The Best Candidates to replace Roman Reigns as Universal Champion.

As most of you probably already know. Joe Anao'i aka WWE Superstar Roman Reigns announced on Monday Night RAW that he is battling Leukemia and wouldn't be able to continue wrestling and relinquished the Universal Title. 
So November 3rd, 2018 at WWE PPV Crown Jewel. 
Brock Lesnar and Braun Strowman will have match for the Vacant Universal Championship. But with WWE having the most talented roster in a decade, which wrestlers on the RAW brand would make good replacements for Reigns as Universal Champion? I will give my opinion on which wrestler I think are the best and most suitable to be Universal Champion. 

Clear Favorite For Universal Champions.


Braun Strowman.

Strowman has been feuding with Regins the past few months for the Universal Championship. Up until Roman's departure it was scheduled for him to face Lesnar and Reigns in a Triple Threat for the Title at 
Crown Jewel. The only title Braun has held in his WWE Career so far is the RAW Tag Championship. But other accomplishments include Money in the Bank Winner, Worlds Strongest Man 2012, and Most Improved Wrestler of 2017.  Braun is known as the Monster among Men and has definitely been built in the past year as nothing less then a Monster. Destroying several of RAW's top stars in his path of Destruction. Tho he has improved, to me he lacks a little in the mic skills category and still could use more character development. An Mid Card title run and few more feuds with top stars could definitely help in making him more believable of a Champion. For the most part tho, 
I think he could make a good Universal Champion.



Brock Lesnar.

You name it, Brock has accomplished it. UFC Champion, World Champion in several major wrestling promotions, has dominated countless Wrestling legends.
Brock Lesnar is easily the favorite to replace Reigns as Champion. But most fans are tired of seeing Lesnar as Champion due to him not showing up but every few weeks. Brock is also on his way back to the UFC and that will take majority of his time when he does go back. When he does show up he is an amazing champion and beyond dominant. When he wrestles it's like he goes to war. Only the toughest superstars can believable challenge "The Beast". But how much longer will he be competing in the WWE to be the Universal Champion?



Seth Rollins.

Rollins is a grand slam champion in WWE, was in the first universal title match and has been the face of the company before and is more then qualified to be it again. 
Triple H's protege, Rollins has been groomed to be the face of WWE since he walked into the company. Rollins is the current Intercontinental Champion and one half of the RAW Tag Champions. 
So obviously hes championship material. He's one of the top Baby faces of WWE and one of the companies top in ring performers and stellar on the mic. I easily see him being Universal Champion in the near future. 



Dean Ambrose.

Ambrose is another grand slam champion. Was the WWE World Heavy Weight Champion and the face of 
WWE Smackdown Live when the show first began. Since returning from injury he has been more dominant then ever. Coming back as more of powerhouse and having recently turned Heel is great candidate to be 
Universal Champion.
Ambrose has been a great US, Intercontinental, and World Champion in the past. He's had feuds with WWE top stars including Triple H, Brock Lesnar, and AJ Styles. Hes currently one half of the RAW Tag Champions and is in RAW's top feud with Seth Rollins. Ambrose is a great in ring performer and pretty good on the mic as well. He'll easily be a main stay in the company for years to come. With more Character Development, I could see him being one of WWE's top heels. He's proved before he can be a dominant and believable world champion and I see him being one again.




Dark Horses as Universal Champion.


Drew McIntyre.

McIntyre's first run in WWE was very good. When he debuted he was introduced by none other then Vince McMahon himself and was labeled "The Choosen One" and said to be a future world champion. McIntyre has been the face and world champion of several promotions outside of the WWE and is a former NXT, Tag, and Intercontinental Champion within his WWE Career. Since returning Drew has been nothing less then fantastic, being beyond dominant and a great heel. Recently he laid out Braun Strowman which few people has been able to do in the last year. Hes no doubt on his way to the top in WWE and I see him one day being a World Champion.



Finn Balor.

