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The year 2020 is almost upon us but The Monster Among Men, Braun Strowman, is yet to win his first singles title in WWE. As per the wrestling community, Strowman should have emerged as the Universal Champion from the 2018 Crown Jewel PPV. However, it seems that the company has always undermined his credibility by booking him in meaningless feuds.
He was the hottest thing in wrestling after his feud with Roman Reigns and when the Creative gave him the Money in the Bank contract last year, it seemed like things were on the right track. But, his failure to win the world title led to his downfall.
He battled with the likes of Baron Corbin and Drew McIntyre in the first half of the year while in the second half, he jobbed to Tyson Fury besides having a rivalry with Seth Rollins.
The Creative must look to book him in a better manner in the coming years as he has the caliber to sell out arenas if booked properly. He is in the Intercontinental Championship picture right now and here are five factors that may lead to Braun Strowman becoming the Intercontinental Champion soon.
#5 WWE Universe's support
Be it his brute strength or the ringside shoulder tackles, the WWE Universe has always popped for Braun Strowman. Irrespective of the storylines he has been a part of, the fans still back The Mountain of a Man to make it big in WWE. Of late, we have observed that Vince McMahon and co. are listening to the fans and hence, their next step should be to push Strowman properly.
Another big defeat will reduce his credibility on TV and he will no longer be a special attraction inside the squared circle. Thus, given that he is currently in a feud with the Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura (and his ally Sami Zayn), WWE should book a title match between the two and get the belt in Strowman's humongous hands.
Video: Strowman was involved in a feud with Lashley in the initial part of 2019
#4 Shinsuke Nakamura's disappointing reign as the Intercontinental Champion
The way WWE booked Shinsuke Nakamura in 2019 was quite puzzling. At the start of the year, he won the United States Championship from Rusev on the pre-show of Royal Rumble. Two days later, he lost it to R-Truth in a multi-man match and then formed a tag team with The Bulgarian Brute on the succeeding episode of SmackDown Live.
The duo then challenged for the SmackDown Tag Team Championships at WrestleMania 35, albeit in a losing cause. Soon, Nakamura found himself in the Intercontinental Championship picture and on the kick-off show of Extreme Rules 2019, he won the title from Finn Balor.
WWE usually books mid-card title changes on the main show but both of Nakamura's title wins have taken place on the pre-show. He then had brief rivalries with Ali and The Miz. Since both the feuds did not get much traction, WWE tried to put the attention on him by introducing a new belt with a fresh design.
Yet, nothing has worked for the Japanese star. Week after week, he is taking part in random tag team matches. Thus, it would be a good move if WWE takes the title off him and allows someone like Braun Strowman to raise the prestige of the Intercontinental Championship.
Video: Of late, Nakamura has been involved in random tag team matches
#3 Open window for a Shinsuke Nakamura vs Sami Zayn feud
A long time has passed since either Shinsuke Nakamura or Sami Zayn was involved in a top-class feud. Nakamura’s last noteworthy rivalry was against AJ Styles for the WWE Championship while Zayn has been directionless as a wrestler ever since the Creative split him from Kevin Owens. When both the Superstars united on SmackDown, it looked like this angle would propel them to the top. However, it couldn't happen.
The Japanese Superstar has lost a lot of matches while his recent ally has not won a televised bout since WWE Stomping Grounds 2019. This shows that the partnership has deterred their momentum on the main roster. A few fans feel that sending them back to NXT can rejuvenate their careers. However, WWE can also do the same by booking a betrayal angle.
Currently, Nakamura is the champion and Zayn has been loyal to him. But, by booking a title change, WWE can generate some friction between them. Maybe have Zayn cost Nakamura his title?
In case WWE prefers to go on this path, then Braun Strowman should capture the Intercontinental Championship as soon as possible and allow the Creative to begin the aforementioned feud.
Video: Fans still remember the Sami Zayn - Shinsuke Nakaramura fued in NXT
#2 Return of the Intercontinental Championship open challenge
It’s been a while since WWE had a mid-card title open challenge every week. Seth Rollins was the last champion to send out this challenge and The Architect delivered entertaining matches week in and week out. In fact, his Intercontinental Championship reign had got him over with the WWE Universe and ultimately, he became a two-time Universal Champion.
Braun Strowman, being a face at the moment, can bring back this challenge if he gets his hands on the gold. The fans cannot imagine a heel like Shinsuke Nakamura or Andrade (United States Champion) to send out an open challenge for the mid-card championship. Also, currently, the world champions of both the shows do not wrestle on TV.
Hence, the Creative may soon find it tough to book some quality matches. The random tag team matches do not favor anyone and it would be better to have title matches on TV every week. WWE must be having this thought somewhere in their mind and given that Andrade has recently won the US title, it would not be a good move to take the championship off him.
Instead, Strowman should pick up the Intercontinental Championship and issue open challenges where the underutilized Superstars can get some TV time besides giving the fans top-quality matches.
Video: Open title challenges, last issued by Seth Rollins, have now become a rarity
#1 Sheamus' blockbuster return
It is no secret that former WWE Champion Sheamus is back and WWE has already started hyping his return. The Celtic Warrior has mentioned in his promos that he will change SmackDown forever. Now, given that WWE plans to book a WrestleMania match between Roman Reigns and The Fiend, it makes no sense to have the Irishman feud with either Superstar.
Booking him in a lower mid-card rivalry would undermine his return whereas it is unlikely that he would join the tag team division once again. Also, he has always done better work as a heel and WWE should not book him to come back as a face Superstar.
So, this leaves the Intercontinental Championship picture as the lone window open for his return. A feud between Shinsuke Nakamura and Sheamus would not grab the audience's attention as much as a colossal showdown between The Celtic Warrior and The Monster Among Men would.
Also Read - 5 WWE Superstars who have defeated Roman Reigns more than once
Sheamus can attack Strowman after he wins the title from Nakamura, and begin an emphatic feud. The fact that Irishman has never won the Intercontinental Championship in his career would give adequate heat to this rivalry and Sheamus' involvement would elevate the status of both Braun and the Intercontinental title.
Video: The last time the two fought against each other
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