WWE SmackDown Smacks and Downs: Bray Wyatt created Braun Strowman

Smack: Bray Wyatt is still fascinating AND rewarding fans’ memories

I’ll admit it: I was excited when Shinsuke Nakamura interrupted Strowman in the show-opening segment and challenged him to a match. Then I realized he was going to be fodder to make Strowman look strong and I was less excited come main event.

(It doesn’t help that in my opinion, Nakamura outshined Strowman in BOTH segments. This is made even more impressive considering English is Nakamura’s second language.)

The last five minutes of the show rekindled that excitement I thought I had lost.

If you haven’t yet, take a couple of minutes to watch the video above. Much like Wyatt has done with, well, all of his opponents since becoming The Fiend, Wyatt traced his connection to his opponent, Strowman, to their past association.

For a company that seems allergic to recognizing history even from two months ago, this is a nice change.

Strowman debuted as the fourth member of the then Wyatt Family wearing the black goat mask. This was after a short time in NXT, and suffice it to say Strowman was green and needed a lot of improvement. He improved all right.

Strowman’s rivalry with Roman Reigns raised his star power; his association with Wyatt is what made him in the first place.

Basically, Wyatt created Strowman. Without Wyatt, it’s a fair question to ask if Strowman would become what we know him as today, if he would peak as a Luke Gallows-type big man, or if he would go down as one of the “giant” flops in WWE like Mark Jindrak or Heidenreich.

Wyatt channeled that history while also turning the focus to the current product and his character. He told Strowman that he has something that Wyatt wanted back (the Universal Championship that’s only blue because of Wyatt and the “Firefly Fun House”).

Just like that, we have a long-term and short-term reason for Wyatt not only setting his malicious sights on Strowman but also on the Universal Championship he lost to Goldberg without receiving a rematch.

My hesitancy with Strowman as champion is if he can give those champion-level promos to anchor the show. Much like working with Wyatt years ago immensely improved Strowman’s in-ring work and psychology, having promo matches with Wyatt should help both improve Strowman’s promo ability and make him more comfortable on the mic.

If Strowman doesn’t improve on the mic, well, this will probably be a short reign relegated to being a literal transitional championship.

If you have been paying attention to Wyatt and Strowman since about 2016, this feud should reward you based solely on the path set by last night’s “Firefly Fun House.” Like with Cena, I wonder just how much of their history Wyatt will intersperse during their rivalry as he plays his mind games with the “Monster among Men.”