Backstage Update On WWE's Original Crown Jewel Main Event Plans
Brock Lesnar is a two-time Universal Champion, but this WASN'T in the original script.
Brock Lesnar scored a massive Universal Title victory at WWE Crown Jewel, defeating rival Braun Strowman in less than three minutes to become the first two-time champion in the belt's young history.
It was a shocking outcome, as most had Strowman pegged to take the big red belt in Saudi Arabia. This wasn't in WWE's original plans, though: those went out the window the moment Roman Reigns' leukaemia returned.
Per Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, the company had planned on having 'The Big Dog' retain the Universal Title at Crown Jewel. Lesnar would have then been done with the promotion for the foreseeable future, but he has now signed a new two-match WWE deal, one of which will be his Survivor Series 2018 showdown with AJ Styles.
Lesnar is expected to challenge for Daniel Cormier's UFC Heavyweight Championship sometime in early 2019. It has long been presumed that WWE would prefer 'The Beast Incarnate' to walk into that bout as Universal Champion, but he'd only have one remaining date on his contract by that point. This makes the scenario unlikely, unless, of course, Lesnar decides to stick around for longer...