Full Guide to How WWE Must Book Braun Strowman Leading Up to WrestleMania 33

WWE is pushing Braun Strowman to the top of the roster. It's easy to imagine him, years from now, feuding with Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, Kevin Owens, Finn Balor and other top stars. There's a lot of promise to this Superstar's blossoming career.

WWE had better not blow it.

Lest we forget, it is easy to blow a monster heel's career. In fact, WWE almost ruined Strowman the first time around.

Strowman made his main-roster debut in August 2015. He single-handedly dismantled Reigns and Dean Ambrose in minutes.

But in the following months, his debut remained the most memorable thing about him. Strowman was a lackey for The Wyatt Family, and rather than competing in matches, he spent most of his time standing outside the ring wearing a black sheep mask.

And the couple of times fans saw him brawling outside the ring or competing in tag matches, his inexperience was obvious. His move set was limited to shoulder blocks, rest holds and bear hugs. For a while, Strowman seemed doomed to follow The Great Khali—a massive, minimally skilled wrestler who eked by, thanks to Vince McMahon's obsession with big men and bodybuilders.

But slowly, over a period of months, Strowman improved. He'll never be Dean Malenko, but he has a nice variety of power moves that complement his massive size. As long as he has a more experienced opponent who can sell and hide his shortcomings, Strowman appears convincingly scary.

The draft reinvigorated Strowman. He was sent to Raw, far away from the rest of The Wyatt family. He could finally be more than a glorified human shield.

Since the draft, Strowman has crushed every competitor in his path. He beats up jobbers in under a minute. He beats up two jobbers at once. He beats up three jobbers at once. He no-sells any offense that his opponents throw at him. And he never stops snarling the entire time.

Strowman's matches are throwbacks to the early-1990s episodes of WWF Superstars, which consisted of little more than squash match after squash match. A squash might seem a bit simple and silly, but it gets the job done. It puts the winner over as invincible.

In September, Strowman graduated from beating up jobbers to beating up main-roster talents. He first beat up Sin Cara. Then he spent the next several months beating up Sami Zayn. He defeated Zayn in a Last Man Standing match this past Monday.

In the buildup to and through WrestleMania, Strowman should retain his status as unstoppable. At WrestleMania, he should compete in a non-title match against a midcard Superstar, which he should win decisively. Or he could participate in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, which he should also win.

But no marquee match. No title shot. For at least a year, Strowman should not be placed in a situation where he fights competitively or loses decisively. It's too early for that. And that way, when someone does beat him, it will mean something.

In the meantime, Strowman has a readymade role—an otherworldly force that Stephanie McMahon or Mick Foley can harness to attack babyfaces and heels. Kane, in his heyday, filled this role. Big Show, in his heyday, filled this role. And Strowman can increase his visibility and remain intimidating by filling this role as well.

Monsters need mystique. Loss humanizes. Struggle humanizes. And Strowman has the rest of his career to find his character's depth and get into intimate, narrative-driven feuds. WWE should not overreach and push Strowman into a situation that the fans are not ready for. Being a monolithic, frightening monster is enough for now.