a HUGE update on a top Superstar's upcoming return RIGHT HERE.
