Photo credit: WWE.com. Braun Strowman cashed in his Money in the Bank contract at Hell in a Cell on Sunday, but he failed to capture the Universal Championship thanks to Brock Lesnar. Lesnar made his shocking return to WWE on Sunday night as Strowman wrestled Roman Reigns. The Beast Incarnate didn't play favorites, relentlessly attacking both stars with pieces of a table that had been destroyed earlier in the bout: Lesnar beat Strowman and Reigns so severely that an arriving referee stopped the match and called it a no-contest: The finish didn't go over well with some fans: Strowman became just the fourth Superstar in WWE history to fail to win the title after cashing in Money in the Bank, and the second in as many years, joining Baron Corbin. At July's Money in the Bank pay-per-view, The Monster Among Men outlasted seven other Superstars to win the MITB ladder match and secure a contract that gave him the right to compete for the universal title at a time of his choosing. As the most physically imposing and dominant Superstar to win Money in the Bank, Strowman dubbed himself Mr. Monster in the Bank. After winning the contract, Strowman went on an impressive roll that made it clear he was the top contender for the Universal Championship with or without the briefcase. Video Play Button Videos you might like The Monster Among Men attempted to cash in at SummerSlam and the next night on Raw, but he was foiled on both occasions. Lesnar and Reigns took out Strowman at SummerSlam, while The Shield reformed the following night to prevent Strowman from taking the title from Reigns. In an effort to level the playing field, Strowman enlisted the services of Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre to aid him in his rivalry against The Shield. While Strowman initially teamed with Reigns to take on Ziggler and McIntyre in a tag team match on Raw, he turned on Reigns and became a heel in the process. The decision was a surprising one by WWE's creative team considering how popular Strowman had become with the WWE Universe. Even so, The Monster has often received the desired negative response from fans since his heel turn because of the wild popularity of The Shield. Adding to the intrigue of the bout was the announcement on Monday's episode of Raw that WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley would serve as the special guest referee. Strowman is limited in various aspects, but there is no denying the fact he is over with the crowd regardless of what role WWE opts to use him in. WWE has seemingly been slowly building toward a Strowman title win for the past couple of years, but it didn't result in him achieving his shining moment via a Money in the Bank cash-in. Instead, fans are now guessing where the company goes from here with Lesnar back in the mix. While it is somewhat surprising Strowman didn't win the title, the decision may prove to be a smart one from WWE's perspective, since it could gain him sympathy from the fans and potentially further mask any deficiencies he may have. Lesnar is obviously a wild card as well. Given his limited usage, it's tough to gauge whether he'll once again be a semi-regular fixture on Raw or instead stay away until the time comes to build to Survivor Series on Nov. 18. Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: some language NSFW).<doc-sep>Braun Strowman decided weeks ago that he was going to cash in his Money in the Bank contract at tonight’s (Sun., Sept. 16, 2018) WWE Hell in a Cell pay-per-view (PPV) for a Universal title match against Roman Reigns. The idea was always to keep his Shield teammates out using the Hell in a Cell structure. Naturally, there was outside action late in the match, with Drew McIntyre and Dolph Ziggler both rushing down trying to get inside but Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins running out to fight with them. And, of course, they all went up to the top of the Cell to fight while forgetting about the match going on in the ring below. Remember, Mick Foley was special guest referee. Flashbacks? Hey, all this was getting “this is awesome” chants from the crowd, especially when Ambrose climbed up with a kendo stick and ran wild on everyone. Eventually, they climbed down, teasing big drop offs all along the way. When it came, it was Rollins and Ziggler launching themselves off the side through an announcer’s desk. Then, surprise, Brock Lesnar showed up. He kicked the Cell door in, had Paul Heyman mace Foley, and then took the door, and tables, and everything else and beat on both Strowman and Reigns with it. He left everyone laid out, leading to new officials coming down and waving off the match. “Neither man can continue, thanks to Brock Lesnar,” Corey Graves said as they went off the air. Get complete Hell in a Cell results and coverage of the entire card here.