Braun Strowman Beats Bray Wyatt, Retains Universal Title at Money in the Bank

Braun Strowman defeated former mentor Bray Wyatt at WWE Money in the Bank on Sunday to retain the Universal Championship.

Strowman baited his rival by donning the black sheep mask he wore as a member of The Wyatt Family, at which point the challenger thought he had turned the champion to his side.

However, The Monster Among Men removed the mask and shattered it with his right boot.

Wyatt was momentarily stunned upon watching his entire plan unravel, which allowed Strowman to line up and deliver a running powerslam for the win.

After beating Goldberg for the universal title at WrestleMania 36, it wasn't long before Strowman was in Wyatt's crosshairs. He confronted his former Wyatt Family stablemate on an episode of the Firefly Fun House on the post-WrestleMania edition of SmackDown.

Wyatt, who beat John Cena in a Firefly Fun House match at The Show of Shows, made it clear he not only wanted back the title he dropped to Goldberg but also wanted revenge on Strowman for departing The Wyatt Family in 2016.

In the weeks that followed, Wyatt played constant mind games with The Monster Among Men in an effort to throw him off his game leading up to Money in the Bank. That included gifting his opponent a black sheep mask, which is what he used to wear as a member of The Wyatt Family.

Wyatt also delved deep into the history between himself and Strowman during the build to Sunday's pay-per-view and incorporated it into his desire to beat him.

In actuality, Strowman left The Wyatt Family as a result of a WWE draft, but Wyatt twisted the story and suggested he made the conscious decision to leave. He also essentially suggested Strowman leaving is what led to The Wyatt Family's demise.

Revisionist history has become a big part of Wyatt's character, and it is what fueled him to defeat Cena at WrestleMania as revenge for losing to the veteran at WrestleMania 30.

Wyatt attempted to use that same twisted logic as motivation against Strowman at Money in the Bank, but his former protege seemed undeterred and unbothered by those tactics prior to the PPV.

At Money in the Bank, it was a matter of Strowman putting his pure strength and power up against the cunning and manipulation of Wyatt, with one of the biggest prizes in WWE hanging in the balance.

Strowman managed to retain, but given the history between them and the possibility of Wyatt bringing out The Fiend next time, it seems likely their rivalry will continue.

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