3 possible replacements for Braun Strowman at Royal Rumble against Brock Lesnar

Braun Strowman was seemingly written off television on the latest episode of WWE Monday Night Raw after he was brutally assaulted by Drew McIntyre, Baron Corbin, and Bobby Lashley.

Reports have emerged in the aftermath that Braun Strowman is supposed to undergo elbow surgery in the near future, which is why he was written off in the storyline.

His absence comes at the worst possible time as WWE has already been dealing with the absence of major superstars like Roman Reigns, Becky Lynch, Kevin Owens, and now they have to deal with another major blow as Braun Strowman has been sidelined for the immediate future. His comeback date is also currently not known.

On this week's edition of Monday Night Raw, it was announced that Braun Strowman will face Baron Corbin at the TLC PPV next month. Stephanie McMahon also announced this week that Braun Strowman will be challenging Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship at the 2019 Royal Rumble PPV.

Currently, it is unknown when Braun Strowman will be able to make a comeback into the squared circle, so in this slideshow we are going to take a look at 3 superstars who could fill in for Braun Strowman and face Brock Lesnar at Royal Rumble 2019 if Strowman is not cleared in time for the event early next year.

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#3 Finn Balor

The inaugural Universal Champion - Finn Balor

Finn Balor ever since he returned from injury lay-off last year hasn't been able to reach the heights of his initial days on the main roster when he cleanly defeated the likes of Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins in his first month on the main roster.

He won the inaugural Universal Championship at WWE SummerSlam 2016 by defeating Seth Rollins, but had to vacate it the following night on Raw due to an unfortunate injury.

Since then he did not receive a rematch for the Universal Championship, until very recently when Roman Reigns offered Finn Balor a title match on an episode of Raw after The Big Dog won the title by defeating Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam this year.

Finn Balor was heavily rumored to be the opponent of Brock Lesnar at the Royal Rumble PPV this year, but that didn't materialise as The Beast Incarnate went on to face Braun Strowman and Kane in a triple threat match for the Universal title.

In case Braun Strowman fails to recover in time for his clash against The Beast at Royal Rumble 2019, Finn Balor might be seen as a potential challenger for Brock's Universal Championship.

#2 Lars Sullivan

NXT's resident monster - Lars Sullivan

WWE aired an interesting vignette during Survivor Series which revealed to the WWE Universe that NXT Superstar Lars Sullivan is going to make his main roster debut soon. Lars Sullivan has everything Vince McMahon desires in his top superstars, as he has a monstrous presence, and bulked up body, along with great agility.

He is destined to be successful on the main roster, given WWE's love for massive superstars. Lars Sullivan's size, strength, and freak-like agility have drawn comparisons with Brock Lesnar during his initial days.

Various reports emerged last year that The Beast Incarnate himself was impressed by Lars Sullivan, and even gave him some valuable advice at the WWE performance center.

Lars Sullivan could be an able replacement for Braun Strowman, and can have a memorable main roster debut against Brock Lesnar at the Royal Rumble PPV next year.

#1 Bobby Lashley

A dream encounter - Brock Lesnar vs Bobby Lashley

Ever since Bobby Lashley jumped ship to WWE earlier this year, he has publicly expressed his desire to face Brock Lesnar. During the build-up to SummerSlam this year, Lashley faced off against Roman Reigns in a number one contender's match to determine the challenger for the Universal Champion, Brock Lesnar, at SummerSlam.

Bobby Lashley failed to defeat The Big Dog in that encounter, and hence lost the chance to face The Beast Incarnate at SummerSlam. Since then, WWE has tried rebuilding Bobby Lashley by turning him heel, and also provided him with a hype man, Lio Rush, to garner some heat to his character.

Bobby Lashley was one of the 3 survivors of the victorious Raw men's team at the recently concluded Survivor Series PPV, and he is currently not involved in a major feud.

Bobby Lashley could be an ideal replacement for The Monster to face Brock Lesnar at Royal Rumble, given his legit MMA background.