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#4 Strowman wins the Universal title
Roman Reigns had to vacate the Universal Championship to take some time away from wrestling and battle leukemia. In the aftermath, Brock Lesnar defeated Braun Strowman to win the title at Crown Jewel.
There are a number of theories as to why Lesnar got the title back, including that management had reservations about Strowman being positioned as the guy, or that the specter of his elbow injury was already on the radar and thus took him out of the running. One of the more simple explanations: Lesnar was the most conservative choice available. In a time of upheaval with the face of the company walking away indefinitely, WWE went with the most credible, most established world champ available in the Beast Incarnate.
Were Lesnar out of the equation, WWE would have been faced with a much more interesting quandary. With not only Lesnar and Reigns out of the mix, but also Kevin Owens—the second longest reigning Universal Champion—the only other guys to have held that title available were Finn Balor who held it for a day, and part-time legend Goldberg. Would WWE have drafted Daniel Bryan over or conscripted John Cena for an impromptu return run atop Raw? Would they break the glass on Triple H (who also wound up injured within a month) or rush ahead to reorganize behind Seth Rollins or even Dean Ambrose?
Strowman ultimately would have been the obvious choice, as a guy already knocking on the door of world champion status, a guy who was over with fans, and a giant whose look and size have gotten him over in an old school way. Strowman may not have been the perfect fit, particularly in terms of being able to deliver great matches, but he’d have been the most natural choice for at least a transitional champ.
