At what point do Braun naysayers make retractions

[nwocongo]

Upon his debut I wasn't crazy about him. Being a fan of Wyatt and Harper I kind of sensed that this new guy with very very limited experience would be pushed in lieu of the more seasoned guys so I was not too keen on him but he quickly won me over. Considering that he has only been wrestling for a couple of years he has shown great improvement week by week. He's continued to add moves and shown that he has a grasp on the psychology side of things.

The general knock on him was the usual stereotypical big man things...1) "he's too slow" this has been proven wrong, for his size he can move and is pretty agile. We may not be talking Bam Bam or Vader athleticism but he also dwarfs both those guys in size, how many legit world' strongest man competitors do you think posses the agility he has?

2)" he's just a big dumb guy who can't talk" this too has been proven wrong. He's not exactly Steve Austin but he's shown he can cut a decent promo and IS getting over, besides how much should a legit badass monster strongman have to talk anyway?

I just hope WWE can be patient and not wreck all the progress he's made and he ends up going the way of Snitsky. As long as he is not fed to Roman and they don't push him into a title reign before he's ready they could have a very solid "actual tough guy" at the top of the card for years. I realize he's only been around about a year and a half so anything could happen but he has shown worlds of potential for a guy nearly everyone wrote off upon his debut.

Ps. the additional knock people seem to harp on- "he's not intimidating because he has a baby/boyish face" Ok next time you see a guy with tree trunk arms that's 6'8 350+ tell him you think he's a pussy because he doesn't look menacing enough and give me the forwarding address to send your get well soon cards. I mean come on, he doesn't look intimidating enough? Yet we continue clamor for the mighty midgets and other average to below average physique guys (not gonna name names, use your imagination) to get their rightful spots at the top, the double standard is mind boggling.

 

[Spidey Revivey]

That's why it's hard to stand behind him. His career follows the same patterns as others before him that shared his physique. Destroyer- Underdog Beats Him - Jobber - Comedy Jobber/Released. Koslov was Main Eventing with Triple H. Great Khali destroyed The Undertaker upon debut. Mason Ryan pummeled CM Punk and John Cena and joined New Nexus all on his first night at Raw. The list goes on and on. Rusev has managed to pull through time and time again, but it's silly to assume he's never been in some shit angles where no powerhouse should be.

I'm still not won over with Braun, but Braun made me pay attention last Monday. He is not an idiotic lug of a guy. Dude had a Universal Championship match and what was the first thing he did? Put Jericho, the guy that aids Owens all the time, through a table. He ensured he would not interfere. It was a simple, yet intelligent way to guarantee Braun was not just the monster of the month. Of course this was all underminded knowing Reigns would enact revenge, but c'est la vie.

He's growing on me.

 

[Deoxyribonucleic A.C.I.D.]

I'm with Spidey here. As long as Braun isn't being fed to the big faces like Cena and Reigns, he'll be fine. And he as well is contastly improving.

For now, I like he's not treated like a god and has stayed away from the main eventers. Kozlov, Rusev, Khali, Big Show came in and immediately started feuding with main eventers. That was as well their demise.

I've never really seen anyone the size of Strowman with such spped.

Fact is though, Strowman is standing out right now.

 

[Kodo Sawaki]

Still too green for anything other then throwing people around. He has great booking and pretty soon he would have to show whether he is Ryback or he is more then that. Anyway, in absence of old monsters like Big Show or Kane he could be suitable replacement. If he shows up he can do more then just throwing guys like Sami Zayn around of course.

 

[Fire Marshall Bill]

Some people the answer is never. Whether they're extremely hard headed or overly biased, there are always people who refuse to change their minds. It's the way some people are.

And the boyish face comments always made me laugh. But I will say his new haircut, at least for me, helps detract from that.

 

[OYDK]

I remember a while back saying how impressed I was at his development after just a year or so in the business. I saw big things then and I see big things now.

The difference between Strowman and most other monsters of the month in my opinion is, firstly, his intelligence, and secondly, the depth in his character. The guy seems to really understand his role and plays it well and I think that's a big reason why he's starting to connect more with the crowd. Also, there's a role to be filled now that guys like Show, Kane, Henry and Taker are on their last legs and Lesnar only shows up 4 times a year. Strowman's in a good position to fill that monster role.

