At first glance, Brock Lesnar barely beat Roman Reigns in their Greatest Royal Rumble cage match. But upon closer examination, a mistaken ruling was mad —and it’s likely going to get Reigns another shot at the Universal Championship.
Chad Patton, the referee for Reigns and Lesnar’s latest battle addresses his erroneous decision and apologized for his blunder, vindicating Reigns, and villanizing Lesnar.
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“I understand i made an incorrect decision & want to apologize. During the #UniversalTitle match at #WWEGRR, i saw Brock Lesnar go thru the cage first and was concerned for the health and safety of both superstars,” he wrote.
I understand i made an incorrect decision & want to apologize. During the #UniversalTitle match at #WWEGRR, i saw Brock Lesnar go thru the cage first and was concerned for the health and safety of both superstars.
— chad patton (@chadpattonwwe) April 30, 2018
RAW opened with this factoid and coupled it by telling us that Kurt Angle has officially held Patton’s original ruling. This set the stage for Roman Reigns’ promo.
“You’ve seen the footage. You saw the tweet from the referee himself. So that means you’re looking at the REAL #UniversalChampion!” – @WWERomanReigns #RAW pic.twitter.com/Twr5MEQA16
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) May 1, 2018
However, Reign’s assertions fell on deaf ears ad Montreal, RAW’s hosting city, if one of the most passionate anti-Reigns towns on WWE‘s circuit. So Reigns quest for justice was booed heavily, making The Big Dog look like he was whining to people lacking context.
To those not in Montreal, this looks like proper justification for Reigns to get another try at Brock Lesnar and his big red belt. Reigns went 0-2 in April, even though his Greatest Royal Rumble loss could technically be a victory.
Regardless this rubber match looks inevitable, but it won’t be at this Sunday’s Backlash, rather the June 17 Money in the Bank show.
Armed with Patton’s testimony, a slow-mo replay, and hopefully a little sympathy, Reigns will march into Chicago for his final attempt at slaying the Beast Incarnate.
But Brock will enter MITB having just etched his name in WWE’s history books. Barring something unforeseen, Lesnar will hold WWE’s most coveted title for 441 days, which would break WWE’s modern-day record for an uninterrupted reign—an honor currently held by CM Punk’s 434-day term.
We’ll have to wait for WWE to make this one official—and that will have to wait until after Backlash—but expect this one to happen.
