10 Big Mistakes WWE Will Probably Make Before 2017
5. Over-Pushing Braun Strowman & Nia Jax
WWE are in a tricky spot with Braun Strowman and Nia Jax. Critics will say Jax was brought up from NXT too soon, and Strowman should never have escaped developmental in the first place. Both are pushed as monsters, but they’re far from the finished product, and their in-ring limitations are well-established at this point.
Both need to be built up as imposing menaces in their respective divisions, and WWE are doing this through weekly squash matches. It’s been effective so far, but it’s a technique they can only use for so long before fans grow tired of it, and that’s going to happen sooner rather than later. There’ll come a time when Strowman and Nia have to move towards longer, more meaningful matches, but they’re not ready for that, and that’s the quandary.
The bookers clearly have big plans for both competitors. Everyone knows WWE love a good monster character, but Strowman and Jax’s deficiencies are going to be left woefully exposed when wrestling for longer than a couple of minutes. WWE have no choice but to elevate them, but barring a drastic improvement between now and then, they’re going to bomb.
Nobody wants to see the awkward Strowman and Jax competing higher up the card at this point, but that’s the direction we’re headed in. Vladimir Kozlov, Heidenreich, and Nathan Jones can rest easy: their heirs are here.