Will Braun Strowman Finally Conquer Brock Lesnar at WWE ‘Royal Rumble’?

Braun Strowman will challenge Brock Lesnar for the WWE Universal Championship at the Royal Rumble on Sunday, January 27. Braun won the opportunity to face The Beast Incarnate after leading the Monday Night Raw Superstars against Baron Corbin at TLC.

Strowman has a loyal following of fans that would love to see him finally hoist the red brand’s top prize over his head. But even as the WWE faithful prepare to see these two titans go to war, many are wondering if the outcome will be any different this time. Will Brock Lesnar once again conquer The Monster Among Men?

From the first moment that Braun Strowman became a world title contender, fans have been asking what if? What if he can climb the ladder in WWE and what if he can achieve greatness at the highest level? 

Strowman seemed to be a success story. He came in as a piece of raw talent. He worked hard, he worked within the system and the company gave him the opportunity to shine. Braun took advantage of that opportunity and he did exactly what he needed to do. He got over. Braun managed to find his way in a company rife with top stars and more importantly, he found himself. 

Watch Braun Strowman confront Paul Heyman on Raw:

Braun Strowman confronts Paul Heyman, the Red-Nosed Advocate: Raw, Dec. 24, 2018

Braun is now one of WWE’s top guys and while doors were opened for him, he had to be the one to walk through them. This is why the fans respect him. It’s also why they cheer for him against WWE’s best and brightest. So now that he’s on the eve of taking the Universal Championship, Braun should be riding high. He should be the favorite to win. Of course in the minds of many fans, the favorite is the man currently wearing the title.

Indeed, how can anyone believe that Brock Lesnar is not the favorite to win every time he steps into the ring? Lesnar has faced the best that WWE has to offer and he has beaten them all. Yes, he’s lost matches and yes, he’s been in some wars. But at the end of the day, Brock Lesnar always comes out on top. It’s what he does.

Brock is booked to conquer. It’s not just a nickname and the fans know it. No one has ever gotten the last word on Lesnar. One win against him means one loss, or more, later. The last man to get over on Brock was Roman Reigns and it took The Big Dog three years to finally take him down. Now, Braun Strowman, after receiving one chance after another, is supposed to just walk into The Royal Rumble and slay The Beast?

The natural evolution of Strowman’s character dictates that he eventually gets over on Lesnar. It’s the only outcome that really makes any sense. WWE has built Braun as the next big monster, the one that rises to every challenge and destroys everyone put in front of him. Strowman is not just a Superstar. He’s a force of nature and he is absolutely fearless. In this modern era of six-foot dynamic cruiserweights, Braun Strowman is a throwback giant. He is truly The Monster Among Men.

Watch Strowman and Lesnar throw hands on Raw:

Braun Strowman and Brock Lesnar throw down before WWE Crown Jewel: Raw, Oct. 29, 2018

So he inevitably must defeat Brock Lesnar in order to fully realize his potential as a top guy. There’s just no other course of action. If Braun continues to go down in clutch situations, then he will be saddled with that reputation. But if he can get past Brock, then the sky is the limit. Strowman has proven that he’s capable of delivering on the main event level. Every time his number is called, he steps up and contributes. But beating The Beast is the ultimate goal and it’s one that Braun must achieve if he is to truly become the face of Monday Night Raw.

But therein lays the problem. Braun Strowman really can’t become the face of Monday Night Raw because Roman Reigns already has that title. Reigns is also the face of WWE, which means he’s not going anywhere. Just because he’s on the shelf does not mean that the company is merely going to pass him by. In any other era, Roman would have to fight his way back to the top when he returns. The company wouldn’t necessarily hold his absence against him but he also would likely not just pick up where he left off. WWE would rebuild him brick by brick and match by match. 

But right now, it’s as if the company has put everything on hold in anticipation of Roman’s return. There’s no timetable for that return of course. But that doesn’t seem to matter. Monday Night Raw appears to be standing still. This means that while Brock is the top titleholder and Braun is the top title contender, both men are doing nothing but keeping the top spot warm. If that is indeed the case, then what exactly is Strowman fighting for?

Watch Lesnar take Strowman down at Crown Jewel:

Brock Lesnar decimates Braun Stroman with repeated F5s: WWE Crown Jewel 2018 (WWE Network Exclusive)

Braun has indeed fought hard to get where he is. He’s on the road along with the rest of the crew. He’s working one match after another and honing his skills along the way. He’s become a bankable big man and if he left WWE today, then he would undoubtedly get a main event spot somewhere else tomorrow. When fans look at him, they see a main event star and he’s earned every inch of that distinction.

So when he once again goes to war with Brock Lesnar at The Royal Rumble, Braun will surely look good. He’s been here before and he knows what to do. The fans will be excited to see the match and both men will surely deliver as always. It’s not as though the match is unimportant or has no value. It’s a top match for a top title between two top guys. Of course it matters. 

But will anything change if Braun wins? Will anything change if Braun loses? Is this match merely just one more temporary placeholder on a card that should’ve featured Roman Reigns? Only time will tell. WWE must have the answers to these questions because the fans certainly do not. Win or lose, Braun will still be The Monster and Brock will still be The Beast. Whether or not that will be enough for fans remains to be seen.

 

Tom Clark can regularly be seen on Wrestling Rumors. His podcast, Tom Clark’s Main Event, is available on iTunes,YouTube, iHeart Radio, boinkstudios.com and live every Friday at 12pm EST on Wrestling Rumors Facebook Live