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.

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.

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