But to answer your question, some people are too ego-driven to ever admit that their original thoughts may possibly have been wrong. There are still fans out there who think Cena's the worst wrestler on the roster.

 

[nwocongo]

That's why it's hard to stand behind him. His career follows the same patterns as others before him that shared his physique. Destroyer- Underdog Beats Him - Jobber - Comedy Jobber/Released. Koslov was Main Eventing with Triple H. Great Khali destroyed The Undertaker upon debut. Mason Ryan pummeled CM Punk and John Cena and joined New Nexus all on his first night at Raw. The list goes on and on. Rusev has managed to pull through time and time again, but it's silly to assume he's never been in some shit angles where no powerhouse should be.

I'm still not won over with Braun, but Braun made me pay attention last Monday. He is not an idiotic lug of a guy. Dude had a Universal Championship match and what was the first thing he did? Put Jericho, the guy that aids Owens all the time, through a table. He ensured he would not interfere. It was a simple, yet intelligent way to guarantee Braun was not just the monster of the month. Of course this was all underminded knowing Reigns would enact revenge, but c'est la vie.

He's growing on me.

Gotta agree about Rusev, some of the silly shit they've had him do it's a wonder he's still managed to stay relevant.

Altough he has impressed me over the past 5-6 months I'm still wary of whether or not Braun will join the list of those guys like Mason Ryan and Nathan Jones and just disappear.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

Are there currently any naysayers? He's getting legitimate heel heat, like the heel he is.

 

[Navi]

I'd like to know who the naysayers are as well. Almost everyone I know personally who likes wrestling, and if you listen to the comments about Strowman likes the guy. He is one of the highlights on RAW right now with Jericho and Kevin Owens.

He's a big strong guy who can move in the ring. He doesn't lumber around and just stand there waiting to be knocked over. No way man, this guy will come out of the ring and literally chase you around it to get to you. Harper is another big guy who can go as well. They would make one hell of a tag team if the WWE ever decided to pair them up.

Anyway, Strowman is cruising along right now. Doesn't say much, but will kick your ass just as soon as look at you. I love it.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Strowman is coming along nicely and as others have pointed out, he's different from most other monsters that've come along. He's big & he's strong, but the guy's also pretty damn fast. Strowman doesn't say much, but what he does say is believable because...well just look at the guy. Strowman is close to 7'0", he's legitimately about 6'8" or 6'9" and he's also close to 400 lbs. but look at the muscular development on him; he still has the overall build of a powerlifter, but you can tell that he's altered his workout routine to include sculpting his physique and includes some cardio work.

Strowman is a fresh monster with heat and all kinds of physical ability to back it up. I just hope that WWE doesn't eventually go the route they went with Big Show in that they try to make him "entertaining" rather than ultimately keeping him as a giant badass. They can expand Strowman's character depth as time goes by without losing the intimidating edge.

 

[Azane]

My main criticisms of Strowman are all still very much at play. I think the way they've booked him lately has improved how I judge his character, but he's still not very interesting to watch wrestle. He doesn't have 90's Giant athleticism, or talent, he doesn't have Kevin Nash Charisma. I don't hate the guy, I've moven to neutral, even finding myself liking him occasionally.

Randomly attacking Reigns is good if you plan to go face with Strowman longterm, but short term, you just made someone trying to be a monster heel, get huge cheers.

He might be an above average big man, but the way they're presenting his push, makes it look like they plan to give him top billing sooner rather than later, and the overpush has been the death kiss for wrestlers this decade.

 

[stingray11214]

Strowman is coming along. However, he would be far better if he had a Manager. I can put him back 30-40 years, and picture someone like Freddie Blassie or Paul Jones as the mouthpiece for this behemoth. Let the Manager be the mouthpiece. Hell, let Corey Graves become a Manager for him. Strowman will have the complete package as the Monster of the Future.

 

[Hard Hit Prince]

I am still not won over by Braun Strowman. I still think he's green as grass as far as his in-ring work goes and he still doesn't have a character whatsoever. I want to keep seeing more of him, because he does have an unique look and a unique opportunity to be one of the big monsters of the new generation, but he has got to run with the ball now.

