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WrestleMania 35 surprised the fans in many ways. One of them was Seth Rollins’ victory over Brock Lesnar. We never thought Vince McMahon would let someone like Rollins beat his biggest draw. After his loss, we thought Lesnar would leave WWE but he didn't.
He returned to take his revenge and regained the championship from The Architect at Extreme Rules. Both Superstars are set to tussle it out once again at the biggest party of the summer, SummerSlam.
Even though we believe Rollins will win his title back, The Chairman of WWE may not want it to happen again. Here are 5 reasons why the Universal Championship might not change hands at SummerSlam 2019.
#5 Seth Rollins' title reign wasn't benefitting WWE during house shows
Last year, WWE suffered huge losses in terms of revenue due to their top Superstars missing the in-ring action. When Roman Reigns was diagnosed with leukemia, Seth Rollins became the top face of Raw. But since WrestleMania 35, his stock has dropped.
A recent report by nWoWolfpacTV revealed that when Rollins was the Universal Champion, he averaged 3,334 fans per live event, which is, surprisingly, less than Jinder Mahal's title reign which averaged 3,497 fans. It could be one of the reasons behind Rollins' title loss and why he may not win it again at SummerSlam.
Yes, Brock Lesnar doesn’t appear on most of the WWE shows but it doesn’t mean he isn’t worth anything to the company. When he appeared on Monday Night Raw in the past, the ratings saw a significant increase. If Rollins isn’t helping WWE to make a profit out of his title reign then why would they let him keep it? Talking about Lesnar, WWE could use him to job to another Superstar at Royal Rumble 2020 or WrestleMania 36 and boost their 18-34 demographic.
#4 It would be Lesnar’s second loss against Rollins in the same year
Brock Lesnar is one of the most protected guys in WWE and he rarely loses his matches. His last two losses (one against Roman Reigns and the second against Rollins) did not harm his character as he didn't lose clean in either one of them. It proves that Vince McMahon takes care of Lesnar and how his matches end.
In the chairman’s mind, getting a single clean victory against Lesnar is (seemingly) a crime, and thus, he finds other ways to end his matches. Lesnar has already lost once to Rollins this year and it's unlikely that he would lose again at SummerSlam. Last week, we saw a different Brock Lesnar and it would destroy his momentum if Rollins beats him.
Also read: Hulk Hogan on almost using "Triple H" as his ring name, real-life issues with The Ultimate Warrior
#3 The fans have started turning on Seth Rollins and we clearly saw it on Raw
This week as well Lesnar attacked Rollins on Raw and it proved that The Architect is losing his credibility as a babyface. When The Beast hit him with a chair, he got a reaction. But when Rollins cut a promo, nobody cheered for him, which proves that the fans aren't much invested in him.Remember the life-threatening attack Lesnar laid on Rollins during Monday Night Raw a few weeks ago? And did you hear the crowd? When Lesnar was beating Rollins mercilessly, the fans showed no sympathy for The Beastslayer and instead, they asked Lesnar to deliver another F5 to his enemy.
The crowd is turning on Rollins (most likely for his pairing with Becky Lynch), even though he isn’t the one at fault. It was Vince’s call to align Lynch and Rollins as a couple and their plan failed. And it is Rollins who is taking the toll now. Maybe WWE wants Lesnar to hold the title for a little longer so that the fans could start hating him again and use this opportunity for good (when the time comes).
#2 Brock Lesnar won the title only 3 weeks ago and he has never lost it this soon
It’s only been a little over 3 weeks since Brock Lesnar won the Universal Championship from Seth Rollins and there’s no way Vince McMahon would take his title away this soon. The Beast Incarnate never had a short title reign and it makes sense as to why Vince would want him to hold the belt for a little longer.
The shortest title reign he ever had in WWE was in 2002 when Lesnar won the WWE Heavyweight Championship and lost it in just 84 days. Lesnar's first Universal Championship reign lasted for 504 days, while he kept the title for another 156 days during his second reign. If we look at these stats, then Lesnar is likely going to retain his title at SummerSlam because WWE seems to have big plans for him in the future.
#1 A dream encounter with younger talent at WrestleMania 36
If Seth Rollins was champion at the moment, I would have said WWE could take his title away without giving a single hint. But since Brock Lesnar has the championship belt, things are different.
Lesnar is a big cheese to WWE and since he takes a ton of money home, Vince McMahon will use him wisely. He wouldn’t just hand the Universal Championship to him and take it away in his first title defense. Most likely, Vince has something else planned for Lesnar and it could be a dream match at WrestleMania 36.
And since Rollins didn’t have an impressive title reign (though I don’t blame him for that), it makes sense why Lesnar is going to retain. Yes, he doesn’t show up on Raw every week but that’s the thing about Lesnar. He still brings money to the company and at the end of the day, it’s what matters the most.
