Brock Lesnar is the new WWE Universal Champion after defeating Bill Goldberg at WrestleMania 33. However, the latest WWE rumors suggest that Lesnar might not be defending the Universal title at Payback on April 30.

According to Cageside Seats, Brock Lesnar is not expected to defend his newly won Universal Championship in the WWE's first pay-per-view since WrestleMania 33 despite being featured in a lot of promotional materials.

The report also noted that "The Beast Incarnate" may not be appearing on Monday Night Raw leading to Payback. He is not advertised to appear on any shows and it looks like he won't be on the European Tour in May where one episode of Raw will be held.

It should be noted that if Brock Lesnar indeed takes some time off as champion, it's not the first time it happened. Back in 2014 when he was the WWE World Heavyweight champion, he took some time off after defeating John Cena for the title at SummerSlam.

Brock Lesnar took a lot of time off and barely appeared on WWE television despite being the WWE champion. Many fans were unhappy about it but the company will do what's best for business despite backlash from a lot of fans, especially from the internet wrestling community.

With Bill Goldberg gone from the WWE for now, Brock Lesnar has no clear challenger. The WWE teased an altercation with Braun Strowman this past Monday on Raw but that's not what Vince McMahon is planning to do at Payback.

According to Wrestling Inc, the possible main event for Payback is Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman. However, it's not a sure thing since the upcoming "Superstar Shake-up" next week could change a lot of plans.

The only sure thing right now, barring any injuries, is Brock Lesnar will face Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 34. The WWE is hell-bent on making Reigns the face of the company and they are going to use Lesnar as a final resort to put him over.

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