Brock Lesnar Beats Braun Strowman, Retains WWE Universal Title at WWE No Mercy

Brock Lesnar overcame a major challenge from Braun Strowman on Sunday night at No Mercy, as he emerged victorious and retained the Universal Championship.

Strowman was unable to put Lesnar away with a pair of running powerslams. He looked to be getting Lesnar up to set up for a third before Lesnar countered and hit an F5. Lesnar stunned the Staples Center crowd by pinning Strowman for the three-count.

WWE shared a replay of the move that put Strowman down:

Reaction to the match was mixed on social media:

Lesnar and Strowman have seemingly long been on a collision course, and they first truly collided at SummerSlam as part of a Fatal 4-Way.

Strowman physically dominated Lesnar at one point in the match, slamming him through two announce tables before pushing another on top of him.

That led to The Beast Incarnate being taken out of the match for medical attention, but he was later able to return and hit Roman Reigns with an F5 to retain the title.

Since The Monster Among Men didn't factor into the finish of that match, he made it abundantly clear the next night on Raw that he felt he deserved a shot at the Universal Championship.

Strowman made a statement by hitting the ring and laying out Lesnar with his signature running powerslam, as seen in this GIF courtesy of WWE Universe on Twitter:

After making The Conqueror look merely ordinary, Strowman took to Twitter and left no doubt that he intended to exert his dominance over Lesnar:

"

Do I have your attention now!!!! #MonstersFeastOnBeasts

— Braun Strowman (@BraunStrowman) August 22, 2017"

Following his attack, Strowman was granted a title match against Lesnar at No Mercy, setting the stage for one of the biggest battles of behemoths in recent memory.

Lesnar is arguably the most destructive and dominant force in WWE history, but based on what Strowman has done during his short time in the company, he may be the heir apparent to that title.

Losses have been few and far between for Strowman, and he has some massive victories under his belt, including multiple wins over Reigns.

Paul Heyman said during the lead-up to No Mercy that nobody on the entire WWE roster was more deserving of a universal title shot than Strowman, and it was difficult to argue with that notion based on how strongly The Mountain of a Man has been booked.

There are few Superstars in WWE who can realistically stand toe-to-toe with Lesnar physically, and Strowman is undoubtedly on that short list.

It made for a highly intriguing dynamic since Lesnar was the smaller man Sunday, which is something he doesn't often have to deal with.

Lesnar prevailed despite the massive challenge that stood before him, but due to Strowman's penchant for holding grudges, it stands to reason that The Beast hasn't seen the last of The Monster.

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