KB’s Review: We Want Strowman

With Wrestlemania season firmly upon us, a lot of fantasy booking will start up. You’ll see people wondering what the “Wrestlemania XXXIV” card should be, who will be on it, who won’t be on it, what kind of surprises we might be in for and anything else associated with the biggest show of the year. This is the case up and down the card and now we’re looking at one factor in the main event: Braun Strowman.

Now, ever since…oh…February 2017 when Goldberg won the Universal Title, it was pretty clear that the main event of “Wrestlemania XXXIV” would see Roman Reigns defeating Brock Lesnar to win the title. It’s not exactly a secret and that’s made a lot of what we’ve seen in the last year kind of a waste of time. One of the major things that hasn’t been a waste of time though has been the rise of Strowman, who has gone from a big lumbering Bray Wyatt lackey to one of the top stars in the promotion.

With just over six weeks to go before “Wrestlemania XXXIV”, there’s not much confirmed for the card. At the moment, Strowman is rumored for an Intercontinental Title match against the Miz or as Ronda Rousey’s partner in a mixed tag match against Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. Neither of these is exactly a thrilling prospect, especially with a not thrilling Universal Title match waiting in the wings. We’ve seen Lesnar vs. Strowman already, but at this point it might be time for a last minute change. Even if Strowman is just added to the match to make it a triple threat, things could still be made better.

He can have a good match.

Braun Strowman vs. The Miz - Seven-Man Gauntlet Match Part 6: Raw, Feb. 19, 2018

Here’s the thing: I’m not saying “Reigns sucks, put ANYONE else in there!”. What I’m saying is that Strowman deserves the spot more. Instead of just ranting and raving about why it shouldn’t be Reigns, today we’re going to look at the greatness of Strowman and see why he belongs in the top spot, at least right now. Also note that I don’t think this is actually going to happen, but the way things have been going, it would make a lot more sense.

We’ll start at the top. Above all else, if there’s one thing WWE absolutely loves, it’s the big fight feeling. It’s the biggest show (and probably biggest match) of the year and that should feel like a big deal. While Lesnar is certainly the biggest fight feel on the roster at the moment, Strowman is right on his heels. There’s something about someone of that size and power and you just know that you’re going to get a heck of a fight.

This is where Strowman is the perfect challenger for Lesnar. He’s bigger, stronger, and the kind of monster that Lesnar has had trouble with for the last year. It’s been built up for a long time now and while Lesnar did beat him late last year, Strowman has certainly been violent and successful enough since to earn another shot. You don’t have to mention their previous match (Undertaker and Triple H didn’t at “Wrestlemania XXVII”) and it’s not like Strowman needs much help being built to the spot.

He can be funny.

Braun Strowman bashes Elias with a bass: Raw, Feb. 12, 2018

Then there’s the audience factor. As mentioned, it’s no secret that this is all about giving Reigns his moment. That doesn’t exactly inspire a large portion of (though not all of) the audience. Reigns is going to get booed out of New Orleans no matter what he does, so why not spice things up a bit and give the fans SOMETHING to hope for, even if it’s nothing but false hope?

Like I said at the beginning, this is a situation where making the match a triple threat would work well on multiple fronts. Not only is there the chance that Strowman could pull a surprise, but assuming Reigns wins, how awesome does he look by surviving both Strowman and Lesnar in the same match? Have him spear both guys down and get a double pin to win the title back. He looks like a monster slayer, the fans have a reason to believe a surprise might be coming, and Reigns gets revenge for his losses to both guys at once, thereby making him look like an even bigger deal.

Then there’s the build to the show. Simply put, Strowman outclasses Reigns in being entertaining outside the ring. What’s the last memorable thing Reigns did or said? Other than “this is my yard now”, which was almost a year ago, nothing is exactly springing to mind. He’s serviceable on promos, but that’s about as far as it goes. The laid back talking has never been the best choice for him and really, he’s just kind of forgettable every time he gets on the microphone.

And he can do this.

Braun Strowman demolishes a TV production truck: Raw, Jan. 15, 2018

On the other hand, pick something from I’M NOT FINISHED WITH YOU to the huge string bass to turning over an ambulance to just random acts of violence to GET THESE HANDS (I’m still not sure I get that one). All of these are incredibly memorable segments and I’d be wondering what Strowman would come up with next. Sure it’s likely he’d go serious, but it’s not like Strowman is behind Reigns in that department either. Throw in one off the wall segment and this is Strowman’s by a mile.

Finally, and probably most importantly, it’s time to try something new. I know this is an argument that you hear over and over, but this is going to be Reigns’ FOURTH straight Wrestlemania main event. Four years in a row and now we’re looking to find out if THIS is the time where Reigns becomes the top guy. What is the story supposed to be this time? Reigns has never won the Universal Title? Or maybe he’s avenging a loss to someone else who happened to be in a triple threat along with him?

This is a situation where Strowman wins just for being something fresh. He’s never been World Champion (or any kind of a champion actually) and it’s not like Reigns’ seemingly eternal quest to become the top guy has been lighting the world on fire. Strowman is hot right now and it wouldn’t exactly be a stretch to put him into this spot. See what you can do here and go from there.

Simply put, Strowman has been on fire this year. Whether it’s having great matches (many of which have been against Reigns), looking like an unstoppable monster (most of the time by destroying Lesnar, who unfortunately did beat him at “No Mercy 2017”) or just being entertaining (I mean, pick a few options), he’s been the best thing about a lot of episodes of “Monday Night Raw”.

Now what do you do with that? Well if you’re WWE you put him in a midcard match and wait for another day, which has been a major reason why they don’t create many new stars. Take a chance for once and see what you get, rather than Reigns’ latest crowning moment. I know THIS TIME FOR SURE, but could we try something else for a change? Like, Strowman for example.

Throw him in as Lesnar’s challenger by having him win the Elimination Chamber or find a way to put him in the match as a bonus. Just give us a reason to believe that Strowman might get there instead of going with the most obvious possible ending. Sometimes you can go with the obvious ending (Steve Austin at “Wrestlemania XIV” is the easiest example) but this time around, while it’s not as bad as it might have been before, another solution is needed. Strowman is right there, and I’m hoping WWE picks up on it in time.