10 Impulse Reactions Following WWE Fastlane 2017

2. The Big Dog

Chris Jericho
WWE.com

Braun Strowman's improvement since his 2016 divorce from The Wyatt Family has been monumental, and makes his unfortunate positioning at this time of year all the more dispiriting.

Meanwhile, Roman Reigns' white-soled shoes shone brighter than his star aura for the entire match, as he looked outmatched by the 'Mountain of a Man' just a month shy of his probable blockbuster clash with The Undertaker at WrestleMania.

And with Braun looking short of a singles match at the 'Show of Shows' it seemed grossly unfair to end his unbeaten streak in relatively underwhelming fashion, even if 'The Big Dog' crowed about 'his yard' in the post-match.

Firing out shots to The Undertaker after his cynical Royal Rumble elimination of 'The Deadman', a Reigns/Taker clash still looks a lock, but even the famous gong distracting Roman long enough for Braun to score a victory could have added an 'eye-for-an-eye' element to that programme without sacrificing Strowman.

Braun's eventual defeat following a missed splash was an admittedly spectacular way for the red brand's new monster to look at the lights, but for a company that works in spite of itself just protect the majority of its performers, this was a disappointing outcome.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett