10 Best Raw Segments Of 2017 So Far
2. Braun Strowman Murders Roman Reigns (10 April)
WWE loves creating monster heel characters, but none have been made to seem so impressive and so frightening as Strowman did in this segment. The surprise attack mid-interview wonderfully showcased his surprising speed as well as his strength and ruthlessness, and that was only the beginning as the beatdown simply escalated and escalated.
The brutal aggression with which Strowman threw Reigns around backstage was wince-inducing, as was the viciousness of assaulting Reigns while he was in a stretcher, all capped off with the astonishing spectacle of Strowman slowly tipping over an ambulance with Reigns tied down inside. It was an extraordinary feat of strength and with the way Strowman was protected during his singles push, it felt entirely believable that he would be capable of such an act of devastation. The scariness that this segment bestowed upon Strowman was only heightened by how defenceless the multi-time champion Reigns was at the hands of such destruction, and so sadistically assaulting a man in a stretcher is a guaranteed way to seem like a true monster. It all added up to form one of the most enthralling segments of 2017 so far. No act of aggression in WWE's recent programming has felt so dangerous or so savage, which given the focus of the programming, is a very high compliment to bestow, one which this segment undeniably earned.
And that's not even to mention the cathartic Schadenfreude of witnessing the usually untouchable Roman Reigns getting so severely annihilated.