SummerSlam, Source: WWE.com
At WWE SummerSlam, Braun Strowman has a huge opportunity to leave as Universal Champion. Here’s why he should do just that.
Let’s not mince words – Braun Strowman is a terrifying human being. Wait, scratch that – he’s a terrifying monster.
It’s hard to believe that Strowman has only been appearing on WWE programming for just about two years. He has left such an imprint on the landscape that you would think he’s been around forever. But from his humble beginnings as the scariest member of the Wyatt Family up until now, The Monster Among Men has transformed into a legitimate main event superstar.
As proof of this evolution, Strowman will enter the ring at WWE SummerSlam as one of three challengers for the Universal Championship. Current champ Brock Lesnar is set to defend in a fatal four way against Roman Reigns, Samoa Joe, and Strowman. To date, it’s the biggest match of Braun’s young career, and it’s one that could set the stage for a long run at the top of WWE cards.
If successful in his match at SummerSlam, Strowman would take the next step in his already illustrious career. Could you imagine if the first championship Braun won in WWE was the top prize for the Raw brand? It’s easy to imagine if he could, but does that necessarily mean he should? (Yes. Yes, he should.)
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Here are five reasons why Braun Strowman should win at WWE SummerSlam.
5. Anyone But You, Roman
We can get this one out of the way right off the bat. A Braun Strowman victory saves the smarkier portion of the WWE Universe from a seemingly inevitable Roman Reigns victory.
There’s nothing really wrong with Reigns when you really sit down and think about it. He’s better in the ring than most want to give him credit for. And while he’s no wizard on the microphone, he can get the job done in a promo.
But Braun Strowman can do everything Roman Reigns can do – and he does some of it even better. Plus, I never saw Reigns flip an ambulance over. Or throw an office chair in someone’s face.
Look, anyone with the slightest inclination to fantasy book things is already waiting for Reigns to be The Guy who finally stops Brock Lesnar, likely taking a championship in the process. It’s going to happen eventually, but SummerSlam – though a huge show – isn’t the right time. If someone besides Reigns is going to leave as champion, why not the guy who has spent the past seven months making Roman’s life a living hell?
Strowman has proven he’s got Reigns’s number. If Roman is the “chosen one,” shouldn’t the guy who’s constantly gotten one over on him get to the promised land first?
4. An Organic Championship Not Involving Daniel Bryan
(yes, the headline for this page is a “Daniel Bryan is a hippie” joke)
Be honest: When Braun Strowman debuted on Raw in August 2015, did you really think he’d be a serious contender for a world championship by now?
But over the past two years, all Braun has done is consistently improve, until here we are talking about him as a legit threat to become Universal Champion. When you really put it into perspective, it’s a shockingly quick rise through the ranks of WWE. Consider also that before his debut as a member of the Wyatt Family, Strowman had participated in less than a dozen matches at NXT house shows. It’s crazy.
Comparing Braun at his debut to Braun now, the difference is in the refinement. Since being drafted to Raw last summer, Strowman took the ball and ran with it. His initial run of squash matches over local competitors did more than just introduce the WWE Universe to James Ellsworth. It gave Braun the opportunity to truly become a Monster Among Men.
Simply by putting in the work and taking everything seriously, Strowman – who clearly has a natural instinct for the wrestling business – has connected with the fans in a way seldom seen these days. It’s as if the fans are enamored with him because they can tell he is insanely good at what he does. Talent should be rewarded, and in wrestling the rewards are championship victories.
3. A Monster Among Proven Veterans
Strowman’s opponents at SummerSlam are Roman Reigns, Samoa Joe, and current Universal Champion Brock Lesnar. Combined, there’s nearly thirty years of pro wrestling experience in the ring with him. Not to mention the eleven world championships won by the three men he’ll square up against.
Needless to say, whoever walks out of Brooklyn with the Universal Championship is going to win more than the title. The bragging rights that come with beating just one of those competitors are enough to build a main event push on. What if you won a match and beat more than one?
And if Strowman is victorious, he’ll have defeated all three of them. If that’s not a true star-making moment, I don’t know what is.
We’ve already established the dominance Braun has displayed over Roman Reigns. His opportunities against Brock Lesnar and Samoa Joe are more limited, but all that will change at SummerSlam. Just the thought of seeing The Monster Among Men square up and face off against The Beast Incarnate is enough to warm the blackest of hearts.
Braun Strowman has already proven he belongs in the main event scene in WWE for years to come. If he were to win the Universal Championship at SummerSlam over Lesnar, Reigns, and Samoa Joe, he may just well be the hottest wrestler in the entire company.
2. Give The Beast A Break
Of course, the big monkey wrench in all of these “Why so and so should win the Universal Title” arguments is the Brock Lesnar situation. On July 31, Lesnar and Paul Heyman made a shocking proclamation on Raw. If The Beast Incarnate fails to successfully defend the title at SummerSlam, he’s going to leave WWE. For good. (wink wink, nudge nudge, say no more)
I don’t think anyone seriously believes that Lesnar would leave WWE “for good” after SummerSlam. His contract runs until WrestleMania 34 – why would he give up that payday? Not only that, but Brock makes some serious coin every time he appears on Raw or pay per view – and those Raw appearances are usually of the “stand around and look mean while Paul Heyman says some stuff” variety.
But due to the sporadic nature of Lesnar’s appearances, it’s in WWE’s best interests to do something to have a Universal Champion who could appear on television with some regularity. That sporadic nature of Brock’s appearances also works out for allowing someone to defeat him at SummerSlam – someone like Strowman.
Picture this: Strowman wins the Universal Championship by pinning, say, Roman Reigns. Lesnar is furious at losing a title – again – without being defeated. He keeps his word, and “leaves” WWE. Strowman takes the opportunity to talk himself up as new champion. He puts down Lesnar for “taking his ball and going home.” Come Survivor Series, or Royal Rumble, Lesnar has had enough and returns to take back his title. This sets up the inevitable WrestleMania 34 match between Reigns and Lesnar for the official coronation of “The Guy,” and Strowman is waiting in the wings to regain the Universal Championship.
1. Something Different For A Change
Whether fair or not, WWE has a reputation among fans for always going with the status quo and never doing anything unexpected. It seems that many major events are entirely predictable. And sometimes the formula is so stale and repetitive that you can actually accurately predict not only match results, but full-on angles and stories that last weeks, months, or longer.
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The good thing about the SummerSlam main event for the Raw brand is that anyone can win the match. There’s no one competitor who should be more of a favorite than any of the others. Sure, Lesnar is the champ right now. But Joe took him to the limit at Great Balls of Fire. Reigns is being primed for megastardom. And Strowman, the closest thing to a wild card, is possibly the most interesting superstar in WWE of the past ten years or more.
Since Braun is, in theory, the least likely superstar to win the match, a championship victory would be something akin to WWE doing something different. Granted, the last time they did something different we got a three month-plus WWE Championship reign for Jinder Mahal. But I’d be willing to wager that Braun Strowman as Universal Champion would be a better changeup in the long run.
There’s not really a better way to give fans a memorable SummerSlam than by doing something relatively unexpected. Strowman is primed for a breakout moment (if he hasn’t already broken out). The second biggest show of the year is a fine place to make that moment a reality.
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Do you think Braun Strowman should win the Universal Championship at WWE SummerSlam?