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Braun Strowman was a shocking inclusion amongst the names of the high-profile WWE Superstars released from their contracts last week.
A former WWE Universal Champion, Braun Strowman signed a new four year contract with WWE in 2019, reportedly worth more than $1 million per year.
It has subsequently been reported that The Monster Among Men's particularly expensive deal could have been a reason behind his WWE release. The company has cited "budget cuts" as the reason behind so many talents and employees being let go.
Strowman made his WWE main roster debut on the post-SummerSlam edition of Monday Night RAW in August 2015 as a member of The Wyatt Family. During his time on both RAW and SmackDown, Braun Strowman became a former Universal Champion, Intercontinental Champion, RAW Tag Team Champion, 2018 Money in the Bank winner and the winner of The Greatest Royal Rumble match.
With all of those accomplishments in mind, let's take a closer look at Braun Strowman's 5 greatest WWE moments.
#5 Braun Strowman attacks Brock Lesnar on Monday Night RAW the night after SummerSlam 2017
Braun Strowman was arguably at the peak of his popularity in the summer of 2017. The Monster Among Men recently came off a red hot feud with top babyface Roman Reigns and was quickly becoming one of the most over acts in the WWE.
In the main event of SummerSlam 2017, Braun Strowman faced off against Brock Lesnar, Samoa Joe and Roman Reigns in a Fatal 4-Way match for Lesnar's Universal Championship. Unfortunately for Strowman, Brock Lesnar left the biggest event of the summer with the Universal Championship after hitting the F5 on Roman Reigns to secure the victory.
The following night on Monday Night RAW, Braun Strowman interrupted Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman who were crowing about The Beast's victory.
After a back-and-forth between the two WWE Superstars, Braun Strowman delivered two devastating running powerslams to Brock Lesnar, much to the adulation of the sold-out Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
The segment was a perfect indication of Strowman's growing popularity, with many suggesting he could be set for a huge babyface Universal Championship reign in the near future. However, it did not play out that way. Strowman was quickly defeated by Lesnar during their highly anticipated Universal Championship match several weeks later at No Mercy.
#4 Braun Strowman and The Big Show collapse the ring on Monday Night RAW in 2017
Braun Strowman's history with The Big Show serves as a highlight reel of incredible moments and jaw-dropping matches between two of the best big men to step inside a WWE ring.
The Monster Among Men and The World's Largest Athlete have left a path of destruction in their wake every they have have squared off inside a WWE ring. In what could be described as a real-life King Kong vs. Godzilla match, Strowman and Big Show have destroyed rings and Steel Cages during their encounters.
One such dramatic match between Braun Strowman and The Big Show came during the April 17, 2017 edition of Monday Night RAW. The two giant WWE Superstars squared off in a match where both competitors scaled the turnbuckles to the top rope.
Once on the top rope, Braun Strowman delivered a devastating superplex to The Big Show, causing the ring to implode and collapse, much to the addulation of the WWE Universe. The match ended in a no contest, however Braun Strowman was able to eventually make it to his feet and stand tall.
The stunt echoed previous ring implosions involving The Big Show against WWE Superstars such as Brock Lesnar and Mark Henry.
#3 Braun Strowman lifts up an ambulance with Roman Reigns inside during Monday Night RAW in 2017
Braun Strowman's greatest opponent in WWE was arguably Roman Reigns.
During their feud in 2017 on Monday Night RAW, Reigns and The Monster Among Men competed in some incredible matches, with moments and stunts that are still discussed and shared on social media to this day. One such moment occurred on the April 10, 2017 edition of Monday Night RAW.
Reigns and Strowman's feud dates back to the 2017 Royal Rumble pay-per-view where The Monster Among Men cost Reigns the Universal Championship against Kevin Owens.
After WrestleMania 33, the feud reignited when Braun Strowman viciously attacked The Big Dog backstage on Monday Night RAW. Strowman's beating of Reigns was so severe that the former WWE World Heavyweight Champion was strapped to a stretcher and loaded into an ambulance by trainers and medical staff.
However, after roaring "I'm not finished with you," Braun Strowman showed off his superhuman strength by flipping over the ambulance with Roman Reigns inside of the vehicle. The stunt wowed the WWE Universe and was the first of many incredible stunts and feats of superhuman strength that Braun Strowman would demonstrate during his WWE career.
#2 Braun Strowman wins The Greatest Royal Rumble match in 2018
One of Braun Strowman's biggest WWE victories came during the inaugural WWE Saudi Arabia pay-per-view event known as The Greatest Royal Rumble in April 2018.
The event marked the beginning of a 10-year deal between the Saudi General Sports Authority and WWE to produce a series of events and pay-per-views each year.
The first such event was The Greatest Royal Rumble which was headlined by a 50-man Royal Rumble match to determine the winner of the WWE Greatest Royal Rumble trophy and the Greatest Royal Rumble Championship.
Normally, a traditional Royal Rumble match features only 30 WWE Superstars. However, the 50-man Greatest Royal Rumble match currently holds the record for the largest WWE Royal Rumble match to date.
After entering as the 41st entrant, Braun Strowman last eliminated Big Cass by countering a big boot attempt and throwing his opponent over the top rope to win the Greatest Royal Rumble match.
In addition to winning the Greatest Royal Rumble Trophy and Greatest Royal Rumble Championship, Braun Strowman also set the record for the most eliminations in a single Royal Rumble match at 13, beating Roman Reigns' previous record of 12 eliminations.
#1 Braun Strowman wins the WWE Universal Championship at WrestleMania 36
Ironically, Braun Strowman's greatest moment of his WWE career came in front of zero fans in an empty WWE Performance Center during WrestleMania 36 Night One in 2020.
Originally, The Monster Among Men wasn't even scheduled for the Showcase of the Immortals that year. It was previously announced that WWE Universal Champion and WWE Hall of Famer Goldberg would defend the Universal Championship against Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 36 inside Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, Florida.
However, due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, WrestleMania 36 was moved from Raymond James Stadium to the WWE Performance Center in front of zero fans on a closed set.
Just days prior to the taping of WrestleMania 36, Roman Reigns pulled out of the event, citing concerns over health and safety due to the pandemic. This led WWE to scramble and announce that Braun Strowman would challenge Goldberg for the Universal Championship at WrestleMania 36, with little explanation.
During the event, Braun Strowman defeated Goldberg in just over two minutes, capturing the first and only WWE Universal Championship of his WWE career. While there weren't any members of the WWE Universe there to celebrate with him, it was certainly the biggest achievement of his WWE career.
