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The battle between the two former Wyatt Family members for the Universal Championship at WWE Money in the Bank 2020 was as interesting as expected. Be it the cameos from the Firefly Fun House puppets or Braun Strowman's tease to rejoin Bray Wyatt, the match had some amazing moments. In the end, it was the Monster Among Men who came out victorious and retained his title against his former master.
There were a lot of talks of WWE booking themselves into a corner by going ahead with this feud but the company did a considerably fair job in protecting both the Superstars. Even though Bray ended up taking the pin, the course of the match ensured that fans stay excited about the gimmick.
Let's take a look at the five possible reasons why WWE decided to let Braun Strowman retain his title against Wyatt at Money in the Bank.
Be sure to let us know in the comments section below whether you think it was the correct decision or not.
#5 A loss would have hugely derailed Braun Strowman's momentum
Braun Strowman won the Universal Championship at WrestleMania 36 by defeating Goldberg, after being called up as a last-minute replacement for Roman Reigns. It is safe to say that it was the biggest victory of his WWE career so far and he has a lot of momentum on his side.
With Bray Wyatt being his first challenger and Money in the Bank being his first title defense, a loss here would have hugely derailed all his momentum. It would have established the fact that WWE only wanted him as a transitional Champion to put the title back on Bray.
Braun Strowman chased the Universal title for a long time before finally getting his hands on it (no pun intended) and now that he is the Champion, he surely deserves a proper reign with it.
#4 To establish the fact that Bray did not create Braun Strowman
The feud between Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman is hugely based on their history together as part of the Wyatt Family. It was Bray who introduced the WWE Universe to this monster in 2015, who was the latest addition to the Wyatt Family back then. The two continued to be together until the 2016 Draft which saw the Monster Among Men being separated from the faction and pushed ahead as a singles Superstar.
In the last few weeks, Bray has continuously mentioned that he was the one to create Braun Strowman, and now he will be the one to destroy him. The mid-match tease with Braun Strowman taking out the Black Sheep mask and putting it on was brilliant!
The Monster Among Men teased giving in to Bray and rejoining him before taking off the mask and crushing it to symbolize the fact that he is no longer the Black Sheep of Bray Wyatt's family.
This rivalry with Bray Wyatt has massively helped Braun Strowman to add more depth to his character, something which will help him in the longer run.
#3 Bray wanted to put Braun Strowman over at Money in the Bank
Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman might be hell-bent on destroying each other on-screen, but in reality, the two are great friends backstage. So much so that, Bray Wyatt has even picked Braun Strowman as the Godfather to his son Knash.
On a recent episode of Dropkick DiSKussions, Sportskeeda's Tom Colohue reported that Bray possibly wanted to put over the Monster Among Men at Money in the Bank.
"However, we know their history, Bray Wyatt very much believes in Braun Strowman. I think that this might be a match that Bray wants to lose, in many ways, not just the actual man himself who undoubtedly wants to work and really put him over, as he's always done. He has really worked hard with Braun to do everything he can and Braun is reaping the rewards of his own hard work as well but you also have to consider, Bray Wyatt changes people."
"I don't want to see Braun straight back heel again. It's getting to Big Show level flip-flopping. I've spoken on this podcast extensively, if they were going to get out of this match with Braun Strowman retaining, it had to be a storyline reason. The fact that it is Bray Wyatt and not the Fiend, that's a storyline reason. To me Braun retains. Braun knows Bray. Also in a backstage sense, Bray wants to give that rub to Braun."
#2 He faced Bray Wyatt, and not The Fiend
One of the biggest reasons why Braun Strowman winning the match at Money in the Bank is the correct decision is because he was not facing the sadistic dark force of The Fiend. Instead, he faced the Firefly Fun House version of Bray Wyatt, who isn't portrayed to be as unstoppable as his masked alter ego.
Rest assured that if Braun Strowman had pinned The Fiend in the manner he pinned Bray, there would have been a massive fan outrage as WWE needs to protect that character at any cost. But that's not the case with Bray Wyatt himself. In fact, WWE should have let him face Goldberg at WWE Super ShowDown instead of The Fiend if they wanted to take the title off him, but what's done is done.
It was a smart move on WWE's end to book Bray against Braun Strowman as this victory has solidified the Monster Among Men's title reign, while not completely ruining Bray Wyatt's momentum either. Wyatt's former follower got the better of him at Money in the Bank, but is it over?
#1 It is not over yet
The look on the face of Bray Wyatt after losing to Braun Strowman tonight was that of disbelief and anger. We also saw flashes of The Fiend on the screen, indicating the fact that this battle between the two former Wyatt Family members is far from over. And yes, the two have such a vast history together that it'll almost be a crime to wrap up the feud so quickly.
The stage is set for The Fiend to take matters in his hands! Bray could be heard talking to himself during the match at Money in the Bank that he does not want to hurt Braun Strowman but now that he has lost, The Fiend would show no mercy. It is a great depiction of the "Hurt and Heal" theme of his gimmick. While Bray first tried to heal his former follower and failed, it is now The Fiend's turn to hurt him.
We might see Braun Strowman facing the sadistic alter ego of Bray Wyatt soon and the question to be asked now is - who will come out victorious in that battle? The Wyatt-Strowman saga is here for long, and we as fans are excited to witness what unfolds. Watch out for the next episode of Friday Night SmackDown!
