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From the looks of it, Brock Lesnar had this match won. He'd attacked Seth Rollins on RAW, once in the ringside area and then again in the backstage area, a few weeks ago.
Rollins, nursing his injuries, came out to confront Lesnar not long after, and was once again brutalized by him which left him in a heap in the middle of the ring. Rollins was the clear underdog coming into the match and everyone thought that Lesnar had this one in the bag.
But then, after a hard-fought match, Seth Rollins picked up a clean victory against the WWE Universal Champion. Why was this decision made and how does this change things?
Let me give you 5 theories in the pages that follow as well as the following...
#5. Rollins needed a good showing
When Seth Rollins beat Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania, he was on the top of the world, as the No. 1 babyface in the company. But over time, because of his pairing with Becky Lynch and the mixed tag program that followed, he lost a lot of the steam and the momentum that he had. There came a point during SummerSlam where he was actually booed when he first appeared on the screen.
The only way to rectify this problem would be to have him be showcased as the man that he is, an athletic marvel who can go toe to toe with the biggest stars in the world and comes out on top in a match. There is none bigger than Brock Lesnar in the field of sports entertainment right now.
With this decisive win, Seth Rollins is back to being a man who can be respected and revered. Let's hope that WWE continues to keep him looking strong and dominant over the following months.
See WWE Summer Slam Results, Highlights of event, & more on WWE Summer Slam Results page
#4. Heyman wants a full-time Champion
As reported by Tom Colohue of Sportskeeda, Paul Heyman didn't want Lesnar to beat Seth Rollins:
At this point, Vince McMahon is not in charge of the direction of this particular feud. Paul Heyman is in charge of RAW now. Paul Heyman knows that you can't have someone vanishing with the title so long. He's seen it, he's seen the effect of it.
Colohue believes that Brock Lesnar is a wild card, whose future depends on how much Vince McMahon is willing to spend. Which is why he wants his own stars to be over:
You have got to remember, yes, Brock and Heyman have been paired up for a long time, but it was not Paul Heyman's decision to be paired up with Brock Lesnar again. It was a collective creative decision. Yes, Heyman has been involved quite a lot in this regard, he was, for example, one of the main voices for Finn Balor to be working with Lesnar at the Royal Rumble. Heyman wants to work with what he has. There are no guarantees that he has Brock Lesnar because that's down to Vince McMahon putting his hand in his pocket. You cannot just go to Vince and say, 'I want Brock this week, this week, this week, and this week.' It's not going to happen.
With Heyman at the helm, it was clear that this title change wouldn't happen at SummerSlam.
#3. The audience has no love for Brock Lesnar
I know that I mentioned that Seth Rollins has lost a lot of goodwill because of the way that he's been booked in recent times. However, Brock Lesnar, despite his intimidating presence is someone who's despised by the WWE Universe.
Lesnar, even as Universal Champion, does not show up every single week and this riles fans up when they pay their hard-earned money to watch the show. And therefore, at a time when WWE needs all the goodwill that it can get before 'AEW All Out' comes around, this was certainly the right decision.
Seth Rollins can now feud with the top heels on RAW and create new stars in the process. Someone like Sami Zayn could certainly benefit from having to work with Rollins.
There's only so much time that you can pass off 'heat from the WWE Universe' as a good thing, in my opinion.
#2. Brock Lesnar matches don't need a title
Brock Lesnar is certain to go on a hiatus for a while, only to return when one least expects him to. I think that putting the Universal Championship around his waist is a big waste. I will let you know why I believe this to be the case.
Imagine if Lesnar were to return and face off against someone like Bobby Lashley for a match to prove who is the more dominant fighter when Lashley is cleared to compete again. Would you be less invested in the feud if no title were to be on the line when the bulls collide? Personally speaking, I'd want to see two monstrous men just ripping each other to shreds.
The Universal Championship can be used to make new stars, instead of wasting it on an established star. Even someone like The Fiend could benefit from it.
#1. Ending the show on a high note
Money in the Bank was a great show that ended with Brock Lesnar making a surprise entrance and then winning the contract. Extreme Rules was another solid show where WWE lost any amount of goodwill by following up the main event with a Brock Lesnar Universal Championship win.
Now, SummerSlam was a really solid card from beginning to end. You had Goldberg gain a measure of redemption, you had The Fiend make his debut, and you also had a variety of other really good matches.
Having Brock Lesnar stand tall when the show was done would have just enraged fans to no end. And this is why I thought that Seth Rollins picking up a victory without any real trickery was a good move.
It is definitely time for WWE to invest in their full-time stars and not rely on part-timers for the big ratings.
