Braun Strowman announced for appearance with top WWE star amid injury hiatus
WWE RAW recently featured a Last Monster Standing match, which put Braun Strowman on the shelf with an injury. While Strowman's in-ring future is up in the air, the heavyweight was just booked for a notable appearance with another top WWE Superstar and recent tag team partner.
The Monster of All Monsters defeated rival Bronson Reed in the brutal Last Monster Standing bout on September 30, thanks to a returning Seth Rollins. Strowman suffered a groin tear just two minutes into the 19-minute contest, and his in-ring return will depend on the severity of the injury. The 41-year-old could be out for 1-2 weeks for a Grade One tear, 3-6 weeks for a Grade Two tear, and then 3-4 months for a Grade Three complete tear.
NASCAR has come calling for The New Face of Destruction once again. A "SmackDown Double Feature" was just announced for Sunday's South Point 400 race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Rey Mysterio will also be appearing, as the two were named honorary starters for the NASCAR Cup Series playoff race.
"A Smackdown double feature is set for the #SouthPoint400! WWE Superstars Rey Mysterio and Braun Strowman have been named honorary starters for Sunday’s race," wrote Las Vegas Motor Speedway with the graphic below.
The Master of the 619 will drop the green flag to start Sunday's race, and Strowman will join him in the flag stand. Braun and the 2023 WWE Hall of Famer will meet fans earlier that day from 9:30-9:50 a.m. in the Fan Zone, which includes a Q&A session on the South Point stage. Strowman took to X to respond to the announcement.
"Let's go racing baby!!!!!" Braun Strowman wrote in response.
WWE will be selling pre-sale tickets for WrestleMania 41 at Sunday's NASCAR race. The track is located less than 30 minutes from Allegiant Stadium, host of next year's Show of Shows, which is set to be very lucrative for the company.
Strowman has appeared at multiple NASCAR races in the past. He drove the pace car at several appearances, including the Würth 400 and the Toyota/Save Mart 350 in 2023.
Rey Mysterio chasing WWE tag team gold
World Wrestling Entertainment began a new tag team tournament on Monday's RAW episode. The winners will be named the new #1 contenders to World Tag Team Champions Finn Balor and JD McDonagh of The Judgment Day.
Rey Mysterio is looking to become a six-time WWE Tag Team Champion when he and Dragon Lee face The Creed Brothers in a first-round match on next week's RAW. The New Day vs. AOP will also take place next week.
The tournament kicked off last night as The Viking Raiders returned with their previous names - The War Raiders. Erik and Ivar defeated Alpha Academy to advance to the next round.