Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar Will Be Feud of the Summer After WWE Extreme Rules

All it takes is one event for all plans to change. Braun Strowman's injury ahead of WWE Extreme Rules 2017 forced a massive reshuffle from Monday Night Raw that has now led to a Fatal 5-Way match to determine the new No. 1 contender to the WWE Universal Championship. Five men will battle for the right to face Brock Lesnar at WWE Great Balls of Fire.

One man stands above the rest of the pack as the front-runner to win the match: Roman Reigns. Since the night after WrestleMania 33, Lesnar and Paul Heyman have been focused on one clash—the battle of the two men who defeated The Undertaker at WrestleMania. Heyman directly declared Reigns the only competition that Lesnar was interested in.

However, this was likely originally meant to be a setup for a long-term feud. The two men who defeated the unbeatable at WrestleMania would build to a match at the event in which they both were conquerors. Unlike the first clash between Reigns and Lesnar, this would have the backing of a quality story and build that would be a worthy headliner for WrestleMania 34.

Since Lesnar vs. Strowman was likely the initial plan for the summer in WWE, with that feud put on hold until the big man's return, someone else has to step up to the plate. According to WWE's estimates, Strowman will not return for six months, which means a new major summer feud must take up that mantle.

Of the five men competing to face Lesnar, Reigns is the odd man out in many ways. Seth Rollins is still feuding heavily with Samoa Joe. Meanwhile, Bray Wyatt recently set his sights on Finn Balor for a war between The Eater of Worlds and The Demon King that could be a major summer feud. Reigns lost his rival and has few options available for a feud right now.

Instead of waiting on a 'Mania rematch, WWE can jump-start this feud to rage through all of the summer. While the build to the match between Lesnar and Reigns the first time was lackluster, the actual match was one of the best recent contests on the Grandest Stage of Them All. These powerhouses have clear chemistry that will make for fantastic matches.

In a time when WWE has consistently pushed further toward a high-flying style, Reigns vs. Lesnar will stand out among the pack. Continuing the physicality Reigns has showcased with Strowman, The Big Dog and The Beast Incarnate will tear into each other in a way that will leave both men bruised and beaten.

With Raw out of whack at the moment and ratings hitting dangerous lows, the show needs a major angle to change the direction of the brand. While SmackDown builds up new stars, including Jinder Mahal and Baron Corbin, and begins setting up for Shinsuke Nakamura's rise up the ranks, Raw does not have the same big angle yet to match the second brand and attempt to change momentum.

As long as Lesnar commits to a significant number of dates in the next three months, Lesnar vs. Reigns could run all the way to SummerSlam, leading to a trio of Universal Championship clashes. Nothing would be bigger by the end of August than Lesnar vs. Reigns, which could conclude at SummerSlam in a No Holds Barred match.

This summer should have a host of fantastic feuds given the amount of talent on the roster. With John Cena's return likely not far away and AJ Styles vs. Kevin Owens leading the brand, SmackDown is set. Even so, nothing that brand can develop will be able to match up to the vicious clash of the titans that would come from Reigns winning at Extreme Rules.

It is possible WWE still plans to wait on Reigns vs. Lesnar for now, with one-off clashes for Lesnar against other top Raw stars, including Balor and Rollins, in the coming months. But nothing would give Raw a higher profile or lead a more massive summer angle for WWE as a whole than Reigns challenging Lesnar for Raw's top championship.