Breaking down WWE's Universal Championship Fatal 4-Way at Summerslam
The 30th edition of WWE SummerSlam goes down Aug. 20 at Barclays Center, and will be headlined by a Fatal 4-Way match featuring four of the biggest, baddest competitors on the Raw roster.
Related: Booking the perfect WWE SummerSlam card
In the night's main event, Brock Lesnar will defend his Universal Championship against Braun Strowman, Roman Reigns, and Samoa Joe, with the first man to earn a pinfall or submission leaving Brooklyn with the gold.
Lesnar has been the champion since WrestleMania 33, but under these rules he doesn't have to be involved in the decision to lose the strap.
It's a tough one to call, so here's a look at why each participant has a legitimate shot at victory on Sunday.
Brock Lesnar
Any of the competitors could easily walk away as Universal Champion, but only one can truly stake his claim to legendary status with a win - and that's the defending champ.
While The Beast Incarnate is already a surefire WWE Hall of Famer, retaining the title on Sunday would cement his place as the all-time greatest star of the promotion's second-biggest annual event.
Lesnar's enjoyed some otherworldly moments at SummerSlam over the years, from defeating The Rock at his first appearance in 2002 - becoming the youngest WWE champion in history in the process - to an absolute destruction of John Cena in 2014's world title match. Lesnar simply seems to step things up a notch when the heat is on.
With Lesnar saying he'll leave the WWE if he doesn't emerge victorious on Sunday, there's even more on the line than usual, so don't just expect to see the best possible Lesnar in the ring; expect to see him leave as STILL the undisputed Universal Champion.
- Mike Dickson
Roman Reigns
There are myriad reasons why Roman Reigns should win the Universal Championship at SummerSlam.
The best reason, though, is because it’s time. It’s time for Vince McMahon to give the WWE Universe what it so desperately wants, what it's wanted for seemingly ever: To turn Reigns heel. McMahon has teased us enough; time and again, he’s had Reigns straddle the heel/babyface line before backtracking, more than happy to hitch his merchandise wagon to the handsome, muscle-bound Samoan.
Conveniently enough, SummerSlam is the opportune time for such a heel turn.
Reigns - sure to continue as the face of WWE for the foreseeable future, regardless of his standing - has held championships in the past, but never as a full-fledged villain. Fans love to boo him, so the WWE should embrace that organically built lightning in a bottle. What's the primary ingredient in any successful heel recipe? Hate. Lots and lots of hate. And the WWE Universe hates Reigns so, so much. Use that hate Vince - use it to line your pockets and ascend to the ever-elusive "billionaire" stratosphere you so desperately crave. Make Reigns into the bloodthirsty, monster heel Samoa Joe tries to be (and succeeds, generally. But Reigns would be better).
Here’s an idea: Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose help Reigns win the title. The Shield has reunited. But as the crowd’s cheers reach a crescendo, Reigns destroys both men to a degree not seen since The Nexus appeared. Maybe even try the vaunted "double turn" by making Samoa Joe a babyface to team with Rollins/Ambrose as The New Shield.
- Andrew Barron
Braun Strowman
The WWE has actually done a halfway decent job of building Strowman up to be a legitimate monster among men, and SummerSlam is the time to start cashing in on that investment. With Lesnar rumored to be taking a leave of absence to pursue a fight with Jon Jones, Strowman is the best possible candidate to take the strap for multiple reasons.
First, Strowman is an unstoppable force who's easily capable of justifying the role of Universal Champion on a physical level. He's more than just a statue and can work fairly well for a man close to 400 pounds. There's another reason however, that would affect more than just Strowman in a positive way.
If WWE is still determined to make Reigns the undisputed face of the company, then giving Strowman an extended championship run would actually do well to fulfill that goal. Strowman and Reigns have fought each other in multiple big matches and have built a decent rivalry thus far, so letting Strowman carry the belt from Summerslam to Wrestlemania where he'd drop it to Reigns would give him significant credibility while adding another signature win for The Big Dog.
A Strowman victory over Samoa Joe is the best possible scenario - to leave the door open for a Lesnar return, and to keep Reigns out of the decision as a means of teasing later encounters. A loss for Joe would do very little in terms of damaging his credibility, given his in-ring talent and decorated history.
- Dylan Perego
Samoa Joe
Joe's program with Lesnar leading into their dream bout at Great Balls of Fire last month was The Destroyer's coming-out party on the main roster. It cemented him as a player in the main-event picture, and put to rest any doubt that he'd be able to hold his own in that scene with the company's upper-echelon talent.
His live reactions since the Lesnar feud have been consistently high, because a larger portion of the audience has now seen what Joe is capable of when the lights are bright and the pressure is on. Those who caught his work at TNA, Ring of Honor, and NXT have known for a long time how credible The Samoan Submission Machine is, and aren't the least bit surprised to see him in the spot he's in. The average WWE viewer may not be aware of Joe's storied history in the business, but are now witnessing his vintage act, both on the mic and between the ropes.
Joe looks and sounds like a man who should be carrying the strap. He conducts himself like a champion, exudes confidence, and is the most malleable of the four stars in terms of adapting to different styles and opponents. He can go mano a mano with high-flyers, mat technicians, or brawlers - and make it work.
WWE needs to strike while the iron is hot, and boy is it scorching with Joe.
- Christopher Walder