‘The Monster Among Men’ didn’t have the easiest Road to WrestleMania this year. Strowman’s popularity was shaken after some comments were made regarding over-sized pay-cheques for over-sized dudes, causing ire for many independent wrestlers and fans alike. Braun wasn’t even booked on the WrestleMania 36 card, despite recently holding onto the Intercontinental Championship and seemingly destined for a year of mid-card scuffles.
In a slight stroke of luck for Strowman, he was drafted into the Universal Championship main event against Goldberg. Of course, having Roman Reigns be removed from the match under such circumstances is something that I’m sure nobody wanted to see, including Braun Strowman, but at least we can all walk away from WrestleMania knowing that WWE made light of the situation by putting the spotlight back onto one of this era’s hottest stars.
Strowman took everything Goldberg had to offer, including four patented spears and almost a devestating jackhammer. Before Goldberg had the chance to buckle under Braun’s weight, Strowman lifted the former WCW flag-bearer up off the ground for three massive powerslams. Strowman shocked the wrestling world, not only kicking-out of Goldberg offence but also keeping his shoulders down to the ground for the first time since WrestleMania 33. Strowman walked out the new Universal Champion, something that arguably should have happened during his rise to prominence in 2016/17.
Braun seemed over the moon when he lifted the big, blue belt for the first time, screaming “The Monster Lives” after a series of tumultuous events that brought his status as a main-event star into question. Of course, some fans are still on the fence with Braun Strowman, especially after his recent comments on social-media, but you can’t deny that this was a bittersweet WrestleMania moment for ‘The Monster Among Men’.
Strowman has instantly reclaimed a lot of his lost momentum since first being defeated by Brock Lesnar in 2017. Braun’s success ultimately came from his ability to out-step bigger superstars and execute fun matches with his explosive offence. On top of that, fans got behind Strowman after seeing his ridiculous feats of strength, tossing an ambulance and rappelling down some scaffolding on top of Kane and Brock Lesnar. Hopefully we’ll get to see even more of these ‘Monster moments’ as Braun gets into championship feuds throughout 2020.
With that in mind, Goldberg was the best WrestleMania opponent for Strowman, a superstar with almost a parallel style to Strowman during his prime. Goldberg has this knack for putting together explosive matches that keeps you on the edge of your seat. The tension that comes from his opponents taking numerous spears and still managing to fight back, it’s exactly what Strowman thrives on too. Braun was potentially even a stronger candidate than Roman himself for a match of this nature.
Braun should be able to run with the ball after this match, reducing his matches to only a few moves to help build him as a rejuvenated powerhouse, with the ability of ending matches in a matter of seconds. Essentially, Strowman becomes the modern-day Goldberg, wracking up a ridiculous number of victories and cementing himself as an unstoppable force on SmackDown Live.
This opens up a tonne of potential feuds for Strowman going forward. A returning Roman Reigns will naturally have a stake in becoming number one contender, picking up where he left off when he’s ready to return to normality. ‘The Fiend’ will also be a perfect candidate to battle ‘The Monster’, a match that could easily break conventions of a typical wrestling match. Wyatt’s darker side could absorb all that Strowman has to dish out, while laughing in his former Wyatt Family pals face. A feud with The Artist Collective is also still open for the Universal Champion to step back into. There are three very viable main-event stars in the faction, and all deserving of a shot at a major championship.
Braun Strowman is more than ready to step back up into the main event scene. SmackDown is in dire need of some fresh faces in the title picture, and Strowman has been left teetering on the precipice of becoming an even bigger star for years, and it’s great to see that finally coming together on the big stage. Hopefully WWE will run with this for the foreseeable future, rather than just waiting out the clock until Roman makes his return from isolation.
Where would you like to see Braun Strowman go from here? Which title feuds will ‘The Monster Among Men’ first step into? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Some of the coverage you find on Cultured Vultures contains affiliate links, which provide us with small commissions based on purchases made from visiting our site. We cover gaming news, movie reviews, wrestling and much more.
