WWE No Mercy 2017: Assessing The Potential Of All 7 Matches

by Michael Sidgwick

1. Brock Lesnar Vs. Braun Strowman - WWE Universal Title Match

Brock Lesnar Braun Strowman
WWE.com

This Clash Of The Über-Titans is a hardcore fan dream match writ physically impossibly large.

The pre-bell atmosphere alone should elevate this into momentous territory. Look for the two behemoths to extract maximum crowd noise purely through the cinematic visual. If their match-within-a-match at SummerSlam is any indication, this should be an absolute war - like if Michael Bay directed a wrestling match, only good. Really f*cking good. And thankfully, nowhere near as pointlessly long. The story telegraphed in the build practically guarantees that we won't, can't, witness Lesnar phone in his elongated squash match mode. Strowman, in an awesome spot last week, popped up from Lesnar's German suplex.

Even if Lesnar successfully visits Suplex City, the subversion of the expected narrative, and the visual alone, will drop jaws. This possesses the potential to be the greatest big man match in the history of the promotion. It's going to be urgent. Spectacular. Destructive. Rapid. Two massive motherf*ckers with even more massive auras - with no physical right being as athletic as they are - smashing each other to smithereens in an elusive marriage between the sensibilities of Vince McMahon and his audience.

Maximum Star Rating Ceiling: ****1/2

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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!