Braun Strowman's Continued WWE Push Is Unwise Use of Spotlight

If WWE is seeking its next top monster to swipe its heroes down with massive paws, Braun Strowman is not the right man to cast in that role. Not yet, anyway.

The Wyatt Family's colossus is too raw and unproven to be pushed to the top of the card. While his development continues, WWE would be far better off elevating some other fearsome predator.

Strowman is a long-term project, not a guy ready for center stage.

WWE doesn't seem to agree. The company has made sure to protect his record while portraying him as an unstoppable force. According to CageMatch.net, he has only lost two singles matches, one by count-out and one by disqualification.

He's stared down Undertaker and Brock Lesnar. He eliminated Kane, Big Show, Sami Zayn, Mark Henry and Lesnar at the Royal Rumble.

On Monday's Raw, the company pitted him against Big Show in the night's main event.

This is just the latest example of WWE's clear fascination with him. As Justin LaBar wrote for Trib Live, "Watching on-screen and hearing behind-the-scenes chatter all suggest Braun Strowman is the next big project for Vince McMahon."

Rumors point to that being true. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Wrestling Inc), WWE has nixed its original plan for Undertaker vs. Strowman at WrestleMania 32 and is instead reportedly opting for Strowman to win the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. That could then lead to big matches against Roman Reigns and Lesnar.

That's all too much, too soon.

If Strowman catches fire and performs like a marquee star, then WWE should plug him into a top spot. But why the push now? Why consider him for high-profile WrestleMania and SummerSlam bouts when the roster boasts other monsters who are more prepared to wreak havoc?

WWE is glossing over his weaknesses as it falls in love with his strengths.

Strowman is a massive man. He looks the part of a titan. His is a larger-than-life presence; he's a comic book villain come to life. All that sees him poised to make an impact.

But he still needs work as a performer. He's too limited and wooden to deliver in top-of-the-card matches.

There's a reason his one-on-one matches haven't gone over the 10-minute mark. He's shown he can play the bear batting down his foes, but little else. WWE doesn't know if he can thrive telling a more complicated story or under the brightest of spotlights.

On The Ross Report, Jim Ross spoke about Strowman's development (h/t 24Wrestling.com): "He needs reps. He needs time." Ross suggested that Strowman work on the road against a guy like Dolph Ziggler to acquire both.

That's where WWE's focus should lie, not in shooting him to the moon right now.

Note that even when his peers praise him, there are caveats about his turning into something special, not being special now. Big Show talked with Steve Austin in a podcast interview on Monday's Raw and said that Strowman has a "long way to go" but is "going to be a player."

He's not that now, though. He won't transform into that by WrestleMania or even SummerSlam.

Credit: WWE.com

Hall of Famer Billy Graham laid out the issues with Strowman in a post on Facebook. Graham wrote that he feels Strowman is "very green," that "the man can't cut a promo" and "is a tag wrestler, not a singles." 

It's hard to argue with him on any of those points.

Strowman skipped the standard NXT-to-WWE process. He was in the developmental brand but not on TV. Then he suddenly hopped up to WWE proper.

As a result, he has zero NXT TV matches and just a handful of singles bouts on the WWE level on his resume.

Event	Opponent	Result	Match Time
Raw, Aug. 31, 2015	Dean Ambrose	Win	3:08
Main Event, Sept. 29, 2015	Curtis Axel	Win	Not listed
Raw, Oct. 12, 2015	Roman Reigns	Lost by count-out	7:50
SmackDown, Nov. 10, 2015	Fandango	Win	2:25
Raw, Dec. 7, 2015	Tommy Dreamer	Win	2:39
Raw, Feb. 15, 2016	Big Show	Lost by DQ	2:30

Instead of elevating a guy that inexperienced this year, WWE would be better off focusing on other members of The Wyatt Family. Luke Harper is a veteran of the business, having debuted over a decade ago. He's a far better worker than Strowman and a guy WWE knows can deliver a standout match. 

Wyatt has been tremendous in singles action against Daniel Bryan, Reigns and John Cena. He's a much better option as a No. 1 monster heel. He's young and improving, a masterful talker and a more well-rounded performer. 

Let Harper and Wyatt be the ones who challenge for the world title, get premier spots at SummerSlam and receive the WWE machine's support.

Alternatively, Samoa Joe is a hungry veteran who has been on fire on NXT. While not the immense man Strowman is, WWE knows that Joe can reel in the crowd in long matches or in powerful speaking segments. 

With those options in front of WWE, it makes little sense to make Strowman such a priority. 

It should give more complete and dependable performers an opportunity to be the focus. Strowman can rise when he's ready.