Turn Braun Strowman face!

[Deoxyribonucleic A.C.I.D.]

The crowd errupts when they hear his name and he gets one of the biggest face reactions on the roster, even against Brock Lesnar. But these are not the only reasons Strowman should turn face. There are also not enough opponents for him as a heel.

He's feuded with Reigns, Rollins and Ambrose are in a tag team and Finn Balor needs to be protected because of the Demon King persona and so does Braun Strowman. They're both fresh faces on the roster that WWE wants to build up. So outside of Cena there's noone on RAW for Strowman to face after Lesnar.

But what if he turns face?

Then he goes after the Miz and the fans will LOVE to watch the Miz get his ass beaten by Strowman. Strowman becomes IC champ. Then he can feud with Big Cass (big feud!) and Bray Wyatt (another big feud!) and also Samoa Joe (another big feud!).

There's just so much money to be made by a face Strowman or simply put, a Braun Strowman who just goes after whoever he pleases to go after, rather than a heel Strowman.

However typical heel vs face feuds, like Braun vs Balor, or Braun vs Rollins won't work for neither Strowman nor his face opponents at this stage.

 

[Radical]

You raise a lot of good points.

But I don't think there is any 'turning face' for Strowman to do. He ALREADY gets cheers. The only way to make him more face would be for him to pander to the audience (not in the bad way but in the traditional babyface way like Mick Foley, The Rock, etc. where they show how much the like the fans).

Strowman is not the type of character to pander to the audience to make them feel good. The audience LIKES him because he just destroys things with power and intensity and doesn't care WHO is in his way. Reminds me of early Kane when he would just come in, be a monster, Chokeslam and leave. Fans cheered Kane EVEN when he was attacking some babyfaces or at least they didn't boo him so much really.

So I don't think there is much turning for Braun to do. He needs to stay relatively on top. It looks like even though he will face Brock for the Universal Title in some weird way he won't win so that blah blah blah Brock faces Roman Reigns for the Title and Reigns wins. Perhaps some sort of interference in the Brock match costing Braun would be good so even if he loses it will be a controversial finish and whoever interferes will be Braun's new focus.

But a face or heel Braun means rivalries for Braun are somewhat limited if he doesn't win the Universal Title.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Being labeled a face or a heel means nothing in today's pro wrestling. Dirt sheet writers try to rake WWE over the coals for acknowledging that but give other companies like New Japan and ROH a pass even though it goes on just as much, sometimes even more. The Bullet Club, any top member really, can heel it up but they get cheered because even though they're heels, they behave like faces to get the crowds to chant and clap for them.

One reason why Braun Strowman gets so many cheers is because WWE has had him spend the entire year beating the snot out of Roman Reigns. Reigns is the corporate pick, Reigns has been "shoved down our throats" and all the usual internet bullshit rantings and they like seeing big ol' bearcat Braun Strowman dominating him. I'd just about guarantee that Strowman wouldn't get as many cheers if he'd spent most of this year beating up Seth Rollins, Samoa Joe, Finn Balor or Shinsuke Nakamura because in the minds of many an internet fan, those guys are "our guys."

Right now, Strowman is a vicious beast who decimates anyone who gets in his way, people are responding very well to it and there's no reason to mess with success. While it's much too early to outright declare this, Strowman has the potential to be something that we really haven't seen for well over 20 years: a truly great super heavyweight. It's hard for me to qualify Big show in that spot as too much damage was done to him throughout the 2000s and why they weren't doing with Mark Henry in the late 90s that they started doing in 2011 I'll never know because he was fantastic. If WWE keeps what's brought Strowman to the dance thus far and is able to tweak him in the right ways when/if the time comes for him to evolve a bit, then Strowman may be the one to set new standards for what big monsters are expected/hoped to be.

 

[d_henderson1810]

You raise a lot of good points.

But I don't think there is any 'turning face' for Strowman to do. He ALREADY gets cheers. The only way to make him more face would be for him to pander to the audience (not in the bad way but in the traditional babyface way like Mick Foley, The Rock, etc. where they show how much the like the fans).

