WWE WrestleMania 34: 10 Most Insane Things That Happened!

6. "Nicholas"

The Strowchild II
WWE.com

Braun Strowman's tag team partner wasn't Rey Mysterio. It wasn't the Big Show. It wasn't nobody. It was a small child plant plucked from the audience to ostensibly raise a smile amongst the crowd. The same crowd who watched a man bleeding from a legitimate broken head and could not have cared less.

The child, who might be and probably is a staffer's kid, was used in the spot for two worrying purposes: to prove that Braun Strowman alone is stronger than any tag team, and to put him over as the latest in a long line of smily happy babyfaces. This didn't get booed out of the building, stupid though it was, but WWE is risking yet another backlash. Strowman sort of got it over, but at some point, fans will resent the forced face tactics as they do of virtually all of them. What's particularly crazy is that WWE chose this for the genuinely popular Strowman, because Roman Reigns was never considered to not go over Brock Lesnar, and Roman Reigns didn't actually go over Brock Lesnar.

A child is a Champion in WWE. It's stupid.

It is stupid.

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!