WWE Rumors: Braun Strowman car smashing segment was a marketing ploy to sell toys
What's the story?
Sean Rueter from CageSideSeats states that Braun Strowman's car smashing segment on Raw was a clever marketing tactic by WWE.
Rueter explained that the toy based on Braun's segment was available at Target and Wal-Mart, weeks before the segment aired!
In case you didn't know...
Braun Strowman is one of the most recognized faces on the red brand at the moment. WWE hasn't capitalized on Braun's immense popularity, with The Monster Among Men spending months on end in a pointless feud with Baron Corbin and Co. The fans never got to see a proper payoff to the feud, and The Shield eventually replaced Strowman as the ones to take out Corbin's band of villains.
Recently, we saw Strowman destroy Colin Jost's car on Raw in a fit of rage, stemming from the fact that Jost had referred to WWE as being a fake sport a week earlier.
Strowman didn't accept Jost's apology, smashing his brand new car in the process. Almost immediately, WWE began advertising a toy set featuring the segment where Strowman destroyed the expensive vehicle.
The heart of the matter
Rueter said that the toys set had become available at stores like Target and Wal-Mart weeks before the segment actually aired on TV. This brings up the question: Was this segment done entirely to market and sell the toy set?
"You might think “Mattel’s WWE Wrekkin’ Slam Mobile with Braun Strowman” was a remarkably quick turnaround from the Mar. 11 Raw where Strowman dismantled the car Colin Jost sent him. But toy production schedules don’t work like that, and this one was actually available at places like Target and Wal-Mart weeks before that segment aired on television.
"Which pretty much means that scene - and maybe the entire angle? - was written to sell toys," Rueter added.
What's next?
Strowman has been destroying vehicles right and left for a long while now. He has demolished production trucks, ambulances, stage sets, and cars. This particular segment might have been nothing but a clever ploy to sell a bunch of toys.
What are your thoughts on the segment, and how WWE used it to sell toy sets? Sound off!