10 New Directions For WWE After Royal Rumble 2017
6. Several Options For Braun Strowman
Predictably, Braun Strowman was one of the 2017 Royal Rumble’s biggest stars. WWE have been grooming him as their biggest monster heel for a number of months, and after spending the past few weeks rubbing shoulders with Raw’s main eventers, Braun made a huge impact last night. He eliminated seven other wrestlers (including two behemoths in Big Show and Mark Henry) in his 13-minute run, and while he never met the likes of Goldberg and Brock Lesnar, Strowman looked outstanding.
More importantly, WWE have effectively set Strowman up for two major feuds. Having confronted one another on Raw last week, Strowman and Big Show got the match’s big monster vs. monster spot in last night’s Rumble, and Braun handled the (former?) 500-pounder with relative ease. Their feud has been rumoured for months, and it looks like it’s finally on the table after last night’s interactions.
Strowman didn’t just make waves in the Rumble itself, however. His demolition of Roman Reigns effectively handed Kevin Owens his Universal Title defence earlier in the night, planting the roots for a major Strowman vs. Reigns feud in the future. It might not come immediately, particularly if Reigns faces The Undertaker at WrestleMania, but it’s almost certainly on the cards. Full credit to WWE for establishing not one, but two possible directions for Strowman.