Booking Brock Lesnar's Universal Championship Run Up to WWE WrestleMania 34

Monsters, destroyers and demons await Brock Lesnar en route to WWE WrestleMania 34.

The imposing, fearsome universal champion has a series of challengers waiting for a crack at his crown. WWE can play up Lesnar's invincibility and make pay-per-view magic should it let a variety of foes step up to him.

Surviving the gauntlet that was the Fatal 4-Way match at SummerSlam suggests Lesnar is going to keep hold of the Universal Championship for a long time. The safe bet is he carries that gold into next April for a WrestleMania date with Roman Reigns.

That's the money match. That's the big bout it increasingly looks like WWE is building toward. 

Reigns is one of the most polarizing figures in WWE history, but the company is clearly high on him, as he's headlined three WrestleManias in a row. If anyone is going to topple The Beast Incarnate, it's him.

If that's the route WWE has chosen, who faces Lesnar at the major events leading up to The Show of Shows? What does his dance card look like for the next eight months?

Read on for a look at an ideal path to WrestleMania for The Conqueror, one that has him creating stirring stories and matches.

Brock Lesnar vs. Braun Strowman (No Mercy)

Credit: WWE.com

The night after SummerSlam, Braun Strowman strode into the ring, clobbered Lesnar and left. And with that, it was clear where WWE was heading for the No Mercy PPV.

Lesnar vs. Strowman for the Universal Championship is officially a part of the Sept. 24 event. This is a match worthy of WrestleMania, but WWE clearly doesn't want to wait. 

WWE's goal in this bout should be to make Lesnar look like an unbeatable champion while showcasing Strowman as the future star of the company. Leading up to the PPV, we should see at least one wild brawl backstage wherein the men destroy everything around them.

During the match itself, Strowman and Lesnar should go toe-to-toe, looking like equals, two titans colliding.

At one point, Strowman should hit his running powerslam and Lesnar only avoids defeat thanks to Paul Heyman putting his client's foot on the rope. 

A smart ending to protect Strowman would be for the two rivals to knock each other out as they smash through the LED screen on the entrance ramp. It would then be easy to set up the rematch as The Monster Among Men demands another crack at The Conqueror.

Brock Lesnar vs. Braun Strowman (Raw)

Strowman vs. Lesnar is the kind of matchup WWE should deliver to its fans more than once. It's not often an opponent can tower over The Beast Incarnate and outdo him in terms of an imposing aura.

Their second showdown would deliver a most memorable edition of Raw.

Lesnar hasn't had a match on WWE TV since 2004. And it's been 15 years since his last Raw bout, per CageMatch.net. Having him defend his crown on Raw would be a major ratings booster.

The rematch would benefit greatly from a stipulation, be it Last Man Standing or Falls Count Anywhere.

That would allow both men to issue destruction for the ages. Their wild bout should send them through the stands and into the parking lot, tearing everything apart along the way. And Lesnar could survive this battle without harming Strowman's aura should he beat the big man by throwing him off a ledge or via some other memorable big spot.

Brock Lesnar vs. Samoa Joe (Survivor Series)

After making it past Strowman, Lesnar could proclaim no one can take him down. Heyman could announce The Beast Incarnate has conquered WWE and that there's no true challenge left for him.

Raw general manager Kurt Angle would agree to a point, saying the next man to face him had to earn it. And so the GM would book at No. 1 contender's tournament that would play out on Raw over the course of several weeks.

Samoa Joe would take down foes like Reigns, Bray Wyatt and Jeff Hardy to win that competition.

That would set up the rematch many were clamoring for immediately after Joe and Lesnar collided at Great Balls of Fire in July. When independent wrestler Vinnie Massaro tweeted: "Please give Samoa Joe a rematch, I want more," he was far from the only one to feel that way.

Joe vs. Lesnar thrilled, and WWE would be smart to revisit that rivalry.

The Samoan Submission Machine would come out of the tournament teeming with momentum. He would give Lesnar another tough test at Survivor Series. The Beast Incarnate, though, would outlast The Destroyer and beat him with a trio of F-5s.

Brock Lesnar vs. Finn Balor (Royal Rumble)

Heading into the Royal Rumble, Finn Balor would challenge Lesnar on Raw.

The champ would laugh him off, though. He would dismiss Balor as being too small to give him a test. Balor would then go on a long winning streak against Raw's biggest behemoths, knocking off the likes of Strowman, Big Show and Luke Gallows by outsmarting them all.

Eventually, Heyman would convince Lesnar to take Balor up on his challenge. After all, the advocate made the case ahead of Extreme Rules that Balor was the best man battling in the No. 1 Contender's match that night.

It would set up a fresh, intriguing matchup for the Rumble. As Miami Herald columnist Scott Fishman tweeted back in July: "Finn Balor vs. Brock Lesnar will be electrifying when it happens."

The Royal Rumble PPV is often when WWE goes with unconventional challengers because so many big stars are in the Battle Royal itself. Should that tradition continue and lead to Balor taking on Lesnar, WWE would have a must-watch David-versus-Goliath battle on its hands.

Lesnar would overpower Balor, leaving the gutsy hero cringing in pain.

Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns (WrestleMania 34)

The ideal story to tell between Lesnar and Reigns is The Big Dog fully embracing his dark side to take down the man he's been unable to dethrone.

After a series of big losses in late 2017, Reigns would start to doubt himself. The gap between his spells with the championship would have grown. His confidence would waver. 

And in frustration and desperation, Reigns would begin to be extra aggressive in the ring, bending the rules along the way. When asked whether his moral code had shifted, he would dismiss the idea. He would explain he's just trying to win and is not changing.

At WrestleMania, though, that would prove untrue. 

A nastier, unfeeling side of Reigns would emerge. He would claw at Lesnar's eyes, use the ropes for leverage and bark at the fans getting on his case. To complete the heel turn and finally yank the title from Lesnar's grip, Reigns would conspire with Heyman.

The manager would turn on The Beast Incarnate and side with The Big Dog to aid him in winning the Universal Championship.

If Lesnar wanted to return to UFC at that point, he could. If we wanted to re-sign, he could return as a man incensed by betrayal.

Reigns, meanwhile, would be WWE's public enemy No. 1 and a more intriguing character than he is right now.