The Damning Legacy Of Braun Strowman

Braun Strowman Drew McIntyre
WWE.com

Various reports surfaced of Braun's poor attitude. An unintentional big-leaguing of Karen Jarrett was instantly enshrined in wrestling folklore. The reputable Mike Johnson of PWInsider reported in November 2018 that "4 different people" spoke of Strowman's dire punctuality and poor grasp of etiquette. But then, if anything, Vince often gravitates towards the alpha. He hates meek, entitled millennials too, proving that virtually everybody is f*cked either way. Strowman emerged from this period having appeared to have matured, a callous burial of the beleaguered indie wrestler entering uncertainty ahead of the pandemic notwithstanding. Even if he was still a d*ckhead, and nobody caught it, it's not as if WWE is quick to punish them.

He was in great, shredded shape as WWE entered the rancid pandemic era in which Strowman was effectively buried for good. His ac-ting was understandably atrocious, given the material and how unsuited he was to deliver it. After his WrestleCrap year, Strowman was something approaching Strowman again in the first quarter of 2021, if you forget about the punishingly sh*te storytelling ahead of WrestleMania.

He entered a great performance at WrestleMania Backlash. It was almost too committed, in that he almost took a diving bump right on his head, but he got himself up for a Michinoku Driver in a ridiculous spot. It didn't matter, in the end. Fun as it was, nobody thought he was winning the WWE Title. Those days were well beyond him.

The failure of Braun Strowman symbolised the very failure of WWE in this catastrophically dog sh*t modern era. He was an oxymoron among men - a near 7" dynamo - and Vince still couldn't make all the money from him.

That Vince McMahon could not and would not maximise the manifestation of his very impulses as a promoter acted as proof - not even evidence - that he was utterly cooked as a promoter.

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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!