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WWE SummerSlam 2018 is now officially behind us, as Roman Reigns ended the show by picking up a win that was over three years in the making, defeating Brock Lesnar via pinfall after hitting the now ex-Universal Champion with a Spear.
Of course, pretty much everyone expected Reigns to walk out with the Universal Championship, as Lesnar is likely heading to the UFC in an attempt to regain the promotion's Heavyweight Championship, which he lost back in October of 2010.
Does this mean Lesnar is done with WWE? Maybe. But, it probably does mean that WWE is going to have to find a new challenger for the red brand's new top dog, unless they were able to quietly re-sign Lesnar prior to the match.
So, who on the Raw brand could be next for its new Champion? Well, the options are pretty scarce, but there are three possible opponents who could be next in line for a shot at the "Big Dog."
With all that in mind, let's go ahead and take a closer look at who could be next to challenge Roman Reigns for the WWE Universal Championship.
#3 Finn Balor
It's pretty shocking when you realize that Finn Balor hasn't gotten another shot at the Universal Championship since he was stripped of the title due to injury back in August of 2016. But, will WWE finally give him another opportunity two years later?
Balor, who brought back his infamous "Demon" look for SummerSlam, defeated Baron Corbin in just over 90 seconds, which could mean that WWE is trying to springboard the ex-NXT Champion back into the WWE Universal Championship picture.
In the past, Balor has worked well with Roman Reigns, and he'd probably be an excellent opponent for him once again if WWE decides to go in that direction. The only negative to a potential feud between the two is the same negative WWE has been running into with Reigns over the past few years, which is that the fans will definitely cheer Balor over the new Universal Champ.
#2 Braun Strowman
Just a few moments prior to the bell sounding for the Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns main event, Braun Strowman interrupted and promised to cash-in on whoever the winner ended up being. However, that didn't happen, as Brock Lesnar laid Strowman out with an F-5 and a series of chair shots just moments before the finish, which prohibited the "Monster Among Men" from delivering on his promise.
It's important to note that Strowman does still hold the Money in the Bank contract, as he failed to officially cash-in after the Universal Championship match, so WWE could hold off on doing Braun vs. Roman just for that reason. Essentially, they wouldn't see the point of giving a title match to a guy who already can get one at any moment.
Perhaps in an attempt to circumvent the aforementioned issue, Strowman will announce that he's cashing-in at the next WWE pay-per-view, which will be the Hell in a Cell show on September 16.
#1 Bobby Lashley
If WWE does decide to hold off on doing Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman next, then I can definitely see them doing another Reigns vs. Bobby Lashley match for the title at next month's Hell in a Cell show.
Lashley was the only top Raw star who didn't have a match on the SummerSlam card, so perhaps he'll have to earn an opportunity at the Universal Championship on Monday's Raw show, or WWE could go with the idea that they're 1-1 against each other, and that they'll have the rubber match at Hell in a Cell.
Aside from Lashley, there really isn't anyone else on the Raw roster who is credible enough to challenge for the brand's top title. In fact, all three potential opponents on this list are babyfaces, which pretty much tells you that the red brand is badly lacking main-event level heels.
But, perhaps they'll change that during Raw by turning one of the three aforementioned names, or, and this is highly unlikely, they'll finally turn Reigns
No matter what WWE ends up doing, the fans are likely in agreement that it's good to finally have a full-time World Champion on Raw again.
