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What's the story?
The WWE brand split is becoming less and less rigid all the time, as more and more crossover between RAW and SmackDown Live seems to be taking place at WWE live events. Brock Lesnar was the latest RAW superstar to turn up at a SmackDown show, defending his WWE Universal Championship at a live event in Tampa on Saturday.
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In case you didn't know...
Brock Lesnar is WWE's biggest star attraction, and the current WWE Universal Champion. Lesnar won the title by defeating Goldberg at WrestleMania 33 but has only defended the championship on three occasions since. All three of those bouts have seen Lesnar stand across the ring from Samoa Joe.
Also read: 5 ways WWE can book an epic retirement for Brock Lesnar
Despite his relaxed schedule, Lesnar has been known to turn up at live events in order to boost ticket sales and product interest. Lesnar defended the Universal Championship against Samoa Joe on another SmackDown show recently in Detroit.
The heart of the matter
Fans in Tampa may well have been surprised to see two of RAW's biggest superstars show up at the SmackDown Live show. The show is a part of the SummerSlam Heatwave Tour, as WWE gears up for its second biggest show of the year, SummerSlam.
Lesnar was accompanied by Paul Heyman as he defended the WWE Universal Championship against Samoa Joe. The match was your standard Lesnar fare, with plenty of suplexes and intensity before an F5 and a 1-2-3.
Elsewhere on the show, Jinder Mahal defeated Randy Orton (again), AJ Styles defended the United States Championship against Kevin Owens, and The New Day defeated Breezango, The Hype Bros and The Usos in a Fatal Four Way for the SmackDown Tag Team Championships.
What's next?
At SummerSlam, Brock Lesnar will make his second televised defence of the WWE Universal Championship. Samoa Joe will once again challenge for the strap, but he will not be alone. Lesnar will put the title on the line in a Fatal Four Way match, with Braun Strowman and Roman Reigns making up the rest of the lineup.
Lesnar has been rumoured to be interested in a return to the UFC, and as such a championship loss isn't out of the question. We won't have to wait long to see - SummerSlam is just six days away.
Author's take
WWE fans should grab every chance they can to see Brock Lesnar in action, as he isn't going to be around forever. Lesnar is arguably the last truly special attraction the company has, a once-in-a-generation athlete that should be celebrated. The fans in Tampa should consider themselves lucky.
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