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Fans weren't thrilled about the prospect of Brock Lesnar winning the Universal Championship for the second time at WWE Crown Jewel. However, the most exciting thing that's come out of this is the fact that we're going to get Brock Lesnar vs AJ Styles 2 at Survivor Series in a champion vs champion match.
Who can forget how their first match was last year at Survivor Series? Brock Lesnar has gotten a lot of flak in the past few years for using an extremely limited move set, comprising primarily of suplexes and his signature F-5.
However, when I interviewed AJ Styles before WrestleMania 34 this year, I asked him about the Brock Lesnar match and the WWE Champion said that Brock Lesnar is capable of putting on a great match whenever he wants and that it's a match that he's very proud of.
Also read: AJ Styles talks about his match against Brock Lesnar and more
Last year, AJ Styles was able to bring the best out of Brock Lesnar. While many fans think that this time is going to be the same with Lesnar winning, don't be fooled. Things are different this year and so could the outcome of the match. Let's look at five ways in which it can end.
#5 AJ Styles wins clean
AJ Styles has now officially crossed a full year as WWE Champion. He's been the face of SmackDown Live and bar none the most reliable superstar in the company. With him being stronger than ever as champion, it's likely the perfect time for WWE to pull the trigger on Styles and give him a clean victory over Brock Lesnar.
As unlikely as the scenario may come across, it's very possible that the SmackDown champion will triumph clean.
#4 Braun Strowman interferes to help AJ Styles
After Roman Reigns vacated the Universal Championship due to leukaemia, Braun Strowman became the de-facto top babyface of Monday Night RAW. Fans were hoping to see The Monster Among Men finally have his moment, but in a short-lived match at Crown Jewel, Lesnar defeated Strowman after hitting six F-5s, thanks in part to assistance from acting RAW General Manager Baron Corbin.
Now, Strowman isn't a happy man and despite the fact that he's the main superstar in RAW's Survivor Series team, don't be surprised to see him come out during the WWE Championship match.
In fact, this ranks as the most likely scenario to happen. WWE won't want Lesnar to lose clean to Styles so having Strowman interfere, destroy Lesnar and assist Styles in winning the match certainly would make sense as it gives Styles the win while also protecting Lesnar and continuing his feud with Strowman.
#3 Brock Lesnar wins clean
This is the least-preferred scenario among WWE fans, but the sad reality is that it's one of the most, if not the most likely scenario. Brock Lesnar is Universal Champion again and not only that, but he's also training for a UFC Heavyweight Championship fight against Daniel Cormier sometime early next year.
This also means that Lesnar may not take as many bumps as he did last year (which itself was a surprise given Lesnar hardly sells for anybody anymore). With that said, don't be surprised to see Brock Lesnar hit the F-5 and pin the WWE Champion clean.
Both Styles and Lesnar have been pinned only once each since their Survivor Series clash last year and with Lesnar becoming a 2-time Universal Champion, WWE may want to keep him strong for when he eventually does lose the title.
Hopefully, this isn't the case and we don't see another generic Lesnar win.
#2 Randy Orton interferes and costs AJ Styles
Randy Orton surprisingly hasn't been included in the Survivor Series SmackDown Live team. Why is this a surprise? Well, for one, Randy Orton is the greatest performer in Survivor Series history. With a record 15 eliminations and 5 matches that have seen him as a survivor, there's never been a better performer than him at the PPV.
The fact that he hasn't been included in the team not only makes Rey Mysterio a target (who is his projected post-Survivor Series feud), but also the WWE Champion as he needs to make a statement. What better way to make a statement than hitting Styles with an RKO out of nowhere, costing him the match?
Also read: 5 reasons why Randy Orton wasn't picked for SmackDown's Survivor Series team
By doing this, he would immediately re-enter the WWE title picture. It's been over two years since the brand split and we're long overdue for an AJ Styles-Randy Orton feud. What way to make it bigger than having it be for the WWE Championship?
#1 Paul Heyman costs Brock Lesnar
This may come as the most unexpected scenario, but this wouldn't be the first time that Paul Heyman turned on Brock Lesnar. In fact, if it were to happen, it wouldn't even be the first time Paul Heyman turned on Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series!
Going back 16 years, Heyman cost Lesnar the WWE Championship by helping The Big Show beat him. Paul Heyman, even during the brief AJ Styles program last year was full of praise and post-match, he had nothing but good things to say about The Phenomenal One.
This isn't to say that Heyman will become AJ Styles' advocate. It will simply mean that his association with Lesnar will be over. With Lesnar's time in WWE ticking away, it's only a matter of time before they pull the trigger on this. And what better time than to help the greatest in-ring competitor of our generation?
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