Finn Balor has been a top star all over the world. He is also the first ever Universal Champion. 
I believe he could be the Universal Champ again. 
Finn is one of WWE's best in ring performers and could use a little work on the mic. His image is great and has a great alter personal in his "Demon King" character. Finn Balor is also a top face in WWE and is loved fiercely by the WWE Universe. But in last few months its seemed WWE hasn't been utilizing him the way they could. I'd love to see him have a mid card title run or tag title run. He deserves more then hes gotten as of late. I could see Finn being a great Money in the Bank Winner this year and that could be a great way to put him back in the Universal Title picture. 



Dolph Ziggler.

Dolph is one of WWE's top veterans being with the company almost 15 years now. He held the US, Intercontinental, Tag, and World Title in his career. He has to many accomplishments with company to name and has feuded with the best of the best feuding with wrestlers such as 
Edge, Triple H, and Randy Orton.
He has had the title of being the best seller in the business for years. Hes a top notch in ring performer and great on the mic. Hes had great success as a Face and Heel and is currently one of RAW's top heels. Hes a clear cut main eventer helping several talents get over most recently 
Drew McIntyre. Every wrestler thats going to be a top star in WWE always has a run in with Ziggler. I could see him being Universal Champion one day and is more then deserving of it.




Honorable Mentions. 

Kevin Owens.

Bobby Lashley.

Bray Wyatt.

Shinsuke Nakamura's WWE Run is going a lot better then most fans think.

I have been seeing a lot of negative comments from Nakamura fans as of late. These comments aren't directed at Shinsuke himself at all tho. Most of said comments are aimed at the direction WWE has taken Shinsuke in his time with the company. Honestly,  Shinsuke  is actually having a pretty good run in his WWE career so far and in this article I'm going explain why I think these certain fans tend to think he's being underutilized. But in actuality hes being used very well given the current landscape in WWE.  To be able to explain and argue my case that he isn't being underutilized. I need to go over a most of his career in WWE. I'm not going to literally cover every match, feud, and story line he's had since being with WWE. But I am going to cover his most 

notable matches, & accomplishments thus far with the company to help validate my opinion and I'm also gonna compare his time in WWE with other wrestlers that I feel are on his level. Honestly, this article is gonna be very factual like I try for all my articles to be. But its gonna be a very opinionated article to. So yes, we could argue about this subject for hours, perhaps days. Just to be honest tho I do love to debate wrestling as much as the next guy but that is not the purpose in writing this article. I'm writing this article to just give my opinion to a side of the situation that a lot of people are overlooking. With that being said lets get into it.

In February of 2016 WWE held a press conference in Toyko, Japan to announce the signing of Nakamura. In which Triple H stated "WWE attracts talents worldwide, It's my distinct please to welcome the best of the best Shinsuke Nakamura". So Shinsuke even entered the WWE in high regards with much respect. Shinsuke Nakamura made his WWE debut in WWE's developmental show NXT. 

While in NXT Nakamura would defeat top wrestlers such as 
Tye Dillinger, Austin Aries, Finn Balor, & Samoa Joe twice for 2 different NXT Title reigns,
one lasting a 3 month span and the other reign about a month long.

Shinsuke would debut on the mian roster for the Smackdown brand.
Since being on the Show he has faced some of WWEs top Veterans from Defeating
Dolph Ziggler in debut match, John Cena, & Randy Orton in separate #1 Contenders Matches. Hes competed in a Money in the Bank match, and He won the 2018 Royal Rumble. 
Hes competed in 8 WWE Championship Matches 2 against Jinder Mahal and 6 against AJ Styles and having a close to a 6 month long feud with Styles.
He won the United States Championship from Jeff Hardy at WWE Extreme Rules 2018 and has successfully defending it in rematch against Hardy and in a match against Rusev. Hes still currently the US Champion and most recency faced the legend Rey Mysterio in 
Mysterio's return match. 

