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After WWE reintroduced the brand split in July 2016, Stephanie McMahon and Mick Foley introduced the Universal Championship. Since its inception, there have been eight Universal Champions.
The inaugural champion was Finn Balor, the longest-reigning titleholder was Brock Lesnar, and the current champ is Roman Reigns.
Upon aligning with Paul Heyman, The Tribal Chief won the coveted prize for the second time at Payback 2020. Jey Uso, Kevin Owens, Braun Strowman, Edge, and Daniel Bryan have all challenged the champion, but The Head of the Table has defeated all comers.
At the moment, it may only be possible to predict the star to dethrone Reigns, but this list will explore the next five champions. These predictions will be based on the current situation while keeping prospects in mind.
#5 Seth Rollins defeats Roman Reigns to become a three-time Universal Champion
Seth Rollins has been persuading the WWE Universe and the SmackDown roster to embrace his vision and accept him as their leader.
After WrestleMania, Rollins has had some intriguing run-ins with Cesaro, The Usos, and the Universal Champion. At WrestleMania Backlash, Rollins had a staredown with The Tribal Chief before he attacked The Swiss Superman brutally. The self-proclaimed leader of WWE is still feuding with Cesaro, but he may turn his attention to Reigns upon the culmination of his current program.
Who better to dethrone The Head of the Table than an old brethren? Rollins knows Reigns better than anyone on the WWE roster. The Messiah has been a friend and foe to Reigns in the past.
Rollins and Reigns were members of The Shield. Alongside Dean Ambrose, they tore through the entire roster for nearly two years before Rollins betrayed his brother.
Over the next few years, they would cross paths many times. Most notably, Rollins defeated Reigns to win the WWE Championship at Money in the Bank 2016.
The perfect time for the monumental victory would be WrestleMania 38. Rollins would need to revert to his good side by becoming the underdog again. Winning the 2022 Royal Rumble match is a good way of booking a battle against the Universal Champion at The Show of Shows.
By then, Reigns would've defeated just about everyone on the main roster, building unimaginable heat and momentum. Moreover, he would've become the longest-reigning Universal Champion, making Rollins' coronation more special.
Rollins could beat the odds and dethrone 'The Head of the Table' to become a three-time Universal Champion through sheer grit and perseverance.
#4 Edge beats Seth Rollins to win the Universal Championship for the first time
Even after dethroning Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins will not hold the prestigious Universal Championship for long. Rollins' championship win will be a memorable WrestleMania moment that the live crowd would cherish, similar to his victory over Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 35.
The new Universal Champion would be stunned by Mr. Money in the Bank - Edge. The Ultimate Opportunist would cash in his contract to win his first Universal Championship.
The Rated-R Superstar's storied history with the MITB briefcase and his opportunistic mindset makes a cash-in the best possible way for him to win the Universal Championship.
The Hall of Famer won the 2021 Royal Rumble but couldn't win the Universal Championship at WrestleMania 37. As he is incredibly passionate and in peak physical shape, he would turn out to be a great champion.
When Edge returned from retirement, he wanted to end his career on his terms. Winning the prestigious World title would bring him closer to his goal.
#3 Kevin Owens dethrones Edge to become a two-time Universal Champion
Edge should remain Universal Champion till SummerSlam 2022 so that he could have a fairly decent final World Championship reign. Several WWE Superstars could receive a boost by defeating a veteran like Edge, but the honor of dethroning him should go to a fellow Canadian.
Kevin Owens is one of the most talented wrestlers on the main roster. However, he has consistently played second-fiddle to Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Drew McIntyre, and Randy Orton. He needs to become Universal Champion to redeem himself. With similar backgrounds and their interesting run-ins backstage, Owens is the logical choice to dethrone Edge.
The contest between the two Canadians would be spectacular. It would be a technical, high-risk encounter between two devoted wrestlers. In the end, Owens should win the Universal Championship, bagging the most significant victory of his career.
The former NXT Champion was the second-ever Universal Champion. He had an incredible reign, defeating top stars like Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns. Chris Jericho's involvement enhanced the quality of his reign. Unfortunately, Owens lost the Universal title in the most anti-climactic way possible as Goldberg squashed him in 22 seconds.
Since that match at Fastlane 2017, Owens has challenged unsuccessfully for the championship multiple times. However, The Prizefighter could redeem himself by beating Edge to become the Universal Champion once again.
#2 Brock Lesnar becomes a four-time Universal Champion by defeating Kevin Owens
In his second reign with the title, Kevin Owens could become indomitable, fighting Universal Champion he should've been the first time around. It would take a voracious "beast" to dethrone him. WWE's resident Beast Incarnate has all the tools to defeat The Prizefighter. Brock Lesnar defeated Owens in Madison Square Garden a few years ago, and he would have no problem doing it again.
As he revealed to Paul Heyman on Talking Smack, Owens wanted to face Lesnar a couple of years ago.
It would be a little under-whelming to witness KO drop the Universal Championship to another part-timer. To minimize the damage to Owens, WWE must ensure that he is protected in defeat. He must not be squashed like he was back at Fastlane 2017 by Goldberg. A former rival could perhaps run interference to cost Owens the championship.
Vince McMahon is almost always criticized for putting the Universal Championship on a part-timer. While making Lesnar Universal Champion does have its flaws, it also has quite a few benefits. The Beast Incarnate is still a huge draw for casual fans and is WWE's most reliable needle-mover. Moreover, he puts on great matches all the time as champion. In this way, the star who eventually dethrones him gains immense credibility.
#1 Big E becomes Universal Champion by slaying Brock Lesnar
With a bright future ahead of him, Big E is a sure-shot future Universal Champion. His title victory should come at WrestleMania and the best way to book a ticket to the main event of The Show of Shows is to win the Royal Rumble match.
Bie E should choose the reigning Universal Champion Brock Lesnar as his opponent for WrestleMania 39.
The former powerhouse of The New Day has not forgotten the pain and suffering Lesnar caused his friend Kofi Kingston in October 2019. The longest-reigning Universal Champion squashed Kingston in eleven seconds to win the WWE Championship. This gives the Big Ea motive to destroy Lesnar at The Grandest Stage of Them All.
These two behemoths crossed paths in the 2020 Royal Rumble match. With some help from Kingston and Rey Mysterio, Big E laid out Lesnar. However, The Beast Incarnate tossed all of them over the top rope.
Brock Lesnar vs. Big E won't be a technical classic like Shawn Michaels versus Kurt Angle. Instead, it would be reminiscent of the brutal contest between Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 31. The Beast Incarnate made Reigns a huge star that night. Similarly, he could make Big E look like a million bucks.
Many fans would be anticipating a colossal rematch between Lesnar and Reigns at WrestleMania Hollywood. However, Big E would benefit more from defeating Lesnar, which would be a refreshing and unprecedented sight.
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