The Disturbing Truth Behind WWE Universal Title

Brock Lesnar
WWE.com

It was now inextricably linked to the Beast's perception as an act-killing, show-killing mercenary, which WWE hardly helped, in 2018, by booking Lesnar as precisely that in a harebrained attempt to get Roman Reigns over as the lesser of two evils. "Why would I watch the show, Paul?" Lesnar said of RAW, which didn't much put over his title as something to wear with pride or arrogance, or as something to fight for. Roman fought to rescue the belt from the waist of a champion who didn't give a toss about it, not because it marked him, undisputedly, as the best. The narrative surrounding the title became tinged with meta desperation.

Lesnar reclaimed it almost immediately, following Roman's leukaemia diagnosis later that year. In a telling indication of just how much the stench had engulfed everything, Reigns won at SummerSlam 2018 by effectively tapping Lesnar on the shoulder and asking him to look "over there". Again, it was a bullsh*t finish, this time designed to hoodwink fans into cheering for Roman in shock. The Universal Title wasn't a prize to be won, because the victory meant nothing; it was something fans were desperate to see Lesnar lose, until wider apathy kicked in, and suddenly everything wasn't so urgent. WWE's continued TV woes illustrated that Lesnar holding the title didn't affect the quality of its output.

Seth Rollins had slain the Beast, by 2019, first through, yes, chicanery - the events of WrestleMania 35 were germane to the storyline, at least - and then cleanly in a blinding triumph at SummerSlam. It didn't resonate. That leads us to the Fiend, the now, and the weird, damning narrative that surrounded the belt by 2019.

CONT'D...(4 of 5)

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!