25 Ways WWE Has Ruined Raw
8. Failing To Capitalise On Hot Stars
Now that we've established that whenever there has been a brand split, 'The Guy' has usually made his home on Raw, let's dive into his push's most problematic externality: the ostracisation of everyone else.
'The Guy's' Raw success comes at his peers' expense, because his push is prioritised over everything. This means that whenever a different performer somehow gets over organically, drawing better crowd reactions than will ever be possible via the supposed franchise players' manufactured push, he is inevitably shunted back into the shadows.
We saw it with Braun Strowman last summer. He was hotter than hell coming out of SummerSlam's main event, and him versus Brock Lesnar felt very much like something WWE could build for WrestleMania, but WWE jumped the gun. They forced him into a wet fart of a Universal Title match one month later, and Strowman lost. Why? Because Roman Reigns has to face Lesnar in New Orleans, and nothing else matters.
The company's inability to pull the trigger at the right time is maddening, and while Braun will get another Universal shot at the Royal Rumble, WWE's telegraphed 'Mania main event means he has no hope of winning.