10 Wrestlers Who Became Amazing After Heavy Criticism
7. Braun Strowman
Braun Strowman's critical arc has come full circle.
Early into his run, fans reacted to the man, with very little evidence, as if he were the reincarnation of the Great Khali. But Strowman was immobile by (old-fashioned) design; the gimmick was of a man so large and formidable that he could not be removed from his feet. Virtually everybody, your writer included, conflated that with being unable to take a bump, but his perception took a neck-first horror bump by in-the-know fans when it was revealed that the Undertaker refused to work him at WrestleMania 32, at which point he was conflated with Hade Vansen and Nathan Jones.
And then, in a stunning development, he much like 'Taker before him revealed his ability to work legitimately dynamic spectacles rendered all the more jaw-dropping by his sheer frame. His 2017 series with Roman Reigns was so awesome, in the true definition, that those same fans, your writer included, campaigned for a World Title run.
That campaign has since ended; it's too remote a possibility to get behind, and it turns out that he didn't have any right to launch into his opponents with such ferocity. His knees are thrashed, affecting his mobility and work.
WWE didn't strike when they should have, conflating him with just about everybody.