10 Storylines WWE ENJOYED Ruining
3. Braun Strowman - A Big Man Can't Win A Big Match
There were two early tells in the Braun Strowman story that highlighted just how much Vince McMahon favoured Brock Lesnar over his new 'Monster Among Men'.
On the April 3rd 2017 edition of Raw, Strowman was rather confusingly sent out to "put Lesnar on notice", whatever that meant, before backing down when 'The Beast' actually offered him out for a quick scuffle. 'The Monster Among Men' was embroiled in a programme with Roman Reigns at the time so, if you were willing to reach as far as WWE were asking, you could justify it with the thinking that he was saving himself for 'The Big Dog'.
And if he was, it worked. Strowman was one of the few to get the conclusive measure of Reigns, and took that momentum into an explosive SummerSlam fatal four-way main event that he didn't lose. If only the same could be said for his disastrously disappointing singles swing at the Universal Champion two months later.
Strowman Vs Lesnar at October's No Mercy felt like a moment in the making, but WWE bottled it for a Roman Reigns rainy day at the following WrestleMania. Braun lost easily to Brock, then failed to get near him in a triple threat with Kane at January 2018's Royal Rumble, then lost again to him when the two men briefly went into battle at October's Crown Jewel.
Braun couldn't even be generously classified as a flat-track bully - McMahon pushes bullies.