What’s the story?
According to Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the injury to Braun Strowman has forced a complete change to the top of the card on Raw for the next two PPV cycles. At this point, though, it is uncertain as to when he will return.
If he is unable to make it to the July PPV, one of Seth Rollins or Finn Balor would be the most likely opponent of Brock Lesnar.
In case you didn’t know…
Strowman was working on an injury angle with a claimed torn rotator cuff. However, he ended up actually being injured, as he sustained an elbow injury and needed minor surgery. It was Roman Reigns who attacked Strowman’s elbow on Raw.
It was rumoured that Lesnar would face the Mountain Among Men at Great Balls of Fire in a WWE Title match. Their feud started off at the post-WrestleMania episode of Raw when Lesnar and Paul Heyman were confronted by Strowman.
The heart of the matter
Initially, it was estimated that Strowman would return in time for the July PPV. However, he has been pulled off all shows past the 9th July date, with Bray Wyatt being moved out of his scheduled matches with Finn Balor, to headline the Raw crew live events going forward against Roman Reigns.
With Strowman out of the picture, the house shows this week so far have had Reigns and Rollins vs Samoa Joe and Wyatt as the main event.
Strowman could reignite his feud with Lesnar at SummerSlam.
What’s next?
Strowman is already ruled out of Extreme Rules which is scheduled for Sunday, June 4, 2017. Great Balls of Fire is scheduled for Sunday, July 9, 2017, and it is unlikely that he will return in time for that either.
Author’s Take
With Reigns slotted to take on Lesnar at next year’s WrestleMania, it would not make any sense on the company’s part to have that match earlier and then bring it back again. He should be sidetracked from title matches until the Show of Shows next year, even if that makes the booking tricky.
In the absence of Lesnar, Reigns has been positioned as the big thing and so it is a good move to hold him back and have one of Rollins or Balor face off against Lesnar.
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