10 Wrestlers Who Changed Their Perception In A Heartbeat

7. Braun Strowman

Dr Britt Baker
WWE.com

Before:

Mason Ryan if his parents were related and banged in a swamp, Braun Strowman was yet another immobile lummox signed because Vince McMahon is, in fact, going to Vince. Strowman's early perception was shaped, unfairly, by Vince and his modern history of indulgent failure, and it wasn't helped by the idea that we were none the bloody wiser. As the Black Sheep of the Wyatt Family, Strowman, whose cherublic face made him look green on sight, barely moved, and since the Undertaker reportedly refused to work him, he drew another comparison of failure shorthand: Hade Vansen.

In a heartbeat:

James Ellsworth took a terrific, harrowing splat bump for Strowman, getting him over as a competent hoss, but it was Sami Zayn who extracted the potential from within him in a cracking mini-series that summoned the dynamic and explosive side of Strowman'a game. Their Last Man Standing match was a particular triumph; Strowman got himself over as relentless killer who as a more advanced athlete had no need to rely on a methodical, stalking gait - an awesome, propulsive performer with, for a brief time, an aura as a legit monster.

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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 current Undisputed WWE 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!