WWE Rumours: Why was Summerslam's main event so short? 

What's the story?

The main event of WWE Summerslam 2018 was cut short by Vince McMahon, out of fears that fans would turn on challenger Roman Reigns once again.

In case you didn't know?

Roman Reigns defeated Brock Lesnar in the main event of Summerslam 2018 to capture the WWE Universal championship.

Their match at Summerslam was the latest in a string of title matches between the two, the first of which took place in 2015 at WrestleMania 31.

Each time, Lesnar was able to defeat the Big Dog, including in a controversial end to a steel cage match at the Greatest Royal Rumble, where it appeared Roman Reigns' feet hit the ground first.

Their match at Summerslam was only six minutes long, which was in stark contrast to the SmackDown Live WWE Championship match between AJ Styles and Samoa Joe which lasted over 23 minutes.

The Intercontinental championship opener between Dolph Ziggler and Seth Rollins lasted 22 minutes.

The heart of the matter

The Universal championship match at Summerslam was reportedly called short by Vince McMahon during the match, according to Joe Peisich.

Speaking on Barnburner's Fired Up podcast, Peisich told how his sources said the match would've gone another 20 minutes or so, but McMahon wanted to call the match early because he feared fans would boo Reigns again.

Despite being billed as the face, Roman has received mixed responses from crowds throughout his main event run.

Despite the change in duration, Reigns was always scheduled to defeat Brock and win the Universal championship.

What's next?

It will be good to see the Universal champion appear regularly on Monday Night RAW again, as Brock has been criticised for not appearing for months on end, despite being champion.

The next WWE pay per view will be Hell In A Cell, that will take place September 16, at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas.