WWE Starrcade 2019: 5 Reasons why Vince McMahon won't allow Braun Strowman to beat The Fiend for the Universal Championship

WWE Superstar Bray Wyatt is set to defend his Universal Championship against Braun Strowman at Starrcade 2019. Despite his ongoing feud with Daniel Bryan, The Fiend will lock horns with the ‘Monster Among Men’ in a Steel Cage match with his title on the line.

While The Fiend’s upcoming encounter with the former member of the Wyatt family is exciting, it’s not difficult to predict the result of this match. With the limited build-up to their upcoming battle, it is safe to assume that the title will not change hands on Sunday night.

Owing to the recent booking of both these Superstars on the Blue brand, it is highly unlikely for Vince McMahon to allow Strowman to defeat The Fiend for the Universal Championship this weekend. In this article, we will take a look at five compelling reasons why the title won’t change hands at Starrcade 2019.

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#5 Braun Strowman’s recent run has been average

Braun Strowman's recent run has not been flattering

Braun Strowman’s recent run on the roster has not seen him being involved in any compelling storylines. In the last three months, we have seen the ‘Monster Among Men’ challenge Seth Rollins for the Universal Title, engage in a brief feud with Boxing legend Tyson Fury, and represent Team SmackDown at Survivor Series 2019.

These three segments eventually saw Strowman coming up short in the final battle against ‘The Architect’, being knocked out at Crown Jewel 2019, once again, being counter out during the traditional 5-on-5 Men’s Elimination Match at the battle of brand supremacy.

Although Strowman makes for a good challenger for The Fiend’s Universal Championship, the latter is likely to retain as Vince McMahon has hardly seen Strowman being booked in any sort of compelling narration which could get the fans behind him. Moreover, there has been little to no build-up to this feud and their Steel Cage match appears to be a one-off encounter.

Hence, the Creative have no reason to have the ‘Monster Among Men’ defeat ‘The Fiend’ at Starrcade 2019 especially with WWE’s coveted prize on the line.

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#4 To reinitiate The Fiend’s feud with Daniel Bryan

WWE is yet to explore the full potential of this feud

In the last few weeks, we have seen The Fiend attack Daniel Bryan on multiple occasions which ultimately led to a match between the two at Survivor Series. Although Bryan couldn’t win the title, he ensured that the fans are heavily invested in their bout, and is arguably the only person on the main roster who can get the WWE Universe to turn on their Universal Champion.

Bryan’s rivalry with The Fiend has been exciting so far, given the intensity that they bring to the match. In fact, the entire narration of this storyline revolves around the mental instability risen from the passion for the craft which makes both Superstars equally interesting.

Hence, WWE might continue this feud by having Bryan attack The Fiend once the latter’s match with Braun Strowman is over. The two may then continue to feud for the next couple of weeks only to set up a grueling encounter at TLC.

Following this week's episode of SmackDown, Daniel Bryan has already fallen victim to The Fiend with the feud being reinitiated. It remains to be seen what version of Daniel Bryan we will see next week.

#3 To avoid short title reigns

WWE will refrain from repeating their mistake

It’s been one month since ‘The Fiend’ defeated Seth Rollins at WWE Crown Jewel 2019 to win the Universal Championship. In the last four weeks, we have seen him successfully defend his Championship against Daniel Bryan and might do the same against Braun Strowman on Sunday.

WWE has previously received a lot of backlash from the fans for the short title reigns of Brock Lesnar. The Creative will definitely look to avoid booking The Fiend in a similar fashion. He is likely to engage in multiple intense rivalries for the title before he finally drops the title to someone on SmackDown.

Therefore, at Starrcade 2019, The Fiend will walk out with his title safely wrapped around his hand after laying waste to the ‘Monster Among Men’ inside the cage. Surely, a win for Braun Strowman will come across as a huge surprise but there’s a very slight chance of that being possible.

#2 To keep Braun Strowman out of the title picture

As unfortunate as it may sound, Braun Strowman is often kept out of the title picture

WWE’s booking of Braun Strowman almost implies that they are uncertain with the direction in which the said Superstar is headed. We have often seen him being pushed into the title picture when there’s a lack of interesting Championship feuds but he never ends up capitalizing on that opportunity.

Going by history, the same thing will happen to him on Sunday evening when he will square off against The Fiend in the Steel Cage match. The two are expected to have a good match which will finally end in favor of the Champion.

This battle between the two former members of Wyatt Family will indeed be interesting. We might have seen Strowman posing a serious threat to The Fiend’s title but the lack of build-up indicates that their match will not fetch a shocking result during the weekend.

WWE have almost always refrained from keeping Strowman in the title picture and unfortunately, that won’t change anytime soon.

#1 The Fiend’s brand

The Fiend is extremely over with the WWE Universe

Ever since his arrival on the weekly show, Bray Wyatt’s ‘The Fiend’ has been extremely over with the crowd. He single-handedly forced the entire WWE Universe to turn on Seth Rollins during their feud with the Universal Championship. He is undoubtedly one of the biggest attractions in the pro-wrestling business and his brand will be one of the biggest reasons behind his extended title run.

Although Braun Strowman enjoys his fair share of popularity among the WWE fans, it is highly unlikely for him to beat The Fend at an event that has a limited hype surrounding it. A feud with Strowman will help establish The Fiend’s title reign by adding more credibility to it.

This match will help generate necessary buzz amidst the fans but will not necessarily divide them in the support. If Strowman struggles to put away the Fiend, it will work wonders for the entire hype around WWE’s latest masked wrestler who resides at the pinnacle of Sports entertainment. It’s safe to say, that Vince McMahon will avoid putting The Fiend’s overall brand in jeopardy by having him lose at Starrcade 2019.

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