Braun Strowman is awesome. He's 6-feet-8, 385 pounds of pure bearded mayhem. He's big, angry, charismatic...and he's the best thing in WWE right now.
Strowman has been a revelation ever since breaking free from the Wyatt Family in the 2016 brand extension draft (which split the main roster into separate, exclusive rosters for each show). Strowman went from SMACKDOWN to RAW where he was fed local jobbers for months to build up his credibility with the RAW fan base. He started to get over and was eventually placed in a top-of-the-card 2017 feud with Roman Reigns. It was arguably the best feud in the company and chock full of legitimately engaging matches and "Holy $@*%" moments.
Unlike a lot of the large, sweaty, musclebound stiffs WWE has pushed in the past, Braun is fun to watch in the ring, full of charisma, and incredibly over with the crowd. While he'll probably never put on a five-star match, he understands how to tell great stories in the ring by...well, just flat-out beating the crap out of people. He's also insanely athletic for a guy his size. How many 385 pound guys can do this?
...Or this?
That said, Braun's matches aren't the best part of his gimmick; it's watching him destroy stuff. And you never know what he's going to destroy next. Just look at the clips below and you'll start to understand...
Exhibit A - Braun Strowman and Big Show break the ring.
Exihibit B - Braun flips over an ambulance (with Roman Reigns inside) [Skip to 4:08]
Exhibit C - Braun hurls an office chair like a basketball. Have you ever seen anyone do this before?
Exhibit D - Braun manhandles Brock Lesnar. Just watch the first 30 seconds...
That was immediately followed by this:
Apparently picking up the announce table wasn't enough, so he decided to up the ante in his "Last Man Standing" match with Kane in January [skip to 1:45]:
Exhibit E - Braun powerslams Kane through the ring. Literally.
Exhibit F - Braun breaks a turnbuckle...with Roman Reigns' chest.
RAW has become must-see TV again. You tune in every week wondering, "Who or what will I get to see Braun destroy today?" But is that enough to make a new star? It's one thing to see a former real-life power lifter ragdoll people around the ring and lay waste to equipment around the arena...it's another to want to root for him. Feats of strength are impressive, but they're probably not enough to get you over with the modern day wrestling fan who understands the staged nature of wrestling, rejects the traditional heel/face roles, and only cheers for wrestlers whose character work or in-ring performance is especially outstanding. In other words, if the "Monster Among Men" was another Great Khali, the WWE universe would boo him out of the arena.
Fortunately, he's not.
He's got charisma, an appropriately savage voice, a great delivery, and surprisingly good comedic timing. The two clips below are great examples of the great character work he's been doing lately...
Exhibit AA - Braun duals Elias
Background: Elias is a rapidly rising heel that starts all of his appearances with songs that run down his opponent and whatever city WWE is in. Braun has other plans... [skip to 1:40]
Exhibit BB - Braun bonds with Alexa
Background: Alexa is Braun's partner for the mixed tag team competition WWE is currently airing on Tuesday nights.
First, they trade shirts...
Then he teaches her the secret to flipping vehicles...
You think Gene Snitsky, Test, Bobby Lashley, Ezekiel Jackson, Great Khali or a dozen other muscle-bound meatheads could pull that off? That's what makes Braun so unique. He's a monster with charm. You want to watch him whether he's beating up bad guys, beating up good guys, flipping cars, or playing a double bass. Braun is ENTERTAINING and, ultimately, that's the name of the game. Characters like him are what made us all love wrestling to begin with.
So tune in Sunday to watch Braun in WWE's Elimination Chamber pay-per-view where he'll be locked in a cage with six other superstars. I can only imagine the possibilities. Tune in the next day to RAW to see who or what he lays waste to next. Jump on the Braun Strowman bandwagon before it's too late. If not...
