5 Reasons why Braun Strowman is the legit monster we all wanted

Promising start.
Promising start.

Braun Strowman's performance at Summerslam 2017 can only be described as impressive. For a while, fans have been warming to the Monster Among Men and not just because he was manhandling Roman Reigns. Something about the way he is portrayed is resonating with people and reminding them of times gone by when main event players were booked correctly.

This is the WWE, of course, and we cannot completely trust them to continue doing such good work with Strowman. His feud with Lesnar is going to tell us a lot about what part he will be playing in the future of the WWE. But for now, let's all appreciate something Vince is doing well for a change. Here are 5 reasons why Braun Strowman is the WWE Monster we all need right now:


#1 We are finally in agreement with Vince/Triple H

Is Vince right with this one?
Is Vince right with this one?

Despite his advanced wrestling skills and ability to connect with the audience, part of Daniel Bryan's appeal in 2013/14 was the knowledge that in non-kayfabe terms that WWE management was never that keen on him being a main event player. This gave us something to really fight back against. It can feel good as a wrestling fan to rally against authority and hijack shows at the expense of more traditional WWE superstars.

That being said, it can also be quite a thankless task to support somebody that Vince McMahon does not like. Take Cesaro for example. Many of us would love to see the Swiss Cyborg get a title shot or a main event singles push and it infuriates us that Vince just doesn't seem willing to budge. When we see the same 3 or 4 guys main event PPV after PPV, it can really test our resolve and patience. It feels like it goes against the old adage that 'the customer is always right', and in reality, there's not a lot we can do about it.

With Braun Strowman, fans appear to have found somebody who has a pretty good chance of being in Vince McMahon's plans for the future. He is the type of athlete McMahon would ideally like to see at the top of the billing — big, strong and impressive looking. Perhaps he might even be able to fit into that long-forgotten position of a babyface who actually gets unironic cheers.

Not since the days of Stone Cold and The Rock have we openly supported somebody that the company are actually trying their best to push. After so many years of Cena and Orton, it almost feels strange to agree with Vince McMahon about what makes a great superstar anymore. Hopefully, Braun can be that guy for 2017 and beyond.

#2 He doesn't fit into the traditional face/heel 'mould'

Can go either way.
Can go either way.

Wrestling's biggest promotions might still stick to the old good guy/bad guy dynamic, but for many of us, this narrative is nothing but a thing of the past. It is not so easy to define what makes anyone a heel or face in pro-wrestling, the fans will simply cheer or boo you depending on a whole range of factors that no promoter can really be expected to keep up with.

The WWE still cling to the days of old more so than any other promotion, which is why you end up with such confusing segments on RAW and Smackdown, like the one this week where the 'heel' Miz was being cheered at the expense of the 'babyfaces' Roman Reigns and John Cena.

It's no surprise, therefore, that some of the company's biggest stars in 2017 are guys that seem to transcend this old dynamic. Brock Lesnar, for example, never really shows himself to be a heel or face. Samoa Joe, while technically a heel on paper, can sometimes act like a fan favourite depending on who is in the ring with him. After Summerslam 2017, you can also add Braun Strowman to that list.

Strowman has effectively been turned face after such a long rivalry with the hated Roman Reigns. Every move the Monster made against the Big Dog was received with such enthusiasm and appreciation that it's hard to tell where he would stand on the spectrum against another superstar. And with his next feud likely to be against Brock Lesnar, fans are pretty much going to be free to choose whoever they want all over again.

This is important for today's WWE product. If for some reason the fans decide they no longer feel like cheering for Strowman, he wouldn't have to change anything about his character or actions in the ring to be a heel again. Strowman, in this sense, is a bit of a 'joker in the pack' ready to play any role depending on the situation.

#3 His rise to the top has been organic

Slow and steady.
Slow and steady.

If there's one thing wrestling fans of today do not appreciate, it's people being given opportunities when they do not deserve them. Over the years, WWE fans, in particular, have had to put up with a lot of so called 'main event stars' being thrown at them by Vince McMahon whether they've wanted him to or not. Often the problem is that guys are promoted to the upper-ranks without having proved themselves — see Roman Reigns in 2014.

