Braun Strowman: Is He a Modern Giant Gonzalez?
The latest “big guy” being pushed by the WWE is The Wyatt Family’s Braun Strowman. However, is he just another over pushed “giant” much like Giant Gonzalez was in the early 90s?
Vince McMahon loves giants. It is no secret that the quickest way to be pushed in the WWE is to be oversized regardless of in ring skills. Throughout the history of the WWE, there have been a number of giant competitors. Some were legitimate legends, like Andre The Giant and even Big John Studd. Others were good competitors such as Kevin Nash and even The Big Show. However most simply were not good despite a huge push. Giant Gonzalez fits in that category.
The Giant Gonzalez actually got his start in WCW as a face known as El Gigante before arriving in the WWE. In WWE however, he wore a ridiculous body suit that had airbrushed muscles. In the ring, he was just not that good. He was slow, not agile, didn’t sell moves, and due to his size made it difficult for others to carry the matches. So of course, one of his major feuds was with the Undertaker, including at WrestleMania IX. Out of all of the Undertaker’s WrestleMania matches, this was the absolute worse. Braun Strowman seems to be headed on a similar path.
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Braun Strowman similarly is big, not very agile, slow in the ring, and currently is booked not to sell any of his opponents moves. Not only that but there have been rumors in the past week that he would either face Brock Lesnar or The Undertaker at WrestleMania.
According to PWMania.com (h/t PWinsider.com), Strowman is not supposed to show any sign of weakness. Which is why he is not selling for top superstars such as Roman Reigns, The Big Show, and even Brock Lesnar. Unfortunately, most of the time it does not make him look strong but makes his opponents look weaker than they should. Also, this report says it is rumored he could face Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania which would be a horrible match at this point. The Wrestling Observer reported that there may also be a push for Strowman to face The Undertaker at WrestleMania 32 which would bring back memories of the Giant Gonzalez match above.
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While big guys like Strowman can be special attractions I think it is a huge mistake for them to be unbeatable unless they have other in ring skills that can carry matches. To this point, Braun Strowman has not displayed these skills. Pushing him into a marquee match too soon before he develops the skills needed to help carry a match will be detrimental to his character and career, not beneficial. WWE should continue to keep Strowman involved in tag matches as part of the Wyatt family not push him as a singles competitor, which few fans would want to see.