Brock Lesnar's Lackluster Win vs. Braun Strowman a Deflating End to Feud

Brock Lesnar and Braun Strowman had all the hype in the world headed into their main event matchup at WWE No Mercy. In an event billed as an early WrestleMania, Strowman vs. Lesnar was one of two dream matches many felt WWE was giving away too early.

In the end, however, the two monsters underwhelmed.

Sunday's match ended just as fans were chanting "we want tables," which is indicative that their thirst had not yet been satiated.

This was barely a good match by pay-per-view standards, let alone worthy of WrestleMania. With limited false finishes or plot twists, this match didn't reach the second and third gears it was capable of.

Strowman's destruction of Lesnar early in SummerSlam's Fatal 4-Way matchup for the Universal Championship was a glimpse into the type of exciting monster truck rally pitting WWE's two premier behemoths against one another.

The former Wyatt Family member's warpath included shattered tables, broken rings and even a busted steel cage. But when it counted the most, Strowman and Lesnar were more interested in simply wrestling each other.

After Lesnar rallied to defeat a dominant Strowman clean in a so-so match, there is little demand to see this match again.

Jason Powell of ProWrestling.net described this encounter thus: "A disappointing finish in terms of Lesnar once again hitting the F5 out of nowhere and getting the pin."

And while WWE stuck to the story of Strowman being able to dominate Lesnar like no other, the fact the champion was able to overcome the Monster Among Men does not bode well for his longevity as a top WWE Superstar.

History has been unkind to the slain giant. Sure there are exceptions like Big Show and Kane, but once a big man is defeated—especially in clean fashion—much of the mystique that is so important to their character is compromised.

Strowman can only pull off so many stunts until he loses credibility by not being able to finish in a world title match.

There was a one-of-a-kind feel to Strowman, but by losing to Lesnar in the manner he did, it will be interesting to see how WWE rehabilitates its rising star—or whether it bothers to do so at all.

Alfred Konuwa is a Featured Columnist and on-air host for Bleacher Report and Forbes. Like him on Facebook.