Braun Strowman: Analyzing WWE Wrestling Debut of Newest Member of Wyatt Family

Smart booking and strong presentation made a raw, limited wrestler in Braun Strowman look like a monstrosity who crawled out of Hell to join The Wyatt Family.

In his in-ring debut, Strowman stalked Dean Ambrose on Monday's Raw, flung him about the ring and crushed him with little resistance. It was no masterpiece on the mat, but instead a well-executed introduction to a fearsome ogre.

Strowman made it clear that if WWE masks his deficiencies and continues treating him like a monster straight out of a horror movie, he can make a significant impact. His presence makes the Wyatt clan a stronger, more frightening faction. And the company now has another Goliath to plug into its narratives.

Credit: WWE.com

Few saw this powerhouse's arrival coming.

He had not debuted on NXT TV. There had been no vignettes hyping his arrival. His only exposure on WWE programming had been as a bit player in the background when he served as one of Adam Rose's Rosebuds. 

A week ago, that changed emphatically.

Ambrose and Roman Reigns looked poised to defeat Bray Wyatt and Luke Harper. The heroes would have one more beast to conquer, however. Darkness covered the arena for a moment and when it lifted, Strowman stood on the ring apron, ready to pounce, a black sheep mask covering his face.

The Wyatt Family grew by one member that night and up until Monday's Raw, fans had only seen Strowman deliver destruction outside of official matches. He squeezed the life out of Ambrose during his first appearance. Strowman followed that up by pummeling Reigns on last week's SmackDown.

What would he look like in the ring, though?

The answer came in the form of a singles match against Ambrose. WWE had him play the classic monster heel in this bout. He dominated, wielded only a few basic weapons and showed no signs of vulnerability.

There were no ups and downs here, no changing of gears, just a behemoth overpowering the hero.

Strowman is clearly suited for this role and this type of straight-ahead narrative. Being as massive as he is gives him a running start. Wearing an animal snarl, with wild eyes pointed at his prey, he was plenty convincing as an unsettling creature. 

Wrestling Heads Radio put it simply:

WWE did well to play up his power. The announcers called the bout with fear and awe in their voice. They talked about having never seen this kind of wrath before and spoke of Strowman as if he were a supernatural being.

Ambrose didn't score a single near-fall on the big man. He didn't bring him to the mat or even his knees. For now, WWE is choosing to make Strowman invulnerable. 

And it is doing so in short bursts. His clash with Ambrose lasted just over three minutes (per ProFightDB.com). Asking him to do a lot more than that is ill-advised. 

He has a memorable, daunting look, but it was clear even in this short outing that he is stiff and one-dimensional. At times, he looked unsure of himself. His footwork needs improvement as well.

As pro wrestling writer Kevin Berge pointed out, WWE has to consider Strowman's weaknesses as they book him: 

The plodding, methodical pace of his offense played up his power while doing well to hide his lack of athleticism. That needs to continue. Having him team up with Wyatt and Harper often will allow him to come in for short stints. 

Let him ravage his opponents briefly and go back to being scary looking on the ring apron.

This route strengthens The Wyatt Family as a whole. It maximizes what Strowman can offer.

He doesn't appear to be an all-time great in waiting. He looks to be a scary massive man built for the role WWE has chosen for him. In that way, he's a valuable asset.

Circuses need their strongmen; the squared circle needs its monsters.