Strowman is not the type of character to pander to the audience to make them feel good. The audience LIKES him because he just destroys things with power and intensity and doesn't care WHO is in his way. Reminds me of early Kane when he would just come in, be a monster, Chokeslam and leave. Fans cheered Kane EVEN when he was attacking some babyfaces or at least they didn't boo him so much really.

So I don't think there is much turning for Braun to do. He needs to stay relatively on top. It looks like even though he will face Brock for the Universal Title in some weird way he won't win so that blah blah blah Brock faces Roman Reigns for the Title and Reigns wins. Perhaps some sort of interference in the Brock match costing Braun would be good so even if he loses it will be a controversial finish and whoever interferes will be Braun's new focus.

But a face or heel Braun means rivalries for Braun are somewhat limited if he doesn't win the Universal Title.

All you need to do these days is have Braun team in tag-team matches with other "faces" and align with popular faces. Maybe even have him have a feud with his former "master", Bray Wyatt.

For example, have Braun in a 6-man, teaming with the Hardys, or Seth and Dean, against Cesaro, Sheamus and someone else.

This way he would keep his edge, and yet still be considered a "face".

Look at Brock Lesnar. He played "face" in his feud with Undertaker at "Summerslam" two years ago (Taker lowblowed Brock and did other "heelish" things). Brock is also feuding with Samoa Joe and Braun (both heels) and Vince loaths heel v heel main events, so either Brock or Braun is going to play the good guy leading up to "No Mercy".

 

[Kodo Sawaki]

But then smark fans would boo him and casual fans would cheer him. And you would have million of discussions here on "how they turned Strowman face and ruined him, he should have stayed face".

 

[Jeff Deliverer of Mail]

I'd hate for Braun to turn face and lose all the viciousness he had before. I can see it happening though, he is getting the best crowd reaction by far. Usually when that happens, changes come soon enough.

 

[ShinChan]

All you need to do these days is have Braun team in tag-team matches with other "faces" and align with popular faces. Maybe even have him have a feud with his former "master", Bray Wyatt.

For example, have Braun in a 6-man, teaming with the Hardys, or Seth and Dean, against Cesaro, Sheamus and someone else.

This way he would keep his edge, and yet still be considered a "face".

Look at Brock Lesnar. He played "face" in his feud with Undertaker at "Summerslam" two years ago (Taker lowblowed Brock and did other "heelish" things). Brock is also feuding with Samoa Joe and Braun (both heels) and Vince loaths heel v heel main events, so either Brock or Braun is going to play the good guy leading up to "No Mercy".

The thing is that I don't think that Braun Strowman would suit as a team guy. Like you suggested tagging with Hardys. He's a monster who beats the heck outta everyone that comes in his way and he does this on his own. No teaming or anything. He'll probably beat his own partners.

 

[Starkist]

Personally, they can just let Braun be Braun and not try to do anything different with him. Let him be who he is and go out and do whatever it is that he does to draw the reactions he gets.

The only thing I would change for Strowman is the beginning of his music. I'd get rid of the BRRAAUNNNN! and replace it with I'M NOT FINISHED WITH YOUUUUU! That is all that needs changing.

 

[HeenanGorilla]

He should be neither. He should be a guy who wants what he wants and goes through whoever he needs to in order to get it. He shouldn't play into any face or heel tactics. He should be pure destruction, no matter who stands in his way.

 

[The Perfect Max]

The need for having clear cut babyfaces and heels at the top of the card is no longer a necessity at this point. Braun Strowman epitomises just why. He is the prototype heel who is being cheered by an audience desperate for something new, original and exciting. Strowman provides those things by functioning in this role which for all intents and purposes does make him a heel, but I think that the booking of Lesnar vs. Strowman shows that WWE are fully aware of the popularity Strowman has, considering Lesnar at this point is surely playing a heel role in this equation. Does that make him a face? Not really, but he gets the face reactions that they want in a top star, so it works regardless.

