5 reasons why The Fiend will win the Universal Championship at SummerSlam

Braun Strowman is the current Universal Champion; The Monster Among Men won the title from the Hall of Famer, Goldberg, at WrestleMania and has held onto it ever since. For the past four months, Strowman has been targeted by a familiar face in Bray Wyatt. The two are set to clash yet again at SummerSlam later this month.

Wyatt has dug deep into his playbook to torture Strowman. He tried to coax the Universal Champion into becoming the Black Sheep once again, but Strowman outsmarted him at Money in the Bank and retained the Universal Championship. Upon a brief hiatus, Wyatt returned as The Eater of Worlds in mid-June and challenged his former disciple to a match at the Wyatt Swamp at Extreme Rules: The Horror Show. Strowman was initially reluctant but later accepted.

At Extreme Rules, the Eater of Worlds took the Monster Among Men to a chilling trip down memory lane. At the end of the fight, The Fiend returned for the first time since WrestleMania, overpowering Strowman to win the contest. Two weeks later on SmackDown, The Fiend attacked Alexa Bliss, Strowman's Mixed Match Challenge partner and a close friend of the Universal Champion.

A Universal Championship match between The Fiend and Strowman has been made official for SummerSlam. At SummerSlam, The Fiend must win the Universal Championship.

There are several reasons why; let's explore them in-depth.

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#5 SummerSlam is a fitting conclusion to the feud between Strowman and The Fiend, Bray Wyatt

Strowman and Wyatt have been at war since April.

Strowman's championship reign has revolved mostly around his history with his former master. Fans have seen so many elements of their past incorporated into this program. For example, The Wyatt Swamp fight at Extreme Rules brought back memories of Strowman as the Black Sheep, the specter of Sister Abigail and Bray Wyatt in his various forms.

The Fiend's victory at SummerSlam will establish the supremacy of the teacher over the student. The whole point of the storyline between Strowman and Wyatt has been to establish the fear Wyatt strikes into the hearts of his opponents. Losing to Strowman would severely damage his character.

If Wyatt doesn't win the Universal Championship at SummerSlam, it would be a disappointment. What was the whole point of bringing the Eater of Worlds gimmick back? What was the purpose of extending the program any longer? Why was Alexa Bliss a victim of The Fiend?

#4 Braun Strowman's Universal Championship reign has been a let-down ahead of SummerSlam

Braun Strowman captured the Universal Championship at WrestleMania.

When The Monster Among Men pinned Goldberg at WrestleMania to capture his first World Championship, fans were thrilled. Strowman's hard work had finally paid off. It was a memorable WrestleMania moment. Unfortunately, the aftermath of his reign hasn't been as pleasing as his fans have wanted. He hasn't been at his best leading up to SummerSlam.

The Intercontinental Championship and WWE Championship have overshadowed the Universal Championship. The last time a Universal title match closed out a pay-per-view was back in February at Super-ShowDown, where The Fiend lost the title.

Moreover, Strowman has only defended it twice: Once against Bray Wyatt at Money in the Bank and secondly against the duo of The Miz and John Morrison at Backlash. Outside of these two feuds, he hasn't done much. He has had a few exciting run-ins with Otis, but that hasn't led to anything significant.

When The Fiend was Universal Champion, he was always in the spotlight. His rivalry with Daniel Bryan was a focal point on television. The same holds for his storylines with The Miz, Seth Rollins and Goldberg. The Fiend was a massive attraction as the Universal Champion. With fan interest plummeting, making The Fiend Universal Champion after SummerSlam will help boost ratings.

#3 WWE could be looking to revert to the status quo after SummerSlam

Roman Reigns was initially supposed to take on Wyatt at WrestleMania.

The Fiend lost the Universal Championship he's looking to regain at SummerSlam to Hall of Famer, Goldberg, at Super-ShowDown in February. However, this wasn't always the original plan. Initially, before Goldberg inserted himself into the mix, the idea was for Roman Reigns to challenge The Fiend for the Universal Championship at WrestleMania.

Instead, a last-minute change in plans resulted in Wyatt facing John Cena in a Firefly FunHouse match and Reigns challenging Goldberg for the Universal Championship. The second encounter didn't happen as Reigns voluntarily took time off. Braun Strowman replaced him and won the Universal Championship. Later, Strowman referred to his title win as "unexpected".

Strowman's championship reign was born out of circumstance; it wouldn't have happened if Reigns hadn't taken time off. WWE reportedly considered Jeff Hardy as a replacement for Reigns, but Goldberg wasn't looking for a longer deal. Given that WWE never had long-term plans for Strowman as Universal Champion, the safest choice after SummerSlam is to revert to the pre-Goldberg status quo where The Fiend was running roughshod over the entire roster.

The Fiend can hold onto the Universal Championship until Reigns is ready to return which maybe won't be until 2022. If that happens, WWE kills two birds with one stone: The Fiend gets the lengthy Universal Championship run his character deserves post-SummerSlam, and WWE accomplishes the original plan of Reigns eventually going over Wyatt.

#2 The Fiend needs the Universal Championship and a SummerSlam win more than Strowman

Bray Wyatt shines as a Champion.

The Monster Among Men is a fighting machine who wants to deliver punishment and justice to his enemies. He doesn't need a championship to make him relevant. His character is similar to the likes of The Undertaker and Kane. Towering giants do not need championship gold; they want to beat people up. SummerSlam can help bring this point home.

Unlike Braun Strowman, Bray Wyatt's character is multi-dimensional. He likes to inflict pain upon his enemies, but also wants to take precious things away from them as well. The Fiend does have a keen liking for championship gold. He targeted then-Universal Champion, Seth Rollins, a few months after his debut. Wyatt wouldn't stop until he captured the Universal title at Crown Jewel last November.

With championship gold around his waist, Wyatt is unstoppable; he did a stellar job as Universal Champion. His rivalry with Daniel Bryan was well-received by the WWE Universe and their matches were fun to watch. With The Fiend as Universal Champion to close SummerSlam, WWE will be able to restore prestige into the Universal Championship.

#1 There are more exciting possibilities with The Fiend as Universal Champion after SummerSlam

The Fiend lays out Daniel Bryan with a Clothesline.

The main reason why Bray Wyatt's feud with Braun Strowman has continued for so long, leading up to SummerSlam, is that WWE doesn't have many challengers for Strowman. The Blue brand's roster lacks depth, which leaves the show with a small number of credible heels. Aside from Baron Corbin, Sheamus and Wyatt, SmackDown doesn't have any additional established heels.

The story is the polar opposite with Wyatt as Universal Champion. There are myriad babyfaces on the SmackDown roster, and each of them would love to hold the Universal Championship. Jeff Hardy would make for a formidable challenger. The Fiend could bring out the Enigma's Brother Nero gimmick that fans have wanted to see for so long. Someone like Big E could also prove to be a tough opponent for Wyatt. Drew Gulak sounds like a decent opponent for the demonic monster as well. The post-SummerSlam landscape for the title can be fruitful.

And Let's not forget about Mr. Money in the Bank, Otis, out of the mix. WWE wanted to book Otis against The Fiend at one point in time before Paul Heyman's dismissal. That could become a reality soon if Wyatt wins the Universal Championship at SummerSlam.