His feud with Roman Reigns will be his first main event singles feud and those two should be able to mesh up really well together. I am paying attention to it more so than I was with his feud against Sami Zayn and if they steal the show (they can), I'll be all for Braun to have a strong WrestleMania showing.

His mic work is way too simple and he needs to work on that. People talk smack about Roman's mic work, but he does have a personality in his promos and people do react so he's fine. Braun's like a bear talking: "I want title. You said. I'll take". Just so bland and if he doesn't give us some good acting I see him being way too dependent on the booking and there's gonna be a time when Strowman will not be the focus in detriment of other guys and he'll need to stay relevant to justify this push.

Also, can they please give him a better entrance music and video package? Those scream generic in every way right now. Tell me who Braun Strowman is. Why does he want the title? He likes shinny things or he cares about the prestige of being champion?


P.S. Fun Fact: James Ellsworth got to a point where his matches and promos were more entertaining and more over than Strowman in his entire career.

 

[rge2010]

I like Braun. My 7 year old boy is terrified of him!!! I think that is the idea?!

The problem with 'Internet Wrestling Nerds' who loathe the 'big guy' is they are more than happy to have a show full of vanilla midgets and spot monkeys. Braun is a great character, has a brilliant look and as long as he is booked right he will continue to improve.

WWE needs a monster. Kane died years ago, Big Show is on the way out and Brock is only around half the time. There is no weekly 'big guy' anymore.

 

[Kizzani]

People with commonsense and wrestling knowledge will eventually see his talent much like with the silent Undertaker who took time to develop.

But this isn't a place for any of that crap this is IWC ( Internet Wrestling Commies ? I think) where none of the facts actually matter, the only thing that matters is the filed opinions of the new generation of whiners that have inherited the earth.

Take Roman Reigns for example.

He has the look, his in-ring work is similar each match just like everyone else,
( shhh don't tell the whiners that is why they are called signature moves.) and his mic skills are improving yet, still because they think Vince is behind him, or Triple H then he is the enemy. ( This crap is the funniest to me, since anyone whoever gets a push is always a vince creation, I know the fans think thier "Cheering" or "Booing" is actually changing anything, sometimes but very very rare)

Braun has great speed and quickness for his size and should be played as a dominate role. I currently am a fan of Braun and his role for the future of WWE. It is nice to see a new big man in the WWE making his mark since all the failure in recent years ( Titus, Giant Gonzales,Kurigan, Khali etc etc )

 

[Radical]

Take Roman Reigns for example.

He has the look, his in-ring work is similar each match just like everyone else,
( shhh don't tell the whiners that is why they are called signature moves.) and his mic skills are improving yet, still because they think Vince is behind him, or Triple H then he is the enemy. ( This crap is the funniest to me, since anyone whoever gets a push is always a vince creation, I know the fans think thier "Cheering" or "Booing" is actually changing anything, sometimes but very very rare)

First, in response to the Roman Reigns comment, I would say that I am not a Reigns hater by any means, but for me, his character is confusing and that leads me to not fully invest in him and I lose some interest.

In terms of his in-ring ability. I have really no issues. He's consistently good and just like every star wrestler has their signature and finisher moves they hit pretty much every match.

His mic work is okay. Nothing special, but it is getting better.

But, for me, I can't help but see Vince's hand right behind Reigns every step of the way. I can't help but see Vince wanting so badly for Reigns to be the top babyface of the company. MY problem with it is that I think Reigns, right now, really would be more suited to be a strong heel (possibly with a stable around him) for a while.

I think if Reigns went heel and then brought in members to his stable, his "Roman Empire" if you will, but Reigns didn't become 'cowardly' with the support (like some would say Rollins did when he got J & J Security) but just more heelish (like Triple H with Evolution) then the many fans booing him would be doing the right thing by booing him and would likely cheer another babyface going up against him.

THEN, after going super heel, Reigns could break out of it and I think going face after that would bring him much more fan support instead of the split-response he gets now.

So my point is really just that I don't think pushing Reigns in the babyface/hero role is right for him right now. But I have no issues with his in-ring ability or mic work.



