Braun Strowman is proving that he is "The Next Big Thing" in WWE
For quite a long time now, it has been clear that Braun Strowman has been primed for big things in WWE. He burst onto the scene back in 2015 as a monstrous, intimidating member of the Wyatt Family, and the rate at which he’s improved since then has been nothing short of astounding. His work since the return of the brand split last year has ensured his elevation up the card, to the point where fans are now happily accepting Strowman in main event storylines.
This is a massive improvement from around this time last year when online fan backlash forced Vince McMahon to pull the idea of Braun Strowman vs. The Undertaker at WrestleMania 32. Now, more than ever, it is apparent that we are witnessing the birth of a star in Braun Strowman.
The fact that he’s been able to win over the crowd, despite their previous indifference towards him and especially in this day and age where bigger wrestlers are usually quite unfairly labelled as boring to watch, is a true testament to his growth as a performer and has certainly not gone unnoticed by the powers that be.
Particularly over the past few weeks, Strowman has been heavily featured on Monday Night Raw, and we can expect this to continue, provided that “The Monster Among Men” continues to perform at an impressive level. It has always seemed like Strowman would one day ascend to main event status in WWE, but he really began to pick up steam during the summer of 2016.
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At that time he steamrolled through jobber after jobber, sometimes defeating multiple men at once, in a run that was very reminiscent of the massive push given to Ryback when he first came up to the main roster in 2012. He won a Battle Royale to become part of Team Raw for Survivor Series; and although he didn’t survive until the end of the match, he was protected in defeat, being eliminated by count-out due to James Ellsworth’s interference.
Then came a feud with Sami Zayn, which he thoroughly dominated, the only negative moment coming when he failed to defeat Zayn within the 10-minute time limit at Roadblock: End Of The Line. From facing jobbers to facing “The Underdog From the Underground” on PPV in a matter of months, it was very clear that Strowman’s stock was on the rise.
After defeating Zayn in a Last Man Standing match on the first Raw of 2017, Strowman turned his attentions to the Royal Rumble event. He made a huge splash during the Universal Championship match, rekindling his long-running problems with Roman Reigns by decimating him with a Chokeslam and then a Running Powerslam through a table, allowing Kevin Owens to retain the title.
His night was not done, however, as he entered the Royal Rumble match itself at #7 and promptly racked up 7 eliminations in just over 13 minutes before being tossed over the top rope by another man on the receiving end of a big push, Baron Corbin.
His run of outstanding work continued as he engaged in a highly entertaining match with Big Show on the February 20th edition of Raw, during which he defeated “The World’s Largest Athlete”, kicking out of a WMD in the process to further cement his position as an unstoppable giant.
From this point until WrestleMania 33, Strowman was not booked quite so strongly due to having no solid plans for that event. He was pinned by Roman Reigns at Fastlane before entering the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royale at WrestleMania, only to be hastily eliminated by nearly every remaining competitor in the match.
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By this stage, everybody knew that it was only a matter of time before Braun Strowman shattered that glass ceiling. Fan reactions for the giant have been steadily improving for many months now, but the moment that solidified him as a figure that the fans were genuinely invested in finally came just under 2 weeks ago.
As Roman Reigns was being interviewed by Michael Cole backstage, Strowman blindsided him and launched a vicious attack that perfectly displayed his abilities. In truly commanding fashion, Strowman battered Reigns all over the backstage area, rendering him a heap on the floor to the apparent delight of the fans in attendance.
As Reigns was strapped to a stretcher, the cheers were nearly deafening as Strowman returned to the scene and continued his brutal assault, sending the stretcher and Reigns to the floor below. This, however, was nothing compared to the feat of strength that Braun achieved next. Once Reigns was loaded into the back of an ambulance, Strowman yet again returned to the fray and proceeded to tip over the ambulance with Reigns inside.
Yes, he tipped over an ambulance. Quite simply, nobody in the history of WWE has ever looked so utterly dominant in one segment. While the intention of the segment was, ironically, to generate fan sympathy for Roman Reigns, the actual outcome was the complete reverse, as Reigns was jeered and Strowman was showered with cheers This iconic moment was the making of a new star in Braun Strowman.
The point of all this is simply to illustrate how much of a monster Braun Strowman has become in recent times. Other than Brock Lesnar, nobody even comes close to displaying the levels of dominance that Strowman routinely shows us. Not only that, but his improvement in every single area has made him a highly versatile performer.
It is very clear that there are parallels to be drawn between Strowman's recent run and Brock Lesnar’s initial WWE run. While Strowman hasn’t achieved the individual accolades that Lesnar did, there is a definite similarity in the way both men have been portrayed as physically gifted, nearly impossible to take off their feet and inhumanly strong.
Much as Lesnar was once dubbed “The Next Big Thing”, that is surely what Strowman is now. The coming months will likely see Strowman do battle with Roman Reigns as well as Lesnar, and these may well end up being defining moments in the 33-year-old’s career. Recent history has shown us that Strowman is ready to break out in a big way, let’s hope that WWE continues to show faith in him. Finally pushing Strowman could turn out to be one of the best decisions they ever made, if everything is handled correctly.
We can even see The Monster Among Men conquering the Beast Incarnate to become the new Universal Champion and in all honesty, he deserves more than a part-timer who isn’t even seen on TV. All aboard the Braun train!
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