10 Terrible WWE Storylines One Tweak Away From Excellence

4. Braun Strowman Bullies Kevin Owens (2018)

Braun Strowman Kevin Owens
WWE

As it became more and more apparent in 2018 that Braun Strowman was either no longer Vince McMahon's guy (or Brock Lesnar - Vince McMahon's actual guy - had no interest in ever earnestly putting him over), the storylines began to circle the drain along with his plummeting stock. He won Money In The Bank but in the process made an enemy in briefcase rival Kevin Owens, who dared to try and win the match himself before Strowman marched to victory.

To reset, then; Braun had the prize he craved, and had taken physical revenge on the downtrodden 'Prizefighter' during the match itself. Owens was narked but barely poked the bear after being shoved off a giant ladder in the process of his rotten aforementioned ordeal. But the bear didn't need it.

In the weeks that followed, he tortured poor 'KO', locking him in toilets before tipping them over and chucking him off cages before squashing him like a bug in their SummerSlam "payoff" - as either character had any proper investment in the angle to begin with.

One Tweak: At least give him a reason.

Braun's character was a relentless piece of garbage throughout, and the company didn't even try to find him any sympathy. Owens, to WWE, was a man worthy of such wanton abuse.

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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 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. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, 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