Why Brock Lesnar Must Defend the Universal Championship on Raw

WWE's main event scene is crowded, and, unfortunately, there's only one Brock Lesnar. 

As SummerSlam approaches, Lesnar is gearing up for just his second match since WrestleMania as Roman Reigns and Samoa Joe battle for a Universal Championship opportunity with Braun Strowman sure to be lurking somewhere. 

With names like Seth Rollins, Finn Balor and Bray Wyatt still on the outside looking in and WWE running out of time during Lesnar's limited dates schedule, WWE ought to consider booking Lesnar for a future episode of Raw.

Lesnar has not worked one television match since signing with WWE in 2012. With no competition from major North American sports (excepting Major League Baseball), WWE has a nice window to take advantage of viewership by promoting a Universal Championship match on Raw. 

Given the rarity of both a Universal Championship match on television and a Brock Lesnar match in general, Raw can draw its highest rating in quite some time with Lesnar nearing the final year of his three-year contract. 

WWE does not have to worry about overexposure with Lesnar. His part-time schedule has been the butt of many jokes among WWE Superstars, with recent examples being a retweet by Randy Orton and a comment made by Roman Reigns this past Monday on Raw. 

Lesnar has been booked on several house show appearances throughout his tenure with WWE, including an upcoming date against SmackDown's Baron Corbin in Detroit per Detroit's Olympia Entertainment website. 

A Brock Lesnar match on WWE Raw is long overdue and would help differentiate the storytelling for his SummerSlam feud outside of the standard pull-apart brawls and UFC-style interviews. 

Raw's viewership continues to climb back to its pre-WrestleMania average of three million viewers with one of its biggest pay-per-views on the horizon. This past Monday's edition of Raw, featuring an appearance from Lesnar, averaged 3.009 million viewers, bringing its four-week average to 2.98 million. 

The lack of Lesnar appearances on Raw has been one of several reasons the show has seen aggressive viewership declines in 2017, including an annual low in May that was the second-lowest in WWE history, per Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Wrestling Inc). 

Raw's upcoming broadcast stands to benefit from a major announcement by general manager Kurt Angle, and if the reveal of Enzo Amore's attacker is any indication, viewers will certainly be tuned in as WWE's other whodunit storyline reaches its climax. 

A well-advertised match pitting Brock Lesnar against somebody like Finn Balor, who has been lost since his return after being forced to relinquish the Universal Championship, would be a coup for WWE's flagship while giving a much-needed jumpstart to Balor's momentum. 

Raw has been thirsty for a Brock Lesnar match for well over a decade. With WWE in position to rebuild its audience with Monday Night Football dormant, there's no time like the present. 

Alfred Konuwa is a Featured Columnist and on-air host for Bleacher Report and Forbes. Like him on Facebook.