In August 2018 at SummerSlam, the audience started out giving Reigns a mixed crowd reaction during his entrance, but upon winning the WWE Universal Championship from Brock Lesnar, Reigns was cheered. The following night on "Raw", Reigns was again booed early in the show, but received a mixed reaction for suggesting that he defend his newly won championship against Finn Bálor later that night. After beating Bálor, Reigns was again heavily booed by the crowd, which increased in intensity after the match when Braun Strowman attempted to cash in his Money in the Bank title shot. The subsequent Shield reunion and attack on Strowman was positively received by the Brooklyn audience, but was viewed by many as a cheap attempt to garner positive reactions for Reigns.