Segwaying this into the talk about Braun Strowman. I agree with most, he is a good big man that is needed by WWE right now with many big man on their way out (Kane, Big Show, etc.).

It seems like Braun knows his role well and WWE seems to be putting him in the right situations at the right time without over-exposing him or killing his momentum.

 

[BestSportsEntertainer]

Lord Tensai beat John Cena. Great Khali squashed Undertaker. Umaga had wins over DX.

Where are those 3 wrestlers today? It wasn't crazy to think Strowman would end up just like them.

Clearly I had really low expectations, but I'll admit Strowman has proven me wrong. He seems a lot quicker and much better in the ring. His feud with Zayn was good (and made Zayn look really good IMO). He's still really green on the mic though. I just wonder how WWE after he gets his first big loss.

 

[BestSportsEntertainer]

People with commonsense and wrestling knowledge will eventually see his talent much like with the silent Undertaker who took time to develop.

But this isn't a place for any of that crap this is IWC ( Internet Wrestling Commies ? I think) where none of the facts actually matter, the only thing that matters is the filed opinions of the new generation of whiners that have inherited the earth.

Basically everyone here has had nothing but positive things to say about Strowman. I don't know what you're talking about.

 

[Ex-Degenerate]

That's why it's hard to stand behind him. His career follows the same patterns as others before him that shared his physique. Destroyer- Underdog Beats Him - Jobber - Comedy Jobber/Released. Koslov was Main Eventing with Triple H. Great Khali destroyed The Undertaker upon debut. Mason Ryan pummeled CM Punk and John Cena and joined New Nexus all on his first night at Raw. The list goes on and on. Rusev has managed to pull through time and time again, but it's silly to assume he's never been in some shit angles where no powerhouse should be.

Same problem with Ryback. He was built up as this monster force, seemed over with the crowd with the "feed me More" chants, then they had him main event against CM Punk in title matches where you knew he wasn't going to win.

WWE does the same thing each time with these monster heels, will they repeat it with Stroman?

 

[Noshowers]

Same problem with Ryback. He was built up as this monster force, seemed over with the crowd with the "feed me More" chants, then they had him main event against CM Punk in title matches where you knew he wasn't going to win.

WWE does the same thing each time with these monster heels, will they repeat it with Stroman?

If Stroman is facing Reigns then yes, that is what they will do and what they are currently doing. They are building him up to be a monster of the week (which is what the Undertaker and Kane started out as too) just for roman to overcome those odds.

Again I would much rather see Stroman (as I wanted with Roman and basically everybody), build off his feud with Sami. As others have pointed out that was entertaining, now he needs to set his sights on a face with a mid card title....like Dean Ambrose. Have them fight a knock down drag out match with the monster winning and ruling the mid card.

After that maybe a tag team run and a little adversity to see how he responds to a singles loss before THEN moving him up to the upper card in a non title feud and see how it goes, etc. Pay your dues, none of this hot shotting to the front of the line. It's not about waiting your turn, it's about building your character and seeing if you organically can get over. if you do then sky is the limit in a couple years.

 

[Noshowers]

I like Braun. My 7 year old boy is terrified of him!!! I think that is the idea?!

The problem with 'Internet Wrestling Nerds' who loathe the 'big guy' is they are more than happy to have a show full of vanilla midgets and spot monkeys. Braun is a great character, has a brilliant look and as long as he is booked right he will continue to improve.

WWE needs a monster. Kane died years ago, Big Show is on the way out and Brock is only around half the time. There is no weekly 'big guy' anymore.

As wise folks once said, if you have one 7 footer he's a giant, if you have a roster full of them then no one is giant. Get over this boohoo Internet fans only like indy midgets and talk endlessly about looks. "Look" applies to more then just a bicep or a persons weight.

He is a 6'8" man who lost his razor. He is as tall as Luke Gallows who is another big tall hairy faced man. There is also a stable of big hairy faced men that has been around which includes Luke Harper who is 6'5". In fact Daniel Bryan was a small hairy faced man.

Focus on what is important. His matches with Sami Zayn were great as well as the story and the program. He is athletic. He needs a manager to talk for him and he needs to pay some dues in the mid card, but he can be a monster just like all the others guys i mentioned could be if worked with correctly.

