5 most likely Universal Championship challengers following the 2018 Superstar Shake-Up

While the 2018 WWE Superstar Shake-Up was largely considered a success, the one major negative is that the Universal Championship storyline has become even more chaotic than it already was.

The upcoming title match between champion Brock Lesnar and challenger Roman Reigns at the Greatest Royal Rumble made little sense when it was announced shortly after WrestleMania 34, with Reigns having already lost fair and square to “The Beast” in New Orleans.

And when you also consider that “The Big Dog” is currently involved in a non-title rivalry, which could potentially turn into a title rivalry, with somebody who isn’t even on the same brand anymore, Samoa Joe, then it’s fair to say the Universal title picture is a total mess.

Assuming Joe doesn’t fulfill his promise of taking the championship to SmackDown Live, here are the five Raw Superstars who are most likely to challenge Lesnar and/or Reigns for the red brand’s top title in the next few months.

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#5 Baron Corbin

Baron Corbin won the Money In The Bank contract in 2017

Okay, so it didn’t do much for Baron Corbin’s status as a future world champion when he spectacularly failed to cash in his Money In The Bank contract against Jinder Mahal in August 2017, but “The Lone Wolf” has still been a constant presence on television since and recent reports suggest that WWE has big plans for him.

Now part of the Raw roster, it wouldn’t be at all surprising if the 2016 Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal winner were to be one of the first men to challenge Roman Reigns for the Universal title if the Shield member defeats Brock Lesnar at the Greatest Royal Rumble.

WWE is seemingly desperate to make fans cheer for Reigns and the only time that has proven successful in the past has been against major heels, such as Sheamus and Alberto Del Rio, and there’s hardly a queue of fans lining up to cheer for Corbin right now.

#4 Finn Balor

Finn Balor had to give up the Universal title in August 2016

It's impossible to create a list of possible Universal Championship challengers and not include Finn Balor. The Irishman returned from injury over a year ago but still hasn’t received a one-on-one match for the title he was forced to relinquish in August 2016.

Reports earlier this year claimed that the first-ever Universal champion wasn’t considered “over” enough by Vince McMahon to face Brock Lesnar, which is why he still hasn’t been involved in a match for the title since his return.

However, with Lesnar possibly losing the title to Roman Reigns soon (we’ve heard that before…), there’s every chance that Balor will step up to take on “The Big Dog” in a PPV rivalry in the not-too-distant future.

#3 Jinder Mahal

Jinder Mahal held the WWE title for almost six months in 2017

The prospect of Jinder Mahal challenging for the Universal Championship might not appeal to most fans, but WWE has left themselves with a serious lack of major heels on the Raw roster following the Superstar Shake-Up.

Unless we see a babyface turn heel soon, Baron Corbin, Dolph Ziggler, Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens are the only Raw heels, other than Jinder, who could realistically be involved in the Universal title picture right now.

And, as we previously mentioned, if WWE really wants fans to cheer potential new Universal champion Roman Reigns, there’s probably no better opponent for him than Jinder.

#2 Bobby Lashley

Bobby Lashley returned to WWE the night after WrestleMania 34

Reports surfaced earlier this year that Bobby Lashley would return to WWE to face Brock Lesnar after WrestleMania 34, with the expectation being that “The Beast” would remain with the company for another few months before officially departing for UFC.

We’ve seen so many twists and turns in the Lesnar story, both on-screen and off-screen, in recent weeks and it remains unclear exactly how long the Universal champion has left on his WWE contract.

If he retains his title against Roman Reigns at the Greatest Royal Rumble, then the long-awaited Lesnar vs. Lashley match is bound to happen in the next few months.

#1 Braun Strowman

Braun Strowman won the Raw Tag Team titles at WrestleMania 34

One of the most entertaining Superstars in WWE over the last year, Braun Strowman failed to win the Universal Championship during his seven-month chase for Brock Lesnar’s title between July 2017 and February 2018.

“The Monster Among Men” fell short in all three title matches he was involved in (SummerSlam 2017, No Mercy 2017 and Royal Rumble 2018), and after relinquishing the Raw Tag Team Championships that he won with 10-year-old Nicholas at WrestleMania 34, he now finds himself without a storyline.

WWE can build up as many Superstars as they like to challenge for the Universal title, but they already have a ready-made champion on the roster in Strowman, and it surely won’t be long before he “gets these hands” on the title for the first time in his career.