A Brock Lesnar Fatal 4-Way Win Would Cement Greatest WWE SummerSlam Star Status

There is little doubt that the Universal Championship Fatal 4-Way match between Brock Lesnar, Samoa Joe, Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman at WWE SummerSlam 2017 is the most anticipated bout of the night for fans, though there is quite a bit of doubt surrounding the outcome of the contest.

Virtually any one of the four could walk away with the Universal title in tow. To make matters more exciting (as well as uncertain), Lesnar promised on the July 31 edition of Raw that he will leave the WWE if he is unsuccessful in retaining his title, and it isn't a guarantee he will win.

That said, he should be considered the favorite to emerge victorious if his track record at the event is any indication. The odds may be stacked against him with it being a Fatal 4-Way match on Sunday, but one must remember the success Lesnar has had at SummerSlam in the past.

It was 15 years ago this August that Lesnar made his SummerSlam debut, only months removed from his arrival on the WWE's main roster. On that night, he defeated The Rock in impressive fashion to become the youngest WWE champion in company history and solidified his spot among the elite.

One year later at SummerSlam, he faced off with Kurt Angle in a WrestleMania rematch for the WWE Championship. Although he fell short of victory, it was another incredible installment in their stellar series of matches in 2003 with Lesnar looking credible in defeat.

Due to Lesnar's departure from the WWE following WrestleMania 20, it wasn't until 2012 that Lesnar competed on the grand stage of SummerSlam again, this time for a dream match against Triple H. Not only did he beat The Game, he forced him to submit and picked up his first win since returning to the ring earlier that year.

Lesnar remained unstoppable well into 2013, and once he wrapped up his rivalry with Triple H, he set his sights on CM Punk heading into SummerSlam. Those two brought the best out of each other, and at SummerSlam, they contested a classic, with The Beast Incarnate having his hand raised in the end.

As competitive a matchup as that was, John Cena didn't score nearly as much offense over Lesnar when they did battle at SummerSlam 2014. Lesnar annihilated his opponent for the entire bout, hitting him with 16 suplexes in total and picking up the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in the process.

After the atrocity that was their WrestleMania 30 match, Lesnar and The Undertaker redeemed themselves with an excellent effort at SummerSlam the next year. The finish was fluky, as Undertaker cheated to avenge his loss from one year earlier, but it capped off the evening on an epic note.

Lesnar's latest SummerSlam performance saw him wage war with Randy Orton, who brought the fight to The Conqueror before being slain in brutal fashion. Orton was forced to forfeit once he was busted open, a sight fans will forever remember despite the match itself failing to meet expectations.

Credit: WWE.com

Of the last five matches Lesnar has had at SummerSlam, four of them have headlined the show, and this year will be no different. He's constantly in the SummerSlam spotlight, making it difficult to dispute that he is indeed the greatest competitor in the long lineage of the August extravaganza.

Few others can say they have experienced that same success at SummerSlam, though there have been those who have been known for their outstanding outings at the event. Cena would, of course, be in the conversation considering the spectacular SummerSlam matches he's produced with Daniel Bryan, AJ Styles, CM Punk, Seth Rollins and Batista.

Additionally, Bret Hart had his fair share of Match of the Year candidates at SummerSlam as well with the likes of Owen Hart, The Undertaker, The British Bulldog and Mr. Perfect. He made a total of 11 SummerSlam appearances, but he wasn't in the main event nearly as many times as Lesnar has been.

Should The Beast Incarnate walk away from the squared circle when his WWE contract expires in the spring of 2018, SummerSlam will have lost a major draw. With each passing year, he becomes an even bigger focal point of the biggest party of the summer, and in order for that to continue to be the case, he must have a strong showing on Sunday and retain his title.

Giving the gold to any of the other three combatants would ensure that title will appear on Raw more frequently in the future, but Lesnar maintaining his possession of the prestigious prize would cement his status as the greatest SummerSlam star of all time.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, is an Endicott College alumnus and aspiring journalist. Visit his website, Next Era Wrestling, and "like" his official Facebook page to continue the conversation on all things wrestling.