Looking at how Braun Strowman has been booked over the past few months makes us wonder how WWE can manage to stick with current booking plans and not make him Universal Champion before WrestleMania.
So I took out an ad in the personals today. It went like this:
MSWWECTM (Man Seeking WWE Creative Team Member)
You: Member of WWE Creative who worked on the first hour of Raw last Monday.
Me: Enjoys coffee shops, looks to understand how we’re expected to believe Braun will not win the Universal Title at Royal Rumble, likes hand holding.
Gentle reader, I’ve been puzzled ever since that juggernaut superhot first hour of the Jan.15 edition of Raw charged into my life. I was swept up by the unrelenting force of the booking of Braun Strowman and gobbled up every single minute of it as if I met up with a craft services guy and ate the chocolate cake he was holding.
Once the dust settled and my adrenaline returned to manageable levels, I was left to wonder just how we’re legitimately expected to believe Braun Strowman can lose the Universal Title match at the Royal Rumble.
A list of monstrous accomplishments
Over the past 12 months Braun Strowman has, among other things:
- Flipped an ambulance.
- Powerbombed Kane through a ring.
- Was trapped in an ambulance that was crashed into by a semi-truck. And he survived.
- Been compacted in a garbage truck. And he survived.
- Used a grappling hook to bring down set rigging.
- Flipped a semi truck.
Considering all that, are we really expected to believe that one F-5 (or a chokeslam) will take him out?
Storyline Logic
“Oh, but it’s wrestling, Warren, you know he’s not doing those things for real,” you’re likely saying to yourself. “Braun isn’t actually doing all those things you’ve listed. It’s all fixed.”
Of course, I know that. I know this isn’t happening for real. But we’re being told a story. The story is at a moment where one of the characters is being portrayed as an invincible force of nature. Literally, a monster among men. If I’m expected to believe that this Braun fella can survive deadly situations and perform unimaginable feats of strength, how can he be put down on his back for a 3-count pin?
I believe WWE knows it’s painted itself into a corner with Braun. He is a credible opponent for Brock Lesnar. Putting him in a Universal Title match is logical and inevitable booking. But if we assume the rumored plan is still for Brock Lesnar to hold the Universal title until Wrestlemania this year, how do you have Braun fight Brock and logically not have the monster among men walk away with the title?
Solution: Triple Threat
It would appear that WWE realized the only way they could logically keep the title on Brock was to make the match at triple threat. I believe Kane was added to the match to take the pin from Brock. It’s the only outcome that makes sense. That is, unless, WWE pulls off a swerve and has Braun actually walk away with the Universal Title. They may just swerve us big time.
Next: Ranking The Top 20 WWE Matches Of 2017
To any extent, the booking of the Universal Title match at the Royal Rumble will be fascinating to watch and see just how WWE composes with their monster, which will hopefully not become akin to Frankenstein’s.