The Damning Legacy Of Braun Strowman

braun strowman backstage
WWE.com

Strowman got over huge in the wake of the first transformative Kazuchika Okada Vs. Kenny Omega match.

His excellent performance built on his entertaining character work - the man embodied big dumb fun with a genuine intimidation factor - and illustrated that WWE could be WWE again. He was Coliseum Video in the Network age, evidence that WWE still retained the old, quintessentially WWE magic.

The company that couldn't book also booked Strowman effectively across the challenging TV model. The Fastlane performance was impressive, but even then, great in-ring wasn't enough. The standard was being elevated across the board. Strowman's ability to credibly "execute" worked stunts on Monday Night RAW got him over all the more. His gilded strongman background brought back the elusive angle to WWE's dire, exposition-heavy scripted TV. His freakish strength and massive frame allowed creative to disrupt the squash, squash, ????, profit pattern typical of the hoss monster.

So much of his early run wasn't just creative; it was practically loving. It's shocking to conceive of now, looking at the absolute state of the rematch content churn on Monday nights, but WWE actively seemed to enjoy telling stories on behalf of the Braun Strowman character. Enthused fans reciprocated. It seemed Strowman, who could even get bullsh*t prop comedy over at one point, was made.

Until he wasn't.

CONT'D...(4 of 6)

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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!