10 Most Improved Wrestlers On The Planet Today

8. Braun Strowman

Buddy Murphy
WWE.com

Braun Strowman just makes a mockery of the Hot Take Generation.

He was once, reductively, a lumberjack Mason Ryan whose job it was to not take bumps. His very gargantuan frame saw him cast, fittingly, as the black sheep of the Performance Center graduates. Nobody gave him a chance, your writer included. When it was rumoured that WWE had entertained the notion of Strowman versus the Undertaker at WrestleMania 32, most reacted as if he was as bad an opponent as Giant Gonzalez.

But, through committed and flattering production and his own very impressive commitment to improvement, he rushed through a character very similar to that of the same man nobody wished to see him face. Much like the Dead Man, when Strowman was booked to actually perform, he performed. Like a 2000s zombie movie remake, Strowman added a new dimension of fear to the old Monster of the Week: terrifying warp speed.

Still people doubted the longevity of the character, your writer included. They'll turn him into a comedy act, they said. They did, and he was awesome, displaying actual chops and proving himself immune to the bullsh*t.

It's all beginning to wane slightly from the law of diminishing returns - but the motherf*cker broke a ladder in half at Money In The Bank, and isn't that what we're all here for?

In this post: 
Buddy Murphy
 
Posted On: 
Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and surefire Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!