So in just a little over 2 years with the company. Has completed in 8 WWE Title matches and co main evented Wrestlemania. Won a Royal Rumble, Been a 2 time NXT Champion and 1 time US Champion and the current US Champion.

In the little amount time Shinsuke has been in the WWE he's done really well and honestly I see him as a World Champion one day once the time is right. The big point tried to make that hes accomplished a good amount and to me ieing wasted atl all. Hes accomplished more then both
Finn Balor and Samoa Joe who have been on the roster around the same amount of time and has  about the same skill level and popularity as either one of them.
 Hes accomplished more then some of wrestlers thats been on the Roster for twice as long as him such as 
Rusev & Cessaro.

I've seen the argument he should go back to NJPW and honestly I dont agree with that either.
He's accomplished more  then about anyone in New Japans History Hes pretty much accomplished everything possible over their and being close to 40 years old. If he expects to ever get the gran prize in WWE which is a World Title reign then hes gonnna have to stay where hes at now. But with already accomplished what he has in such a little amount of time I do see him reaching the mountain top in the next few years.



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Dean Ambrose's Hardcore Roots.

This article will follow Ambrose's early career in professional wrestling. Going down a path most wrestlers choose to avoid known as "Hardcore Wrestling".
Hardcore Wrestling is one of Professional Wrestling's many different "Styles" and is known for its extreme violence and thrillingly dangerous nature. Its also one of wrestling's most beloved and well respected styles.

Who is Dean Ambrose?

Jonathan Good is a 32 year old  Pro Wrestler who goes by the ring names "Jon Moxley" and currently "Dean Ambrose" He currently wrestles for the WWE  and has been with the company since 2011. Starting in WWE's developmental promotion FCW that would eventually become NXT. He made his main roster debut in late 2012.  He made his debut apart of a 3 man faction that included fellow debuting wrestlers Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins, Together they are known as "The SHIELD" and since their debut has dominated WWE's Main Event Scene on & off since its creation and has propelled all 3 Wrestlers to becoming top stars and heights most wrestlers never reach. Dean Ambrose's WWE career has been nothing less then superb. He has built a long list of notable accomplishments in his time with the company and doesn't seem to be going anywhere anytime soon.

This article tho is to highlight the particular of part of his character that has played a factor in his career in WWE  and helped him build an much needed individuality in establishing his role as one WWE's top superstars today.
The particular part of Dean's character refereed to is his "Hardcore Wrestling Style" which I have clearly made known already and this articles nearly sole purpose of being written. As said before tho, His Hardcore nature is only one facet of his character and he is known for multiple great quality's and is one of the most well rounded professional wrestlers in the company. But WWE has definitely taken notice in his hardcore style and made this a big part of his gimmick as a competitor through his entire career with the company. In this article tho were only looking at his Hardcore beginnings during his time on independent wrestling scene.

The Beginning of Jon Moxley.

Early Life
Jonathan Good a Cincinnati native grew up low income, living in Cincinnati public housing raised by his mother with his father being absentee majority of his life. During his childhood and teenage years he found a love in wrestling and used as an escape from life. Watching wrestling videotapes and reading wrestling literature. In this time period he decided he wanted to pursue wrestling as a career and during starting training while in High School. Only year into training Good decided to drop out of HS and pursue wrestling full time.

Start of Wreslting Career

He began working for the Heartland Wrestling Association (HWA) a local wrestling promotion in his hometown of Cincinnati,Ohio. When he first started in the HWA Good was refused training due to not being 18 years old and up until he was of age he helped by setting up chairs and the ring before shows. Once 18 He got his formal training from Les Thatcher and Cody Hawk. Good at 18 years old made his official wrestling debut in the HWA in 2004 under the ring name Jon Moxley. He would gain experience and within his first year win HWA's Tag Team Championship with Jimmy Turner as his partner. He was later stripped of titles for unknown reasons. In 2006 Moxley assembled a faction called "The Crew" with several wrestlers in the promotion most notably well known Hardcore wrestler Sami Callihan. In May of 2006 He defeated Pepper Parks winning the HWA World Heavy Weight Championship. Moxley held the Title for 4 months before dropping it to Chad Collyer. But he eventually regained the HWA World Title in December of 2006 and dropped it again in January of 2007. He would continue wrestling in the HWA until 2010 within his time in the HWA he held 4 Tag Team Titles & 3 World Heavy Weight Titles. 
In 2007 He began working for Insanity Pro Wrestling (IPW)     


IPW is famous for hardcore wrestling and  is
where Jon really started to compete in hardcore matches. Moxley would have a heated feud with wrestler Jimmy Jacobs that would come to an end IPW's 9th anniversary reign of insane event where he defeated jacobs and successfully defended his IPW World Heavy Weight Championship. Moxley would go on to successfully defend his IPW world title in a Three Stages of Insane match against Drake Younger. In his final show with the company Moxley would defend his title against Jimmy Jacobs in a Dog Collar Match and would lose the match and title due to referee stoppage for being so violent. He left the company in 2011.

Moxleys Most Hardcore Time in his Career

During 2009 Moxley would begin work with Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) which is a Hardcore Wrestling promotion and centers its shows around violence, weapons, and pure carnage. He would go on to enter CZW's 8th annual "Tournament of Death". Which is known as most violent and dangerous wrestling event put on in the United States. It has several different forms of matches that involve a number of different stipulations always involving various different weapons and can sometimes can be considered psychotic & borderline inhumane. If Wrestlers didn't sign contracts and weavers to be in these matches they could honestly go to prison for the things that place in this tournament. In the 1st Round Moxley would defeat Brain Damage  in a "Dining Room Deatmatch" Which featured Tables, Chairs, Silverware and more.In the Semi-Final Round Moxley would lose to Nick Gage in a "Fans Bring The Weapon Match" during the match Gage took an electronic saw to Moxleys Head (Pictured Above)
The match was extremely violent and just pure insanity. In the Final Round Moxley would compete in a Ultraviolet Battle Royal with 9 other wrestlers to determine who would go onto the Championship round. Moxley would be one of the 4 to go onto the Championship round. In the Championship round he would compete in a fatal 4 way along with wrestlers Danny Havoc, Thumbtack Jack, & Dj Hyde for the 
CZW World Heavyweight Championship. But would be defeated by DJ Hyde and end his time in the Tournament of Death. 
at CZW's 11th anniversary show in 2010 Moxley would defeat B-Boy to win the CZW World Heavy Weight Championship and would hold it for 6 months before dropping it to Nick Gage in a Ultraviolent 3 way dance also involving Drake Younger but only a week later would compete with Nick Gage & Egotistico Fantastico in another Ultraviolent 3 way dance to recapture the CZW World Heavy Weight Title and become 2 time champion. He'd hold the CZW World Heavy Weight Title for another 6 months before dropping it to Robert Anthony in February 2011 and that would end his time with CZW.

During his run with CZW. Also beginning in 2009 Moxley would also work for Dragon Gate USA which is a wrestling promotion famous for its Japanese Style Show. Japanese Wrestling has a long history of being violent and its famous "Strong Style" Wrestling which is famous for stiff strikes and wrestling maneuvers. During his time with Dragon Gate he started a feud with Legendary Hardcore Wrestler Tommy Dreamer and the feud would end Dragons Gate Mercury Rising PPV where he would defeat Dreamer in a Hardcore Match. In January 2011 on the Uprising PPV he would face old foe Jimmy Jacobs and during the match suffered a horrific injury that nearly severed his left nipple. Moxley would compete in many other promotions during this this time in the Independent Wrestling Scene including Full Impact Pro, Evolve, Jersey All Pro Wrestling, and Ring Of Honor. In April of 2011 WWE took notice and signed him to a developmental contract at which Dragon Gate the only company he was under contract with granted his release.  In May of 2011 Good would join WWE"s Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) under ring name Dean Ambrose. Ending his independent career.

CZW World Heavy Weight Champion