Weekend Wristlock: 5 Future Universal Champions

For more than a year now, Raw has been absent of a major title. Part-timer Brock Lesnar is usually nowhere to be found, so The Miz and Seth Rollins have been counted on to make/keep the Intercontinental title at high prestige. At some point however, Lesnar will lose the title, and it will be on display week in and week out with its new holder. Here, we will be quickly discussing five potential future Universal champions, and why they deserve their shot.

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This isn't a stretch, but the "Monster Among Men" is one of the hottest stars on Raw right now. An absolute destructor, Strowman needs to be looking for something more - like a title shot. He did lose to Lesnar last year, but he has a very good case to get another shot at the Beast Incarnate whenever the champ returns. Braun is wasting away on the roster every minute he is without a title shot. Maybe Money in the Bank could change that...

The first ever Universal champion makes this list, and considering he never got his rematch after being forced to vacate the title due to injury, Bálor has every right to feel slighted by management. He has proved over the past few weeks that he is more than ready to be the main attraction on Raw. He might be small, but the leader of the Bálor Club has enough charisma and wrestling ability to make up for that.

As a former Intercontinental champion, McIntyre came back to the company with the perfect look of a WWE superstar. The former "chosen one" has an aggressive mean streak and has a beef with everybody in the locker room. He would be a great choice to dethrone Lesnar, as that would build his credibility immensely. He would be a very different and unexpected champion, which would keep the main event scene fresh as well.

Another former champion, Owens also never received his contractually obligated rematch after losing the title to Goldberg over a year ago. Unlike Bálor, KO has no issue doing whatever it takes to win, and berating his opponent and the crowd while doing so. Owens is fantastic on the mic, is very good in the ring, and has more size than many other guys on the roster.

The most obvious (and most likely) choice on this list, Rollins is quite possibly the best wrestler in the company today. He has incredible wrestling skills, a deep resume, solid mic skills, and incredible charisma. Despite currently holding the Intercontinental championship, I can easily picture him losing his title to Elias before going on to challenge Brock Lesnar for his title (at Summerslam, perhaps?). Rollins will make a great champion, and finally bring prestige back to the Universal championship.