Stop laughing at the name of the pay per view. There’s nothing wrong with Great Balls of Fire. Okay, I can’t keep up the charade. Go, finish your laughter and then come back here to read the rest of this article. There’s nothing else to be done when a pay per view with such a ridiculous name comes up.
Anyway, now that the laughter is out of your system, let’s get down to it.
Braun Strowman’s legitimate injury is going to see him out of action for the foreseeable future, meaning the WWE’s plans of pitting The Monster Among Men against Brock Lesnar for the WWE Universal Championship are in tatters.
So, that begs the question. Who exactly will be replacing Strowman against The Beast Incarnate? It seems to be a question that has confounded a lot of people, with even Dave Meltzer admitting he was unsure who would get called up as the replacement.
Well, considering we have nothing better to do than to speculate, here’s who we think will be getting the call. So, without any further ado, here are 5 possible opponents for Brock Lesnar at Great Balls of Fire:
#5 Bray Wyatt
With Braun Strowman out of the picture, we could very well see his old master from The Wyatt Family – Bray Wyatt – take his place to face off against Brock Lesnar at Great Balls of Fire. After all, Bray has proven that he is World Title material following his short but sweet run as WWE Champion over on Smackdown Live before the Superstar Shakeup.
Another advantage of this is that it will be a battle of brains as well as power. Bray’s supernatural tendencies can add some spice to the mix, while the third generation star has also shown that he can hang tough in the ring. Also, don’t forget the underrated feud The Wyatt Family had with Brock a while back.
There are plenty of possibilities that can be explored if the WWE decide to go with Bray Wyatt as the man to step up and challenge Lesnar.
#4 Samoa Joe
Samoa Joe vs. Brock Lesnar is a dream match for a lot of professional wrestling fans and the injury to Braun Strowman might have very well pushed the WWE into making the feud happen sooner – at Great Balls of Fire – rather than later.
The two men are powerhouses and Joe’s MMA background ensures that he is one of the few men on the roster who can match Lesnar’s brutality. The Destroyer vs. The Beast Incarnate has a very appealing ring to it, indeed.
The one hurdle, in this case, is that both men are pretty solid heels and this might dissuade the WWE from pulling the trigger on elevating Joe into the Universal Championship picture. We’ll have to wait and see how the next few weeks go before we can be sure, though.
#3 Roman Reigns
If Braun Strowman is out of the picture, then why not bring in the person who took him out to take his place? Roman Reigns presents a legitimately tough challenge for Brock Lesnar but this is one of those feuds that could go very wrong if not booked properly.
With how keen the WWE are on both Reigns and Lesnar appearing dominant, it could entice them to try and fiddle with the booking. Regardless, Reigns getting another massive push now would only further serve to alienate the fans.
But, if the WWE has proven one thing recently, it is that the company doesn’t care about fan backlash when it comes to The Big Dog. For this reason, we cannot discount the possibility of having a Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar match for the Universal Championship at Great Balls of Fire.
#2 Seth Rollins
On to Roman Reigns’ old buddy from The Shield, Seth Rollins – the man who has already sort of called out Brock Lesnar on an episode of Monday Night Raw. Rollins and Lesnar have a storied history, of course, with The Architect’s epic Money in the Bank cash in at Wrestlemania winning him the gold against The Beast Incarnate and The Big Dog.
This could very well be the perfect feud for both men but it will be a challenge to ensure Rollins looks up to the challenge as a babyface. When he was a heel, the dynamic worked better in his favour to stay one step ahead of Lesnar.
With Rollins current embroiled in a feud against Samoa Joe, however, we have to see how things progress. For now, though, he is the best possible option after...
#1 Finn Balor
...The man most heavily rumoured to be next in line for a shot against Brock Lesnar, Finn Balor. The first-ever Universal Champion, after all, never lost the belt. And, the seeds have been sown for his eventual challenging of Lesnar for the Universal Championship over the past few weeks.
Hell, it looks like Balor’s proposed feud against Bray Wyatt has been put on the backburner in anticipation for this match against Lesnar. The stage seems to be set for The Demon King to attempt to reclaim his throne against The Beast Incarnate.
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