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The Universal title match between Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns is probably one of the most discussed matches on the WrestleMania line-up. So, who will win? Let’s see what the Ringside Intel team thinks!
Sandra’s Prediction
One of the matches I look forward to most is the Universal Title Match. How could it not be my favorite match, especially when the chances are high that Brock Lesnar will finally drop that title? We had to suffer the reign of WWE’s paper champion for far too long, so I honestly do not care who takes that title at this point.
Approximately one year ago, I predicted Brock Lesnar would hold onto the WWE Universal Championship until WrestleMania 34 and unfortunately I was correct. Of course, for me to be a 100% accurate, Roman Reigns must take the title from Reigns at WrestleMania 34.
While I was extremely confident that Lesnar would drop the title to Roman Reigns at WrestleMania, I’m no longer entirely sure. The reason for that is the rumor that the WWE is discussing an extension of Brock Lesnar’s contract. God help us if he holds onto that title even longer!
Even if you are one of those fans who hates Roman Reigns, consider this: Brock Lesnar has done nothing to elevate the value of the WWE Universal Championship. Many fans have even forgotten about that title since Brock defends it rarely and was guaranteed to hold onto it until WrestleMania 34. When he does defend it, he seems to be out of puff too, limiting his in-ring work to those annoying suplexes and making his lengthy title reign a lot less believable.
While on the subject of title elevation, remember when the WWE Universal Championship used to mean something? A time when people actually cared about the title match. Me and my partner were watching Raw matches from the year 2000 yesterday, just for fun. Title matches were a lot more common then, mainly because the WWE had some competition at that time. Now, there is no competition and less effort from the WWE to draw in those viewers. It does make you wonder, does the WWE require some excellent competition to give us a champion that can elevate that title and make it mean something again?
Conclusion? Well, I hope Roman Reigns takes the title from Brock Lesnar, and I still predict this is going to happen. If not, then I will be skipping anything to do with the WWE Universal Championship in the future. Sorry, I have no interest in someone who is more concerned about his money than entertaining the fans who put him there in the first place.
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Katie’s Prediction
Brock Lesnar is on his way out of WWE. He wants to return to UFC, and WWE is understandably unwilling to allow him to do so while still under contract with them, especially given the fact that he failed a drug test the last time he was scheduled to fight inside the octagon. But, more importantly, because Lesnar is on his way out of WWE, there’s no way he’ll survive WrestleMania 34 as Universal Champion – and I couldn’t be more ready for Roman Reigns to take over.
Once upon a time, I was as annoyed as everyone else with how desperate WWE was to elevate Roman Reigns; but they’ve shifted their strategy over the last few months. Instead of attempting to turn Reigns into the next big babyface, WWE is merely pushing him as the company’s “top guy” – and it’s working. Reigns is far from the most beloved Superstar on the roster, but he doesn’t need to be, and he’s proven time and time again that he’s more than worthy of carrying the Universal Championship.
As for the match itself, this will be a knock-down drag-out fight. I’ve never been a fan of Lesnar’s, but his matches never cease to impress me – although they do seem to be getting shorter and shorter. Like Lesnar, Reigns is a heavy hitter, but getting the title from the champion will be no easy feat. It will undoubtedly take more than one Superman Punch to get Lesnar to stay down for the count, and Reigns will make several trips to Suplex City.
That being said, the Big Dog will leave New Orleans as Universal Champion – and a lot of people aren’t going to be happy about it. But as Sandra said, I’d much rather have Reigns as champion than Lesnar. He may not be well liked, but at least he’ll be around to defend the championship.
Hunter’s Prediction
A year ago I dreaded this match.
Six months ago I made peace with it happening. Three months ago I became excited. Today, it is the match I am most looking forward to on the card. The build to this match has been some of WWE’s best in a while.
They’re making both stars look like brutal killers who don’t care for each other or their public perceptions. While their first Wrestlemania match is overshadowed by Rollin’s cash-in, it was a battle between two titans that, my eyes, stood out on its own. My only concern is that Lesnar can’t go the length needed for this to be a Wrestlemania main event. His match against Goldberg was good enough, despite being the shortest match on the card. Hopefully, Lesnar is using his rumored UFC comeback to get his cardio up.
I expect there to be a few boos because there are a lot of fans who hate Reigns now out of sheer and sad habit. But this will be a good match. Roman Reigns is world class wrestler who got a great match out of the Big Show not two years ago. He is the man for a reason. He has the look, the swagger, and the skills to lead this company. The debate over that is over. It is his yard now. All he has to do is vanquish Lesnar, and all the doubters might not be silent, but they’ll have less of a leg to stand on. Roman Reigns in what will probably be a brief but violent match.
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