<doc-sep>When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Sign up forfor news on the biggest players and tournaments Strowman agreed to cash in his Money in the Bank contract last Sunday at Hell in a Cell if Reigns would be willing to fight him inside ‘Satan’s Structure’. According to Ringside News, the publisher and editor of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Dave Meltzer claims management didn’t want the 6ft 8in, 385lb superstar to lose clean. That would make The Monster Among Men look significantly weaker and they were also unwilling to cut Reigns’ Universal Championship stint short. Therefore, WWE decided to have UFC legend Brock Lesnar interfere in the main event and annihilate both competitors inside the cell - something which didn’t really please the crowd.<doc-sep>Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman have unfinished business from 2017, and while the two could fight any and every day, no one would get bored. The WWE has booked these two powerful performers in a match at WWE Hell In A Cell for the WWE Universal Championship, and with the inclusion of Mick Foley as the referee we may see some amazing things during the match. Braun Strowman has his 'Dogs of War' while Roman has 'The Shield' to help them during troublesome situations. The two groups hate each other just like the wrestlers in this match. The match shall see a lot of interferences because of the way we saw WWE Locker Room hit back at The Shield a few weeks back, but these things shall happen during the match: #3 Dogs Of War Attack Roman Reigns Will they show- ff ? The match is going to happen inside the Hell In A Cell, and because these matches are no-disqualification, we must agree and understand that this gives 'Dogs of war' an opportunity to take out Roman Reigns inside the structure. We may see Braun Strowman open up the gates of the cell and his teammates could come to attack Roman Reigns. This would not be something that we weren't expecting, but what makes it more interesting is to see Mick Foley allow this. While the aforementioned option is a possibility, it is also possible that Dogs of War could take down Mick Foley before they do the dirty deed, and cause Roman to lose the Universal Championship. A lot of us might not like this, but if this happens, it would be 'Best For Business,' because this could open up a way for Mick to return back to WWE programming. We saw him getting fired before Wrestlemania, and with Kurt being out on vacation, Mick is the perfect choice for this role. Baron Corbin could also get more time in the ring and create memorable feuds in the process. 1 / 3 NEXT<doc-sep>
Sylvain Lefevre/Getty Images WWE set up what's likely to be the main event when it returns to Saudi Arabia on Nov. 2 for a WWE Network-exclusive show called Crown Jewel. Acting Raw general manager Baron Corbin announced Monday that Roman Reigns will put the Universal Championship on the line in a Triple Threat match against Brock Lesnar and Braun Strowman. Reigns and Strowman wrestled to a no-contest at the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view on Sunday. Lesnar returned to wreak havoc, forcing his way into the cage and attacking both wrestlers until they could no longer compete. The fact that Hell in a Cell was merely a prelude to Crown Jewel shouldn't come as a surprise. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reported in August (h/t Wrestling Inc's Marc Middleton) WWE was going back to Saudi Arabia for another major show, with Nov. 2 the targeted date. In July, Pro Wrestling Sheet's Austin Kellerman looked at WWE's revenue from the second quarter of 2018 and estimated the Greatest Royal Rumble resulted in $40 million or more for the company. Based on that, WWE is clearly going to pull out all of the stops for the return trip. However, Monday's announcement is frustrating for a couple of reasons. Video Play Button Videos you might like Firstly, Crown Jewel is just five days after the all-women's Evolution PPV on Oct. 28. At a time when the focus should firmly be on Evolution, WWE will be devoting a lot of its programming to the event in Saudi Arabia. In addition, WWE continues to minimize the importance of its regular PPVs in service of one-off events such as Crown Jewel. Strowman cashed in the Money in the Bank briefcase and battled Reigns in a Hell in a Cell match just to set up the addition of Lesnar in the feud and a future match down the road. By going down this route, WWE shouldn't be taken aback when fans continue to respond negatively to PPV main events.