But I think the big thing with turning a guy like Strowman explicitly face is that question of what do you actually change? Crowds pop for what is happening right now, so it begs the question as to what needs to change. Quite honestly, nothing does. A reaction is good, whether it's a boo or a cheer. The thing going on here is that WWE are accepting, capitalising and facilitating the response from the audience and using it to their advantage, just as they should throughout the roster, though that is arguably not what goes on. The point with Strowman is that this was a guy who was booed out of the building a year ago by many people who didn't believe in what they were being given. But throughout this year, he has majorly improved in all assets of his character and work, and has turned the audience in his favour. This growth has been exceptionally organic compared to some similar rises to stardom over the years (which have been a lot more forced). Strowman is what Strowman does, and I don't think that limiting that to a face or heel role benefits anybody. It's all in who Strowman is put up against at this point. That is the deciding factor on whether it's a boo or a cheer.

 

[blueskyy]

No, no, no. There no reason to turn him face.

 

[adam]

Today's WWE does not label guys as faces or heels but let's say he begins a program with Samoa Joe, he's going to need to learn how to sell better if he's a face. Have him get attacked 3/1 and get beated down or face guys like the Miz who get lots of help from his entourage.

I'd like to see a heel Roman Reigns with help getting the better of Strowman in a new take on their matches.

 

[Spencesc11]

Instead of the face turn what about this.....

Stroman defeats Lesnar for the Title after interference from Bray, Harper, & Rowan.

WYATT FAMILY IS BACK!!!

Bray can be more of a managerial type role where he only fights at some raws and all PPV's. Reigns could defeat Stroman at Royal Rumble for the Title and have Lesnar win the Rumble to setup the Main Event. In the mean time the Wyatt Family could become the dominant heel faction on Raw. A Rowan/Harper tag title reign wouldn't be a bad idea also out of this...

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Instead of the face turn what about this.....

Stroman defeats Lesnar for the Title after interference from Bray, Harper, & Rowan.

WYATT FAMILY IS BACK!!!

Bray can be more of a managerial type role where he only fights at some raws and all PPV's. Reigns could defeat Stroman at Royal Rumble for the Title and have Lesnar win the Rumble to setup the Main Event. In the mean time the Wyatt Family could become the dominant heel faction on Raw. A Rowan/Harper tag title reign wouldn't be a bad idea also out of this...

For me personally, I could've been into this maybe 6 or so months ago but becoming part of the Wyatt Family, after they reformed again, at this point would be like an anchor around Strowman's neck. For the foreseeable future, Bray Wyatt looks to be an upper mid-card heel that's used to elevate wrestlers who'll be looked upon to help carry the company for the next 5 to 10 years. It's a shame as Wyatt is someone that I feel has the overall ability to be one of those guys himself but for whatever reason, Vince just doesn't see it or doesn't want to see it.

I'd like to see Harper and Rowan reform as a tag team regardless, they were the best big man tag team to come along in a long time and I always thought it was a shame that they never had a run with the tag titles. It's been months since we've laid eyes on either of them and I wouldn't be surprised, unfortunately, if they were let go once their current contracts expire. It's possible that one or both could head back to NXT if the Superstar Shakeup goes down again; while it might be seen as a demotion, at least they'd get some solid use.

So yeah, I think WWE should simply stay the course with Strowman, they have a really good thing going with him so we can only hope that Vince doesn't decide to fuck it all up.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Strowman is no different to Brock when "Suplex City" began against Cena... People like seeing WWE "picks" getting decimated... they don't actually care who does the decimating, they just want to see Reigns, Cena and now Brock dismantled.

Strowman is not a face type person... he's always gonna have to be that "loner" grey area guy... If they try to make him funny, it would bomb... if they try to make him "actually really intelligent" behind his image, it'll bomb.

His USP right now is that he is basically a machine, not in the way Brock was or a corporate one... but just destroy... closest to a Great White Shark in the WWE... deviate too much from that and he dies on his ass.