Randy Orton was also a prime example of this back in 2004. His stock amongst the fans might be higher now, but there was a time when Orton personified the 'Vince McMahon knows best' mantra. Around that time, guys like Batista and Edge were who people really wanted to see get a push, but for some strange reason, WWE likes to choose a guy and make him leap-frog everyone else.

Braun Strowman is somebody who WWE fans have known for a couple of years, and unlike some of the 'bigger men' we could name, he wasn't automatically placed in the main event spot. He first debuted as a member of the Wyatt Family, playing back-up to guys like Bray Wyatt and Luke Harper. Vince could have easily just accelerated his plans and given Braun a title match soon after, completely based on his size, but instead, the company decided to wait.

After the WWE Draft, Braun was left alone on RAW, squashing jobbers and entertaining lower-level talent like Sami Zayn. Nothing about him felt too forced and fans were slowly beginning to see what kind of a star he could be.

Fast forward to 2017, and after a very impressive feud with Roman Reigns, Braun finds himself at the cusp of the Universal Championship picture, and the fans are loving every minute of it. The opportunity does not feel undeserved; in fact, this is something the fans have wanted for quite some time now. And you don't get that very often in today's wrestling scene.

#4 He can reduce WWE's reliance on Brock Lesnar

Step aside.
Step aside.

Whether fans like it or not, Brock Lesnar is WWE's biggest draw at the moment. He holds that cross-promotional level of celebrity that brings different eyeballs to the product and has the name recognition to elevate any competitor he goes up against, even if all they do is get squashed in a matter of seconds.

From a strictly business stand point, it makes perfect sense for Lesnar to hold your main title. Not only is he a believable looking champion, but whenever he makes media appearances, it isn't just WWE fans that are tuning in to listen to him talk.

From a fan enjoyment point of view, things aren't quite as rosy. Many of the more hardcore followers of WWE have grown tired of the fact that despite being the Universal Champion, Lesnar rarely shows up on WWE programming and takes way longer than 30 days in between championship defences, no matter what the rules state. The company are caught in a bind, not really knowing which way to turn. When he is on screen, the Beast gets the type of reaction you want from your champion, but all the while there is that nagging feeling that he is going to leave at any moment to pursue his MMA career.

In a perfect world, somebody like Roman Reigns would be able to step in and provide stability and consistency to the Universal Title, but the Big Dog isn't exactly getting the reactions Vince would like. Here is where Strowman could come in.

If you put the belt on the Monster Among Men, you still have a believable looking champion representing your brand and one that receives the kind of reaction deserving of such a top star. As far as we know, Braun's future lies very much with professional wrestling, so there's no risk of him leaving a huge hole in the main event picture either.

And at the very least, if Braun was made into a long-term champion, the belt would feature on every PPV like it should.

#5 He's seen as a 'WWE Guy'

A success story.
A success story.

There's no denying that in the past few years WWE has been a lot more willing to take people on who made their names for other promotions. If you look at the main event scene of both RAW and Smackdown at the moment, you'll realise just how much of an influence other indie or Japanese promotions have had on modern day WWE.

On RAW you have guys like Samoa Joe and Finn Balor who are never too far away from the Universal Title picture. On Smackdown guys like Kevin Owens, Shinsuke Nakamura and Bobby Roode are being embraced by the McMahon family and there are many others we could mention.

While this is a step in the right direction for the company, it is going to start looking a little embarrassing for the WWE's developmental system if all the top names aren't thought of as WWE-made. Vince and Triple H are going to need people who stand as worthy examples of their company's systems working just as well as they do in the indies.

Braun Strowman's professional wrestling career has pretty much all been based in WWE. He was signed to the company in 2013 after previously making a living in 'Strongman' competitions. Braun didn't even spend that much time on NXT, making the odd appearances here and there. His debut on RAW wasn't met with the usual huge pop we hear today when a former ROH or NJPW legend turns up. People genuinely didn't know who he was, and only had his size to go on.

To go from an additional member of the Wyatt Family to taking on Brock Lesnar for the Universal Title is a very impressive ascension and we only really have WWE to thank for it. If Strowman's fortunes continue, maybe the company will be encouraged to foster other names that don't have a huge resume behind them and perhaps the WWE won't have to rely too much on former name recognition to make the main event scene.


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