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Brock Lesnar's Universal Title reign is set to surpass CM Punk's iconic WWE title run as the longest-running in modern WWE history.
Lesnar's reign has been a divisive one, to say the least, and many fans are desperate to see The Beast Incarnate drop the belt in the coming months.
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Rumours broke recently that Lesnar's next title defence would come at SummerSlam, by which point, Lesnar will have comfortably surpassed Punk's record. If that is the case, the WWE is likely to finally take the belt off of Lesnar at the event.
The company has booked themselves into a corner with Lesnar, who has dominated the entire Raw roster for the best part of two years now.
There are still several options that the WWE could choose from, however, so let's take a look at all of the main event stars on Raw, and assess their current chances of being the one to dethrone Lesnar.
#8 John Cena
While John Cena is not currently on WWE television, it seems unlikely that he won't be back in time for some sort of match at SummerSlam.
Cena is never going to be far from the main event, and while it seems unlikely that the WWE would have him topple Lesnar, there is always money to be made when the two men meet in the ring.
With WWE seemingly finally beginning to admit defeat when it comes to Roman Reigns, Raw is in desperate need of someone to be 'the guy' and Cena has always been their go-to guy when everyone else has failed.
It seems unlikely that the WWE would go for this match again, but it would be crazy not to mention Cena in a conversation about Raw's main-event scene.
#7 Kevin Owens
After spending the best part of 12 months embroiled in a terrible feud with Shane McMahon, Kevin Owens is finally beginning to get his mojo back on Monday Nights, and with the Prize Fighter beginning to slowly distance himself from Sami Zayn, it seems like it may be just a matter of time before he is back in title contention on Monday nights.
Owens is one of the most legitimately tough wrestlers on the Raw roster, and seeing him square up to Lesnar would be believable if nothing else.
In many ways, this is a dream match-up, and while it seems unlikely that it will happen, if Owens was booked right, he could be viewed as a genuine contender. As it stands, though, this is still a long way off.
#6 Bobby Lashley
When websites first started reporting that Bobby Lashley would be making a return to the WWE, fans around the world began to get excited about all of the dream matches he could have for the company. Top of those lists was Bobby Lashley Vs Brock Lesnar.
Unfortunately, Lashley has been booked horrendously since his return to the company, and if he were to face Lesnar, it seems unlikely that anyone would buy him walking out victorious.
Lashley is currently involved in one of the worst feuds of the year with Sami Zayn, and it seems as though he will need a good few programs after that to get him back on track.
Lashley Vs Lesnar may well happen in the future, but as far as Lashley being a contender currently, it's definitely not happening.
5 Finn Balor
Finn Balor Vs Brock Lesnar was rumoured to be happening at this year's Royal Rumble until Vince McMahon reportedly decided that Balor simply wasn't over enough to challenge The Beast Incarnate.
Balor has seen himself quietly rise back up the ranks during the first six months of 2018, and he may be finally ready to re-enter the main event scene that has alluded him for so long.
He is an outside shout to win this year's Money in the Bank match, and while he may find himself in the title picture once Lesnar has lost the belt, the chances of him being the one to topple The Beast are slim.
#4 Dean Ambrose
Dean Ambrose is a bit of a wild-card here. The former Shield man has been off our TV's since the end of last year, and fans are beginning to get super excited for his presumably imminent return.
Ambrose has not been in the title picture since later 2016, but a surprising return always supplies a wrestler with a wave of momentum, and if he comes back as a heel, as many fans suspect, then the WWE could just decide to put someone fresh into the title picture.
It seems unlikely, largely because Lesnar and Ambrose have worked together in the past, and Ambrose was fairly vocal about Lesnar's work ethic following what was a very disappointing encounter.
A feud with Roman Reigns or Seth Rollins seems more likely for Ambrose when he does finally return to the ring.
#3 Roman Reigns
Before this year's WrestleMania, most fans presumed that Roman Reigns was going to be the one to finally topple Brock Lesnar, and in all fairness, it probably would have been a good idea, at the time.
Unfortunately for Reigns, his credibility has been severely damaged by two back to back defeats against The Universal Champion. While the WWE is prone to just pushing Roman Reigns to the title scene at any given moment, it seems like they have gone cold on the idea of having him be the one to defeat Lesnar.
Reigns will still be back in the title picture before the end of the year, and there is always the very possibility that the WWE will pull a 180 and push him to a title shot at SummerSlam but for now, it seems like he will be occupying a spot in the upper mid-card for the next few months.
#2 Braun Strowman
Braun Strowman is perhaps the most over superstar in the WWE. The monster among men has seen his popularity continue to grow, despite not having had a significant program on WWE television throughout the whole of 2018.
Strowman has everything Vince McMahon loves, and it seems like it is only a matter of time before he gets his hands on the gold.
That being said, Braun clearly doesn't need to win the gold to be a draw, and while he poses one of the most legitimate threats to Lesnar's reign, he has already lost to Lesnar once before, going down to one F5 in a disappointing effort at last year's No Mercy event.
#1 Seth Rollins
Seth Rollins has easily been the WWE's superstar of the year so far. The Intercontinental Champion has been putting on match of the year candidates on a regular basis and is red hot with the crowd.
The WWE would need to strike while the iron is hot with Rollins, and a big upset victory over Lesnar at SummerSlam would establish him as the top star on Raw right now.
Rollins and Lesnar have a storied history, with Rollins taking the belt right from under Lesnar's nose at WrestleMania 31, when he cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase and pinned Roman Reigns.
Rollins has worked wonders in establishing the Intercontinental Title as one of the best in the WWE, and the time is right for him to rise up and conquer The Beast in a hard fought battle at this year's SummerSlam.
Who do you feel should be Lesnar's next opponent for the Universal title? Sound off in the comments section below!