 

[nwocongo]

I like Braun. My 7 year old boy is terrified of him!!! I think that is the idea?!

The problem with 'Internet Wrestling Nerds' who loathe the 'big guy' is they are more than happy to have a show full of vanilla midgets and spot monkeys. Braun is a great character, has a brilliant look and as long as he is booked right he will continue to improve.

WWE needs a monster. Kane died years ago, Big Show is on the way out and Brock is only around half the time. There is no weekly 'big guy' anymore.

My thoughts exactly.

If the company still had the giant guys like Kane, Show, Mizark to an extent, Brock from time to time and Taker in their primes I'd be worried about the current crop of big guys but with a changing of the guard needing to take place that should be a little extra spot security for guys like Cass, Corbin, Rusev and Braun.

 

[Dagger Dias]

Strowman sucks. Plain and simple. Granted he has had some funny moments lately in backstage promos whether those were intentionally funny or not, but the guy needs improvement on the mic and is HORRIBLE in the ring. I still wish he had remained with the Wyatts. Some may say this held him back, but it gave him something to do in a unique stable that stood out. Without that he has been nothing less than another big boring guy. Maybe trying a more gimmicky character could help him. The problem with this however is that even if they give him something as out there as Undertaker or Kane's type of gimmick it still wouldn't hide his lack of promo skills and how terrible he is in the ring. I remain a naysayer and will not retract anytime soon. I've stated it in many other topics. WWE has to make me care. Presenting Strowman as just another big guy does exactly the opposite. They make me want to fast forward anytime he is onscreen instead.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

He is where Undertaker was in 1992... Showing good signs of more but not really ready for much more than the monster role at that time. Bear in mind Taker didn't get a proper chance to show what he could do until 1996 after Mabel nearly killed him and they decided to let him work with real talents and be a main eventer for real.

Strowman is getting to work with better talents, earlier who are not all being fed to him. Sure he's winning more than he's losing but he is coming up short at times and not losing momentum.

Is he the future? No... but he's FAR more suited to the role he's being asked to play than Roman was... or indeed Tensai and the like before him. That he is younger into his career than Tensai was isn't a knock on him at all. All the signs pointed to Matt Bloom being able to deliver and to an extent he did...but they didn't let him be Giant Bernard and that killed him. That he is still the guy in charge of NXT tells you how much they rated him.

That Strowman is in that conversation and to many seeming as good as Bloom already bodes well for him. He won't need to leave for Japan, just bide his time.

They've been missing the "big man who can go" properly for a long time... now they have one... It's in their best interests to slow burn him a bit longer, then let it explode... just as Vader did in WCW.

 

[Dave]

Strowman sucks. Plain and simple. Granted he has had some funny moments lately in backstage promos whether those were intentionally funny or not, but the guy needs improvement on the mic and is HORRIBLE in the ring. I still wish he had remained with the Wyatts. Some may say this held him back, but it gave him something to do in a unique stable that stood out. Without that he has been nothing less than another big boring guy. Maybe trying a more gimmicky character could help him. The problem with this however is that even if they give him something as out there as Undertaker or Kane's type of gimmick it still wouldn't hide his lack of promo skills and how terrible he is in the ring. I remain a naysayer and will not retract anytime soon. I've stated it in many other topics. WWE has to make me care. Presenting Strowman as just another big guy does exactly the opposite. They make me want to fast forward anytime he is onscreen instead.

No, he doesn't. If you think he does and he doesn't meet your criteria for what is good, that's different than saying that he flat out sucks. I'm fact, put him against most other big guys and he is reaching a pretty good level.

Booking 101 says that big guys prefer to leave their talking to their wrestling and that is what Braun is doing better than anyone. He doesn't need to go out for a 20 minute promo and tell people that he's going to win. He keeps it short and sweet and just destroys people in the ring. It's really simple.

What I think you are missing is some pay off for all of the squash matches he's had. And trust me, it's coming. By the time Mania rolls around, he'll be up against people on his level and he's going to have some tremendous matches. I don't blame you skipping his squash matches at all. But sooner or later, that's gonna change and he's going to be one of the top guys on WWE programming. Make no mistake.