Royal Rumble 2019 Brock Lesnar v Finn Bálor

After Braun Strowman ripped the door off of Mr. McMahon’s limo during Raw, The Chairman stripped The Monster Among Men of his Universal Title bout against Brock Lesnar and made an impromptu Fatal 4-Way Match for later on Raw to determine The Anomaly’s new challenger. That thrilling free-for-all determined that The Beast will now face first-ever Universal Champion Finn Bálor in a highly-anticipated clash for the illustrious title.

The seismic change began in the opening moments of Monday Night Raw when Lesnar’s refusal to meet Strowman in the ring for the second week in a row sent The Monster Among Men storming into the backstage area in pursuit of his Royal Rumble opponent. When he approached what he thought was The Conqueror’s limo and ripped the door clean off the hinges, however, he found himself face-to-face with Mr. McMahon. The irate WWE Chairman wasted little time dispensing punishment, stripping Strowman of his Universal Title opportunity and fining him $100,000.

Before the WWE Universe could even catch its collective breath, Mr. McMahon announced that a Fatal 4-Way Match would be held in Raw’s main event to determine who would challenge Lesnar at the Rumble, as Bálor, 16-time World Champion John Cena, Drew McIntyre and Baron Corbin waged war in an unforgettable bout.

Prior to the matchup, however, former WWE Champion Jinder Mahal attempted to work his way into the mix, only to be bested by Bálor in a one-on-one showdown to determine which Superstar would compete in the Fatal 4-Way Match. Then, in his second matchup of the night, Bálor triumphed over Cena, McIntyre and Corbin to earn his opportunity to finally reclaim what was once his.

The newly established showdown between Lesnar and Bálor is a classic matchup pitting the unyielding strength of the titleholder against the quickness and agility of his determined challenger. Although The Beast Incarnate is the personification of sheer dominance, one only must look back to his clash against WWE Champion “The New” Daniel Bryan at Survivor Series to see the chink in the armor, as The Beard nearly overcame Lesnar with his quickness, technical prowess and resilience. Bálor possesses similar qualities; will it be enough to slay The Beast and claim the Universal Title?