5 superstars who can replace Brock Lesnar as the WWE Universal Champion

A brief history of the WWE Universal ChampionshipThe WWE Universal Championship has been in dire straits ever since its inception in July 2016. It all began with a title belt design that was heavily criticized by fans. In the wrestling front, it really went downhill when the inaugural Universal Championship of Finn Bálor was cut short after a mere 22 hours, as he was forced to vacate the title due to an injury while winning the title.'The Prize Fighter' Kevin Owens became the next WWE Universal Champion with much fan-fare. However, his title reign was under-whelming to say the least. The dreaded ghost of a cowardly WWE Champion got hold of Owens as well. Eventually, he was forced to let go of the title right before Wrestlemania 33.The man who dethroned him was none other than the legendary Goldberg, who made a spectacular return to the ring by defeating 'The Beast Incarnate' Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series 2016.Given his age and limited wrestling skills, Goldberg was meant to be only a transitional champion. At Wrestlemania 33, Goldberg and his nemesis Brock Lesnar squared off for the Universal Championship in a well-received pocket sized match. At the conclusion of a hard-fought bout, Lesnar finally managed to defeat Goldberg and became the fourth WWE Universal Champion in the history.Thus began the title reign that legitimately sucked the entire life out of the prestige of the Universal Championship. In a massive 503-day reign that stretched from Wrestlemania 33 in April 2017 till Summerslam 2018 in August 2018, Brock Lesnar defended the title a mere 14 times (and only 6 were on PPV).Brock Lesnar was a dormant champion and his absence caused severe damage to WWE's storylines. For months, the superstars of the WWE's flagship show did not have the topmost prize to fight for. This logjam was eventually broken off by 'The Big Dog' Roman Reigns at Summerslam 2018.In Roman Reigns, WWE Universe finally had a Universal champion who was &quot;there&quot;. Despite his unpopularity among the Internet Wrestling Community (IWC), Reigns had started to make the Universal Championship look prestigious once again. However, in the most unfortunate turn of events one could imagine, Roman Reigns was forced to relinquish the title on 22 October 2018 as he was diagnosed with leukemia.At Crown Jewel held in Saudi Arabia, Braun Strowman and Brock Lesnar squared off for the vacant Universal Championship. Against the popular opinion of putting the title on Strowman and anointing him as the next top guy, WWE once again decided to put the title back on Brock Lesnar. Perhaps the prospect of Lesnar fighting as the WWE Universal Champion against the UFC Heavyweight Champion Daniel Cormier was too tempting to ignore.Where are we now?The answer is: Back to square one. The reign of an absent champion who is perhaps even bigger than the company has gripped the WWE once again. WWE needs to move on from Brock Lesnar before the backlash from the fans becomes too hard to handle. The big question now is, who is good enough to topple the megastar as the WWE Universal Champion?Taking into consideration the current pecking order and the popularity among the fans, here are the five superstars who can potentially replace Brock Lesnar as the next WWE Universal Champion.5. Dean AmbroseDean AmbroseDean Ambrose has had a rather strange return to the WWE. His storyline with former Shield brother, Seth Rollins has been all over the place. In the last month or so, each episode of Monday Night Raw has seen a strange promo by Dean Ambrose wherein he has talked about germs and even took a syringe in his buttock to protect himself from the &quot;disease&quot; that is Seth Rollins.He has taken inspirations from the famous DC Comics villain Bane by wearing similar gas masks and coats. This story line had so much inherent history that it did not require any such shenanigans.However, 'The Lunatic Fringe; has been a WWE Champion in the past, is still a popular figure among the fans and his wrestling skills are well-proven. He is now the current Intercontinental Champion, which has definitely bolstered his position in the pecking order.Despite the inconsistent writing and booking decisions, Dean Ambrose as a heel could be a vicious character. Given the right character framework, he can definitely stake a claim to be the Universal Champion.

5 superstars who can replace Brock Lesnar as the WWE Universal Champion

4. Finn Bálor