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What's the story?
Footage has emerged of Braun Strowman giving Roman Reigns the middle finger at a live event in Australia. "The Monster Among Men" also appears to shout obscenities at Reigns, ahead of their house show main event in Brisbane.
In case you didn't know
Braun Strowman may well be the major success story of the 2016 WWE Draft. Prior to the brand split, Strowman was a green rookie in the Wyatt Family, but the post-draft landscape has seen him rise to become one of the top superstars in the entire company.
A highlight of Strowman's rise has been his feud with Roman Reigns, a feud that has been going on for over nine months now. Strowman and Reigns have battled in a number of intense stipulation matches, and the duo are headlining RAW's run of live events in Australia.
The heart of the matter
Strowman's extremely un-PG gesture came ahead of the main event between the two in Brisbane, the capital city of Queensland in Australia. Roman Reigns was making his entrance, and Strowman wasn't going to allow The Big Dog to make it in peace.
In the video at the link here, Strowman moves towards Reigns, flips him the bird and mouthes an obscenity or two at his opponent. Reigns went on to win the match, hitting "The Monster Among Men" with a spear through a table to pick up the victory.
Whilst fans might be alarmed at this decidedly non-PG deed, WWE has long given stars more freedom at live events. Away from the prying eyes of television and producers, the wrestlers are encouraged to put on more of a show for the fans in attendance.
What's next?
Whilst it is unlikely that Strowman will bring this new offensive edge to WWE TV anytime soon, it is also unlikely that he will face any punishment for giving Reigns the finger.
Both Strowman and Reigns have huge matches ahead of them at next week's No Mercy pay-per-view. Strowman is scheduled to challenge Brock Lesnar for the WWE Universal Championship, whilst Reigns is to do battle against John Cena in a Vince McMahon Dream Match.
Author's take
It has long been known that fans are better off buying tickets to live events as opposed to TV tapings, as the extra freedom afforded to the wrestlers almost guarantees a better show. You certainly won't see Braun give the Jersey Salute on television - this sort of stuff only happens at house shows.
