How to Fix Lars Sullivan After Forgettable Introduction to WWE Main Roster

Lars Sullivan is close to becoming the latest dud on WWE's main roster upon arrival. 

While some recent call ups have been doing just fine so far (Aleister Black, etc.), there always seems to be more EC3-type falloffs than anything else right now. WWE treating Sullivan like just another big man is a good way to have him in EC3 purgatory in a hurry. 

Sullivan's initial debut got delayed for personal reasons and pushed to after WrestleMania. But even if he had debuted right after weeks of televised promos hinted at his arrival, the same muted reaction from crowds would have persisted. 

This has been done time and time again. 

Sullivan isn't doing anything new: big guy shows up without saying anything, beats down some other talents, walks out with a snarl. With how he's being handled right now, there isn't much to separate him from other former supposed monsters of the past like Brodus Clay, Ryback, Big Cass and plenty of others. 

The lack of talking isn't helping. The moveset isn't, either, as Sullivan is impressively fast and explosive, but he isn't doing anything too memorable. And the look also isn't doing him any favors. He's thick and fits the character he's going for well enough, but his height is a problem—Sullivan managed to get in the ring with R-Truth and look like the short one. He looked as tall as (and that's being generous) the Hardy brothers.

WWE has plenty of biggish guys right now besides Braun Strowman with Drew McIntyre, Baron Corbin and Bobby Lashley. Don't forget Brock Lesnar is floating in the background. Sullivan has a Rusev or Big E-type look, not a Strowman. 

Sullivan in the ring with some of those guys just wouldn't work well. His "bigger than everyone" and monster schtick worked well in NXT given the generally smaller competition and crowds. But WWE has quickly reverted to having him attack guys such as Rey Mysterio recently. 

Given how much of a dud things have been so far, it isn't hard to envision a future where Sullivan is getting fed to main-event players like Roman Reigns, if not becoming a comedy act in a hurry. 

For all the negatives here, it doesn't have to keep going like this. 

WWE would probably love to find the next Kane, a monster who doesn't say much but destroys anyone who gets in his way. But WWE letting Sullivan do his own thing and talking more could turn the tide of this debut quickly. 

There was a time when Sullivan actually gave well-spoken interviews and promos: 

And there isn't any reason WWE can't tap into this sort of thing again and keep Sullivan away from the typical big destructive guy who eventually takes a loss and his mystique is ruined. 

Rather, taking a loss could be one of the better things that happens to Sullivan. If WWE leans into his unexpectedly well-spoken and smart side atop the violence in the ring, he could end up being a lot of fun.

Say he gets into a feud with Reigns and takes the expected loss. But he comes back in a rematch and blatantly shows growth, exploiting something he learned from the prior loss and steals a win from one of the company's top guys. 

Then WWE is cooking with something interesting. Now there is a freak athlete in the ring who is deadly not just because he's big and fast, but because he's intelligently using his noggin to exploit the best of the best. It doesn't mean strap a rocket on his back and give him a title. But it does mean push him in a unique way, breaking the well-throttled mold of the past to fit the new generation. 

And this is just one idea. Sullivan can be interesting. And the WWE roster could use some variety. This is a new era, and the late 80s or 90s style monster just doesn't cut it anymore. Adding immediate depth to his character keeps him dangerous even if he loses, and it means he's always a threat to the top of the roster. 

Because at the end of the day, that's what WWE wants—a new main-event player. He's been in the WWE pipeline for years and years, so the company can't afford for it to all be for naught. But the approach is going to need more finesse than it is getting for Sullivan to last.