4 Possible ways WWE can rebuild Braun Strowman
Braun Strowman made a ferocious return to WWE on RAW this past week to lay waste to nearly the entire tag-team division, setting social media on fire. Now calling himself "The Monster of Monsters," the former Universal Champion has returned with an invigorated look.
He made his return during the fatal four-way tag team match between The Street Profits, The New Day, Los Latharios, and Alpha Academy to determine the number one contender for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team titles.
The Monster Among Men was released in June 2021 during the pandemic era owing to annual budget cuts. What was even more appalling was that he was in a WWE Championship match only a few weeks before his unfortunate departure.
His first run was far from a colossal failure, but Strowman had lost much of his initial mystique and aura by the time of his release. However, WWE has another opportunity to rectify some of its previous wrongdoings and rewrite history.
Here, we examine 4 possible ways the company can rebuild Braun Strowman.
#4. Braun Strowman can return to the basics of squashing jobbers and local competitors
You all must remember James Ellsworth, the first jobber Braun Strowman squashed in July 2016 following the brand's split. This occurred during the early days of Strowman's singles run when he was finding his foot on RAW without The Wyatt Family.
For almost three months, The Monster of Monsters would viciously dominate jobbers and local competitors on Monday every week before moving on to established stars like Sami Zayn.
The advantage of these squash matches was that they familiarized Strowman with the WWE Universe and polished his in-ring skills.
Pairing Strowman with jobbers again will have several advantages. First, the former Universal Champion seemed a bit rusty on RAW, perhaps due to a long hiatus. Putting him in minute-long squash matches will take the ring-rust away and hide some of his weaknesses.
Second, it may be counter-productive for Braun Strowman to run through the undercard. While it was terrific to witness The Monster Among Men's long-awaited return, burying the entire tag-team division was a questionable decision. Jobbers can be used more effectively to occupy the same role as undercard talent.
#3. Braun Strowman can become a free agent
After wrecking eight men on RAW, Braun Strowman announced his intention to bring destruction to SmackDown backstage in a short interview. Although there is a belief that the monster will join the blue brand, it'd be better if he remained a free agent.
The simple logic here is that the more screen time Strowman gets and the more superstars he interacts with, the more destruction he can cause. It would send a massive statement if the former Intercontinental Champion were to lay waste to The Bloodline or someone like Gunther on SmackDown this week.
WWE took a similar route with Lars Sullivan in 2019. Owing to the Wild Card Rule, Sullivan appeared on both RAW and SmackDown, wrecking through the locker room on both brands.
It made the controversial star look like an absolute monster. Doing the same with Strowman can rebuild him as a beast.
#2. A Wyatt Family Reunion can add some intrigue to his character
Before he became The Monster Among Men, Braun Strowman was Bray Wyatt's "Black Sheep," a loyal disciple who destroyed everything in his path upon his mentor's command.
However, The Wyatt Family collapsed in the worst way imaginable. Luke Harper sadly passed away in December 2020, and the remaining members were released by the company.
However, there are several ways in which a mini Wyatt Family reunion could occur. A reunion may be the impetus The Monster Among Men needs to rebuild himself and add some intrigue to his character.
At the tail end of his run, Strowman's character turned bland, and he almost became irrelevant. Bringing back history as "The Black Sheep" and loyalty to Bray Wyatt will add some much-needed mystique to his one-dimensional character and rebuild his aura.
#1. Braun Strowman can end Roman Reigns' historic reign of terror
The biggest star in sports entertainment today is Roman Reigns, who has been at the summit for more than two years and has defeated the cream of the crop. Taking a trip down memory lane, The Tribal Chief's dominant reign started when he pinned Braun Strowman to win the Universal Championship at Payback in August 2020.
The Monster Among Men probably hasn't forgotten that painful loss to The Head of The Table, and he could come calling for the Undisputed Unified WWE Universal Champion.
Strowman and Reigns have a storied history together. They tore each other to shreds in their hellacious and thrilling rivalry in the summer of 2017, which saw the monster tip over an ambulance with his rival inside.
Strowman is one of the few men on the roster who can match all of Reigns' attributes. A reinvigorated and motivated monster may spell doom for The Tribal Chief. If he does so, The Monster Among Men will redeem himself and launch himself into Superstardom.