What’s the story?
WWE RAW ended unusually last night, as Braun Strowman, Big Show and the referee lay prone in the middle of the ring. The main event of the show saw Big Show and Braun Strowman go one-on-one, and the match came to a close when Strowman hit Show with a superplex, causing the ring to collapse.
In case you didn’t know...
Braun Strowman has undoubtedly been one of the biggest beneficiaries of the 2016 WWE brand split. Strowman was drafted 48th overall during the July draft, below stars such as Titus O’Neill, Summer Rae and The Ascension, but he quickly set about decimating the opposition on his way to becoming one of the main heels on RAW.
Strowman’s momentum came to a screeching halt at Fastlane when he was pinned by Roman Reigns, but The Monster Among Men has picked up where he left off in the post-WrestleMania season. Last week saw Strowman absolutely decimate The Big Dog, and last night The Black Sheep took on Big Show in the main event of the show.
The heart of the matter
Big Show and Braun Strowman went one-on-one in a critically-acclaimed match on the Road to WrestleMania, and the two behemoths were under pressure to match or even top that battle last night.
The two giants were well on their way to topping that battle, with Braun kicking out of a Chokeslam and a KO punch and Show surviving Strowman’s powerslam, when Braun caught Big Show on the top rope.
The crowd sensed what might be coming, and they were right. Braun hit Show with a giant superplex, causing the ring to collapse in on itself as the referee went flying out of it. The crowd loved every second of the moment, as Show and Strowman lay down in the middle of the ring to sell the destruction.
Strowman slowly got to his feet as Show remained prone, further ramming home the fact that there is a new monster in town.
The impact
It was only a matter of time before WWE busted out the collapsed ring to get Strowman over as more of a monster, and that moment has arrived. WWE is going all-in on The Monster Among Men, and the promotion has gone to town in the weeks following WrestleMania 33 to make sure Strowman is positioned as the biggest threat on the flagship show.
Having Braun walk away from this carnage solidifies him further as a true beast.
Author’s take
The collapsing ring is still visually impressive, but the inevitability of it happening lessened its impact for this writer. What makes this different to times in the past where the ring has collapsed?
WWE had a chance to make a difference here, and here’s how – the ring still should have collapsed, but Strowman should have retained enough energy to cover Show and pick up the win.
The referee went flying out of the ring in the actuality, so that would have been a little hard. Still, Strowman is a true beast, and he must run through Show, Kane and Mark Henry to stand alone before the end of the year.
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