10 Wrestlers You Didn’t Know Have Bad Reputations

9. Braun Strowman

Christian Cage
WWE

Braun Strowman seems to have matured in recent years. 

In 2024, he gets his head down, works fun matches, knows that he’s more of an attraction than a World champion, and generally seems to have gained perspective and accepted his lot. 

Did you ever wonder why WWE never really went with Braun Strowman at the peak of his popularity? When - amidst the late 2010s war between promoter and audience - Braun was really the only act who appealed to both? 

That has a lot to do with his reported attitude problems: in 2018, the reputable PWInsider reported that Strowman, the original quiet quitter, had developed a reputation for arriving late and leaving early. There’s also the wild story of Strowman telling Karen Jarrett to hit the bricks when she asked for his autograph on behalf of her son. Braun - allegedly - begged on his hands and knees for forgiveness when he was told that the kid’s dad was Kurt Angle. 

This was played down by those involved, subsequently, but still: funny. 

This rather bird-brained mentality did manifest once during Braun’s comeback run when Braun buried “flippy” wrestlers on Twitter after Crown Jewel 2022. 

Contributor
Contributor

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!