Braun Strowman's Momentum Has Him on Track to Steal the Show at WrestleMania 34

If WWE's WrestleMania 34 plans don't feature Braun Strowman as one of its centerpieces, they need to be torn up and tossed in the trash.

The Monster Among Men is the most fun thing WWE has going. When he rips through the Raw world every Monday like a tornado, one can't help but marvel and be mystified. Strowman is a mythological beast come to life, a mammoth mauler like nothing else.

And at WrestleMania, if he's not the universal champ defending his throne, he needs to at least be in one of the most high-profile spots on the pay-per-view.

Monday's Raw was the latest reminder of how compelling a rampaging Strowman can be. In response to general manager Kurt Angle firing him, the giant roared as he looked to upend the entire show. Strowman slammed Curt Hawkins through a table, pushed over a semi-truck and had the production team scattering like Tokyo citizens evading Godzilla.

It was all electric and ridiculous and wonderful.

This has been Strowman's modus operandi. He growls. He destroys. He plays WWE's resident monster.

And WWE has continued to find creative ways to harness his power and rage, from chasing down The Miz and The Miztourage to yanking down a steel set with a grappling hook. It's been a hit, one of Raw's surest things each week.

The folks at WrestleView.com are among those happy to see Strowman raze his surroundings: 

Strowman continued his hot streak on Monday's Raw with more memorable damage, more superhuman feats. WWE only has to look at the numbers to realize how much it's all working.

At the time of this writing, Strowman's attack on a production truck had 1.7 million views on WWE's YouTube page. That's more than Roman Reigns' match, Seth Rollins bringing back the Curb Stomp and Asuka vs. Nia Jax. And three videos from Monday night featuring The Monster Among Men have already passed the 800,000-views mark.

That's not an anomaly; it's a pattern. Strowman often has a significant impact on the YouTube needle.

It's not a coincidence, either, that Strowman was the central star of the show and Raw delivered one of its best episodes in weeks. WWE doesn't have a great hold on many of its characters, but it has long embraced and understood who this predator is. The company has found a winning formula for him, and he's been every bit the megastar WWE could have hoped for.

Now as the big, snarling animal moves closer toward his Universal Championship match against Kane and Brock Lesnar at the Royal Rumble, one has to wonder what's next.

Will he fall short of defeating Lesnar once more? Will The Beast Incarnate emerge from their battle the champion and keep the presumed WrestleMania clash with Reigns alive?

WWE would be smart to instead let Strowman be the one to devour Lesnar, to snatch the torch from the veteran powerhouses and head into WrestleMania 34 as ruler of Raw. 

But even if that doesn't happen, a prime spot has to be his at The Show of Shows. As Kyle Fowle of RealSport pointed out, Strowman deserves a prominent role on the biggest card on the calendar:

Last year, WWE hid Strowman away in the annual Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania. Placing a promising, game-changing talent of his caliber in the same match as Epico and Curt Hawkins is a baffling move.

This time around, something more significant has to be on the horizon. A date with John Cena. A showdown with Triple H. A meeting with a returning Batista.

Credit: WWE.com

The Monster Among Men could lay waste to every announce table in sight in an Extreme Rules match. He could bolster WrestleMania with one of his signature acts of destruction. Thanks to what he does in and out of the ring, Strowman is bound to be the talk of the show.

The former Wyatt Family member teems with momentum as WrestleMania season approaches. It's a no-brainer to build on that, to make sure The Showcase of the Immortals elevates a man on the verge of something special regardless of how the title match at Royal Rumble plays out.