WWE SmackDown Takeaways: This is the best Braun Strowman has looked
When was the last time Braun Strowman looked this good?
A couple of years ago, Braun Strowman looked like he was on the cusp of becoming Universal Champion as a bad-ass babyface, shortly after his meteoric rise as a Monster heel. He was such a monster heel, in fact, that the Monster Among Men moniker still exists today.
Strowman never got that title reign and cooled off to the point where fans didn’t take him all that seriously in 2019. So when he won the Universal Title at WrestleMania 36 in 2020 by defeating Goldberg, who was originally scheduled to drop the strap to true top male star Roman Reigns, the fans weren’t warmly receptive.
It’s been a strange run as champion thus far for Strowman, but it’s been a positive one. Strowman will have a Wyatt Swamp Fight against Bray Wyatt, his old mentor, on Sunday, and it feels like anything could happen to the Universal Champion.
But what impressed me the most, even more than the storytelling at Money in the Bank, was Strowman in his final night before Extreme Rules. He looked so determined, and I loved seeing his passion both when he cut a promo on John Morrison and destroyed Morrison in the ring.
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Strowman looked scared, vulnerable, but also brave for facing those emotions head-on in his rivalry with Wyatt. We saw a more layered version of the Monster Among Men, and I think we should be excited for how Braun continues to develop in 2020.