WWE WrestleMania 34: The Braun Strowman vs. Brock Lesnar Story

For about a year, it’s been a foregone conclusion that Roman Reigns will face Brock Lesnar in the main event of WWE WrestleMania 34 and conquer The Beast Incarnate. But beneath the surface, Lesnar’s true rival has been Braun Strowman, and it’s a story that has unfolded since August.

Roman Reigns is the biggest star on Raw in the eyes of WWE, but Braun Strowman feels like the biggest star. Fans have been clamoring for the Monster Among Men to win the Universal Championship, and they were legitimately disappointed when WWE didn’t pull a “swerve” by having him defeat Brock Lesnar at No Mercy.

Strowman’s organic rise to one of WWE’s top three stars has been nothing short of remarkable, and there’s evidence to suggest that fans would prefer to see him as the Universal Champion. The YouTube video of the Intercontinental Championship match between Roman Reigns and The Miz received just over 1 million views, while the video of Strowman’s “Last Man Standing” match against Kane received nearly 2 million. The video of Strowman destroying a TV production truck has 8.2 million views to date.

While I wouldn’t expect anything other than a Reigns vs. Lesnar match at WWE WrestleMania 34, the fact of the matter is that Strowman vs. Lesnar might arguably be a bigger deal. Yes, we’ve already seen these two fight in a singles match at No Mercy, and Lesnar retained convincingly.

But there’s a story here. Back at SummerSlam 2017, Lesnar faced Strowman, Reigns, and Samoa Joe in a Fatal Four-Way for the Universal Championship. Strowman was the clear MVP of the match, incapacitating Lesnar at one point, forcing the champion to receive medical attention. Lesnar, however, would make a triumphant return to the ring, retaining his title. That said, he didn’t pin Strowman. He pinned Reigns.

Strowman’s dominant display caught Lesnar’s attention, as did his incessant attacks of the Beast Incarnate. Week after week, he would get the upper hand on Lesnar, awing the audience with his combination of strength and speed (as he always does). Paul Heyman seemed scared of Strowman in a way he’s never feared one of Brock’s challengers, talking him up as the toughest opponent Lesnar has ever faced.

However, Heyman kept alluding to a secret weapon Lesnar had up his sleeve. That move? The Kimura Lock. It was something Strowman didn’t gameplan for and didn’t foresee, and it costed him. Because, you see, Strowman had Lesnar beat. He really did! Strowman hit Lesnar with powerslam after powerslam. The older and less monstrous Lesnar couldn’t handle Braun athletically at this stage of his career, but Strowman couldn’t capitalize due to the damage done to his arm. One F5 later, and the rest was history.

Fast forward to the Royal Rumble. It’s Strowman, Lesnar, and Kane in a Triple Threat for the Universal Championship. Once again, throughout the entire build to the match, it’s 99% Strowman. As you can see above, he sent the entire set down on Lesnar and Kane, and, once again, Raw became a weekly showcase of Strowman’s strength.

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But at the PPV, Strowman lost. Why? Because Lesnar pinned Kane, and right after the match, Braun made sure to remind Lesnar of this, screaming, “You never beat me!” at Lesnar.

Is Strowman the finished product as a wrestler? No. Are his matches entertaining? Hell yeah. Are his segments entertaining? Hell yeah. Do people love him? Duh, otherwise the WWE wouldn’t have turned a “monster” babyface and had him scare the piss out of Triple H at Survivor Series.

We know Strowman will be a part of the Elimination Chamber after defeating Kane in a qualifying match, and we know that the winner of this match will face Lesnar for the Universal Championship at WrestleMania. We also know that Roman Reigns will be in that match, because his qualifying bout against Bray Wyatt is a mere formality at this point.

The smart money is obviously on Reigns to win the Elimination Chamber and finish up his story with Lesnar. However, don’t count out the potential of the WWE surprising us by going with Strowman vs. Lesnar II at WrestleMania, because unlike Reigns vs. Lesnar, there’s actually a compelling story here that isn’t predictable. It’s the story of Strowman finally overcoming Lesnar.

Because, look, it’s cool and all that Strowman comes out every week and wreaks havoc.

But at a certain point, the novelty of it all is going to grow stale if the WWE doesn’t present Braun as more than just a “threat”.

At some point, they need to showcase him as a “champion” if they really want him to fulfill his potential and if they really want more and more people to get behind Strowman.

Reigns is already established as the company’s top babyface, whether you like it or not, and the story around him beating Brock and finally kicking out of the F5 makes sense. After all, there’s a reason why he still hasn’t won the Universal Championship.

However, the WWE has to be aware of Strowman’s rising popularity and enormous potential. Again, I’m 100% sure we’re in store for Reigns vs. Lesnar, and that match should be exceptionally good (Reigns’s matches almost always are).

On the other hand, wouldn’t it be cool to see Strowman and Lesnar finish things up at WrestleMania? Wouldn’t it be cool to see the Monster Among Men standing tall? No Kimura, no F5, and no third or fourth man as a scapegoat for Lesnar to pin instead.

Next: The Top 10 Greatest Moments In Elimination Chamber History

Strowman has been a constant thorn in Lesnar’s side, and while he likely isn’t destined for a world title run in the near future, you have to wonder if the WWE has made a big mistake by never pulling the trigger on Braun as a champion yet.