LaBar: Three possible opponents for up-and-coming heel Strowman
Braun Strowman has a bright future as a heel in WWE.
His imposing size and brute strength are great starting points for his WWE career. The size isn't going anywhere. It now is all about teaching him how to use it in the most effective way possible inside the ring.
Strowman already is showing noticeable improvement after being on WWE's main roster for only a year. Before his debut with The Wyatt Family in August 2015, he never had a televised match in NXT, and his number of matches was limited.
He has been put in the express lane of learning and is handling it well. On top of having probably fewer than 100 matches in his career, Strowman has to combat the harsh arm-chair critics who have a prejudice against big guys in WWE. Message board banter complained about Vince McMahon liking only bigger guys.
Pro wrestling is a body business. It's a circus. It's entertainment. In all of those, someone who stands out, particularly with size, is a commodity to turn into the best performer possible. It doesn't mean guys under 6-foot tall are worthless, but size is an attention-getter.
A guy like Strowman doesn't grow on trees, so when WWE gets one, of course he is going to be a priority — even if it means skipping ahead of those who have been around longer.
With Strowman's size and ideas of what his style should be in the ring, he shouldn't have to hit the mat as much. And not having to do as much in the ring can be a blessing. Get more reaction out of less. Bump less, preserve your body and be around longer. Be around longer and make more money. It's a winning formula.
Again, the fast-paced work rate that is so popular among a sect of the audience has its place but not without a lot of risk and some believability questions as a down side.
There have been size guys in pro wrestling who possessed only one talent, and that was standing next to a tape measure. After that, they couldn't do much. Giant Gonzalez comes to mind. Go watch WrestleMania 9 as a young Undertaker had to make that match work as best as he could. Yikes!
Strowman won't fall into this category. He listens very well to his peers and takes each match as a learning experience. His athleticism was on display for the finish of his match last Monday on RAW as he ran into the ring behind Sin Cara and caught him mid-air within a matter of seconds.
The former powerlifter has been on a run of squash matches, and many are waiting to see how he does whenever he moves into his first real feud and competitive match. Three names come to mind for different reasons.
The first is Roman Reigns.
Love him or hate him, you have an opinion about Reigns. Everyone does, and that is evident in the reaction he gets when his music plays. The guarantee is if you put Reigns as Strowman's first legitimate opponent with some build-up to the match, you know the arena won't be quiet. People will be engaged.
WWE's hope would be Strowman is getting no cheers thus far and that heel persona will carry on and allow more to rally behind Reigns. This has worked in the past when Reigns has fought someone like Sheamus, another true heel who gets no “cool bad guy” adulation.
The second possible opponent is Cesaro.
The Swiss Superman has incredible strength, so putting him in a confrontation with the powerful Strowman could be a sight to see. The display of moves that could be executed definitely can leave a “I can't believe I just saw that” feeling.
Cesaro is a solid fan favorite who has been immersed in a recurring story of WWE holding him down and needing to prove himself. This has been fueled with the narrative that Cesaro needs to “step up and grab the brass ring,” as McMahon boldly said about him on Stone Cold's podcast.
It could be an interesting story on RAW and on the internet. Fans who like Cesaro while going against the big man — per the prejudice I mentioned — will be solidly behind seeing Cesaro try to get a win against Strowman.
The third potential opponent is Big Cass.
Big Cass can stand eye-to-eye with Strowman, and there's nobody with a hotter hand right now than Big Cass and his partner, Enzo Amore.
Cass, who is significantly smaller than Strowman, having Enzo at his side also could provide some added heat on Strowman if he was to physically destroy Enzo. The love for Enzo is so strong that fans won't look at him with any less interest if he got beaten up decisively. He really can sell the offense for Strowman, giving even more reason for Cass to get his hands on Strowman for revenge.
The only real risk in this match is the protection of both big guys would have to be a top priority. When the feud is done, both still will be the size they are, and you want their personas to still be growing.
The fact is, given all the natural talent involved, if the two squared off now, it would be a preview of a potential WrestleMania marquee match in a few years, and you can't teach that.
Justin LaBar is a Tribune-Review staff writer. He can be reached at jlabar@tribweb.com or via Twitter @JustinLaBar.
