Brock Lesnar's Options Are Limited for Next WWE Universal Championship Match

WWE has a Brock Lesnar problem. 

The powerhouse with the Universal Championship around his waist has a dearth of believable opponents. It's an issue WWE created for itself, one that looms as the Royal Rumble approaches.

The company has painted The Beast Incarnate as an unstoppable force while not simultaneously giving another Superstar the same treatment in order to create a worthy foil. It has spotlighted and showcased Ultron without making sure there are Avengers who can stop him.

Lesnar has torn through the roster's monsters, knocking off Goldberg, Samoa Joe and Braun Strowman in another dominant year.

So who's next? Reportedly, WWE isn't sure.

According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Jon Fuentes of SEScoops), WWE's plans for Lesnar at the Royal Rumble are still undecided and may involve him working a non-title match.

If the company is saving Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns for WrestleMania 34 as expected, the list of warriors WWE can turn to in the meantime is mighty short. Lesnar is a steamrolling predator who has fended off the roster's most fearsome men. It's hard to imagine rising star Jason Jordan or the cowardly and crafty Miz being a true test for him.

On E Wrestling News, Anthony Mango rightly dismissed several other potential contenders: "Randy Orton already had his match. I certainly don’t want to see Bray Wyatt fight Lesnar. Baron Corbin is nowhere near ready for this spotlight."

But The Beast Incarnate can't just settle into the shadows of his lair until WrestleMania. Someone needs to step up to try to take the universal title from him.

WWE's minimal options for that role include slugfest sequels, calling on an Irishman or venturing well outside the box.

Rematches

WWE did a fantastic job of building up Joe ahead of his clash with the champ at Great Balls of Fire.

The Destroyer choked out both Lesnar and his advocate Paul Heyman. Joe took down Reigns and Seth Rollins as he charged toward the title bout. He was unafraid, bursting with rage, a dangerous man who knew nothing of mercy.

Lesnar beat him in quicker fashion than many expected, though, which slowed Joe's momentum.

The company took the same route with Strowman. Ahead of No Mercy, The Monster Among Men was portrayed as not only Lesnar's equal, but as the rare warrior to force The Beast Incarnate into an underdog role.

It doesn't feel like WWE wants either man to step up to Lesnar again, however. Joe is off hunting Reigns. Strowman is busy with Kane. And neither powerhouse has crossed paths with Lesnar after losing to him.

They are both worthy rivals for Lesnar, even if WWE would have to restart the hyping process a bit. It would be harder for the audiences to buy into Joe and Strowman after seeing them fall courtesy of a single F-5 each.

But if WWE doesn't want to revisit either of those bouts, its stock of options diminishes big time.

The Demon

Finn Balor remains the star a good chunk of fans want to see square off with Lesnar.

Never mind that the champion outweighs him by nearly a hundred pounds. Never mind that Balor has a cruiserweight build and Lesnar became one of the scariest heavyweights UFC had ever seen. There is still buzz about this potential matchup.

As Balor made sure to point out, he did quite well in a WWE.com poll about who should face Lesnar next:

The issue beyond the size difference is that WWE doesn't seem to be building up Balor for much of anything of late. It would be one thing if the underdog Balor had been rolling, piling up wins and proving himself against the roster's behemoths. But instead, he's been booked inconsistently.

Recent losses to Joe and Kane don't help him look like a threat to Lesnar. We're talking about a guy who lost to the midcarder Elias earlier this year and struggled to put away low-rung star Bo Dallas on Monday's Raw.

If Balor is going to be the plan, WWE has to work to heat him up in a hurry.

Other Options?

If you scratch off Joe, Strowman and Balor, as WWE may have done, the pickings become all kinds of slim.

Wyatt would have made more sense had he been booked better this year or any year really. He's not so much a monster, but a pest.

Cesaro is not treated like a big enough deal. The same goes for Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson. Going with Lesnar vs. Big Show again would be overkill. 

A showdown with John Cena creates the same problem as those two have collided four times since Lesnar's 2012 return, per CageMatch.net.

Another match with AJ Styles has plenty of appeal from an action standpoint, but it doesn't make sense to do champion against champion again so soon after Survivor Series. Styles needs to defend his title, as does Lesnar.

So as WWE tries to figure out who is the best challenger to confront The Beast Incarnate, it won't have ample nominees to choose from. Boosting Balor remains the smartest route outside of letting Joe or Strowman get a second crack at the gold.