Examining Braun Strowman's Direction, Upside and Long-Term Potential

The WWE menagerie needs creatures like Braun Strowman.

Giants who happily wreak havoc have long been a part of pro wrestling. Strowman's frame and ferocity put him in that group, but it will be his ability to sustain his character that determines whether he is a memorable monster or another oversize washout. 

After months of being one of Bray Wyatt's imposing soldiers as part of The Wyatt Family, Strowman is now a solo act.

The July WWE draft split up the faction. Wyatt and Erick Rowan went to SmackDown; Strowman found a home on Raw.

Since then, the massive predator has taken out a series of jobbers. WWE trots out a new unknown enhancement talent every week, and Strowman devours each one in little time. The pattern is a callback to an older time in wrestling when newcomers fed on tomato cans to first garner momentum.

It's a smart route to take with Strowman.

He has looked like an absolute beast while dominating these lesser foes. And he continues to add wins to his record as a result. 

The time has come to adjust the script, though. Today's fans will tire of these squash matches. Mike Mooneyham, longtime wrestling columnist for the Post and Courier, is among those who are already done with this part of the story:

The next step must be for Strowman to move up the food chain.

He can still steamroll opponents, but they need to start being people the audience recognizes. Goldust, Jack Swagger and Curtis Axel should all fall to the leviathan in the coming weeks.

That will put Strowman in position for whatever WWE has in mind for him, prepping him for his first major feud. 

Strengths

Strowman's biggest asset is his size. You just don't see a ton of guys who are 6'8" and over 300 pounds running around.

The bearded bruiser stands out, especially in an era with so many smaller wrestlers in the spotlight.

His look and immensity allowed him to fast-track the developmental process, debuting on Raw before ever wrestling on NXT TV. And going forward, Strowman will have the WWE machine behind him. History has seen even marginally talented mammoths get major opportunities. 

In the ring, he excels at domination.

Strowman flings around his foes, smashes them with a look of satisfaction on his face and is a convincing beast between the ropes. He does well to make one-sided bouts a showcase of his monstrous ways.

Obstacles

On a roster full of Swiss army knives, Strowman is a meat cleaver. Overpowering foes is the one thing he does well.

WWE can't expect him to produce a lengthy match or a fast-paced one. He's not going to mat wrestle anyone. And he's still in the learning process as a ring worker, as he has been doing this for only three years.

As a talker, he's similarly limited. Strowman can grunt and growl, but he's not charismatic enough to pull off a full-fledged verbal showdown.

Wyatt used to combat that as his mouthpiece, but now Strowman is on his own. His lack of range as an actor means WWE Creative can only feature him in a particular kind of narrative.

There have been exceptions, but monster characters like him often have a short shelf life. Nailz, Kurgan and Mr. Hughes are all part of a long list of brooding big men who came and went. Strowman will have his work cut out for him to avoid joining them.

Long-Term Potential

Open doors and ample opportunities await Strowman. That's one of the perks of being such a large human being in the comic book world that is pro wrestling. 

But what will he do with those chances?

Former ECW star Tommy Dreamer told Busted Open radio that he sees big things ahead for Strowman:

It's hard to tell how prophetic Dreamer will be. Strowman hasn't been a part of a rivalry on his own. His bouts have been short and of the same variety.

Were he as agile as Undertaker or as versatile as Kane, he would be a safer bet moving forward.

As it stands, Strowman has the makeup of less iconic monster heels. He will entertain for a stretch and ride his physical gifts to the main event of a handful of pay-per-views. But then, he'll fade into the background. 

It will be hard for WWE to find ways to use him. Once a knight slays the mighty dragon, what story do you tell with the creature?

Expect Strowman to get a taste of center stage but eventually go the way of men such as Snitsky, becoming a footnote in WWE history.

Be sure to check out previous editions of this ongoing series:

• Heath Slater
• Eva Marie
• Nia Jax
• Mojo Rawley