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At Crown Jewel, Brock Lesnar is set to defend his WWE Championship against his old UFC nemesis, Cain Velasquez. Velasquez and Lesnar have a long and storied history together and it is going to be interesting to see how the WWE decides to book their encounter.
The match is Velasquez's WWE in-ring debut and given how muted fan reactions have been to him so far, it wouldn't make a lot of sense to slap the WWE Championship around his waist in his first match.
While stranger things have happened and you can never say never in the WWE, it seems likely Lesnar will retain his belt at Crown Jewel. The SmackDown roster is not that strong in terms of potential challengers for the Beast Incarnate but let's take a look at five potential challengers he could have if he retains at Crown Jewel.
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5: Kofi Kingston
SmackDown's roster is seriously lacking in main-event stars or even talent that could feasibly step up to the plate to challenge Brock Lesnar. The company were in a similar position earlier in the year and that ultimately lead to Kofi Kingston being pushed into the main-event of WrestleMania at the last minute.
Kingston's run wasn't without its highlights but it was brought to an emphatic end by Brock Lesnar on SmackDown's debut episode on Fox. Lesnar crushed Kingston in less than 10 seconds and completely killed all of his momentum.
Kingston hasn't even mentioned dropping the belt on TV since which seems a little bit odd. He has been put straight back down into the tag-team division and his entire title reign has been forgotten about.
A quick feud with Lesnar would at least acknowledge that Kofi Kingston was once the WWE Champion and while there is very little chance of him dethroning Lesnar, it would be a nice gesture to at least have him look competitive in a match-up between the two men. They could also use this to plant the seeds for a Big E heel turn somewhere down the line.
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4: Daniel Bryan
Daniel Bryan has not been around the WWE Championship picture since dropping the belt to Kofi Kingston at WrestleMania and given that he is now set to finally turn face again, now would be the perfect time to elevate him back up the card.
Bryan and Lesnar put on an excellent match at last year's Survivor Series and an extended series of matches between the two could really help get the best out of both of the competitors.
Bryan got over in the WWE as their ultimate underdog and the company needs to turn back to that kind of booking if they want him to rise to the top of the company again. SmackDown on Fox is without a clear babyface to promote the brand who the fans are genuinely behind and Daniel Bryan could present them with that option if they were to finally book him correctly.
The feud between the two men could be booked in a way that was similar to their match at Survivor Series, with Bryan valiantly attempting to overcome the odds but just falling short. Lesnar it as his best when he is working with men like Bryan and this one could be great for everyone involved.
3: Cain Velasquez
Of course, just because Lesnar has defeated Cain Velasquez at Crown Jewel, it doesn't mean that their rivalry is done and dusted.
There is a fair chance that Lesnar will retain his belt through some sort of nefarious means at Crown Jewel and this will probably set up a rematch between the two men somewhere down the line.
Cain Velasquez is new to the wrestling ring and he should be given a few more matches before the WWE seriously considers putting the title belt on him. The one issue the WWE face at the moment is that they have built Lesnar up to look unbeatable again and Velasquez may be the only viable candidate to stop him- providing he isn't made to look too weak in defeat at Crown Jewel.
Having Velasquez win the WWE Championship from Brock Lesnar later down the line makes a lot of sense, but the WWE need to make sure that Velasquez has connected with the audience and is not just some random UFC guy who they are told Lesnar is scared of.
A genuine program between the two men that results in Velasquez beating Lesnar is the way forward.
2: Roman Reigns
While many fans will moan about Roman Reigns entering the WWE Championship scene, it is worth noting that he hasn't competed for a top title on PPV since Hell in a Cell 2018, when he defended his Universal Championship against Braun Strowman.
Reigns has spent the majority of his time since his return to the ring in upper mid-card feuds. He has had PPV matches with the likes of Drew McIntyre, Elias, Shane McMahon and Erick Rowan and it is now time for him to step back up into the WWE Championship picture.
Reigns and Lesnar are the two biggest stars on SmackDown so it would make sense for them to push them in their main-event feuds.
Reigns has also defeated Lesnar in the past, which is something that few men on the roster can claim to have done. This also means he is one of the few viable candidates to dethrone him when and if the two men meet again down the line.
Regardless of what fans think, Roman Reigns needs to be back in the main-event picture on SmackDown, to add some extra legitimacy to things if nothing else. For one reason or another, we have never really seen a real run with the belt from Reigns and now could be the time for that.
1: The Fiend
Let's face it, The Fiend is probably not dethroning Seth Rollins at Crown Jewel. We can hope, however, that they somehow find a way to handle it that protects him and gives him an opportunity to move forward with the character.
If that is the case, then they need to come out of the traps with The Fiend on SmackDown and one way to do that would be to book him to take on and ultimately defeat, Brock Lesnar.
Having The Fiend torment Lesnar over the course of weeks and months, instead of rushing into a match between the two at the first given opportunity will be a wise move and would help rebuild The Fiend as a force to be reckoned with.
Wyatt and Lesnar have never been giving an extended feud in the past and seeing a series of exchanges between Wyatt and Paul Heyman could also prove to be a lot of fun.
WWE's move to Fox has not gone quite as well as planned at the moment so having these two men feud it out over the WWE Championship could finally give the brand the headline grabbing feud it needs.
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