Braun Strowman Hasn’t Really Turned Heel…Yet.
Braun Strowman, Drew McIntyre and Dolph Ziggler stand as a cohesive unit and opposing force against the Shield. Courtesy of the WWE.
By Matthew Klink (@klinkmatt)
August 31, 2018
Last night Braun Strowman enlisted two ‘not-so-friendly’ colleagues to help with his most recent issue or obstacle, that is preventing him from becoming the Universal Champion. That obstacle, of course, is the Shield. The three-man team of Roman Reigns (our Universal Champion), Seth Rollins (IC Title holder) and Dean Ambrose (current title holder of greatest ‘trap’ muscle growth after injury ever).
Poor Braun Strowman…
The Shield definitely stacked the odds against him (almost two weeks ago) even though we all anointed him ‘future champ’ the second he beat Kevin Owens. That Kevin Owens debacle is a whole other story to dissect, but you figure you’ve destroyed the current run of possibilities for the character of Kevin Owens, it had to be for something big. That big something SHOULD be the Universal Title. Better said: to knock you best heel into the dirt, can only be for a future Universal Champion.
So if the results from SummerSlam do lead to a Strowman Championship run, that means its just a matter of time. However, Roman couldn’t lose the title after one day or even one week. The man had been chasing the title all year and he needs some time on top (even though the hardcore wrestling fan sees through this façade and knows he's been on top for a while) because that story needs to mean something. Not that we’re all fans of it, Roman will be solidifying himself as the ‘Big Dog’ with this championship run.
Okay…so there are things we know, things we’ve guessed, things that were obvious, and things that needed to happen to ensure multiple superstars could be built simultaneously (again…considering one superstar, KO, was absolutely shattered after SummerSlam).
A couple of the Superstars being built (and will possibly be over-shadowed for a bit) are Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre, the members of the Show.
After weeks of whining about the direction that ‘the Show’ was headed, I can finally stop! ‘The Show’, who were easily dispatched and taken care of a week ago, by Dean Ambrose, and are without the Intercontinental Title, are back on top of the world!
Alright, not quite the top of the world, but they’ve conquered a sizable hill. Like…a nice grassy hill with a good view of a pond.
This team could have taken a tumble down Shield Mountain and never recovered, but it looks like there is still hope for my favorite tag team, of Drew McIntyre and Dolph Ziggler. Hope for them to topple the Big Dog or Strowman and then capture the Universal Championship. It shouldn’t be that important to anyone that a specific individual wins this silly title, but I’m unemployed and my main hobby is throwing money at the WWE Shop.
And trust me, this is a (band)wagon to hitch a ride on. If you’ve heard a Drew McIntyre promo in the last four months, then you’ve heard and witnessed his potential already. While trying to overcome the nerdy, whiny voice of his counter-part, McIntyre owns every one of his segments by coming in with that husky, Scottish, growl. That’s looking past the fact that this man towers over Ziggler and will surely destroy him, when the day comes. But if you can’t see his potential, then you’re either blind or you constantly wear a sleep mask. I can admit, that I’m definitely getting ahead of myself here.
The inclusion of Drew and Dolph is imperative to continue to build this roster, as I have eluded to its absolute, fundamental necessity for future success, but is this hurting Braun Strowman’s fan favorite character? I’ve read online, through our own Facebook and Twitter, and numerous blogs, that this is a heel turn for Braun Strowman. But I think we can cross that off the list.
Let’s roll the clock back to the first time we met the Shield. At the time the Shield was used as a heel faction to deal out justice as they saw fit. The Shield decided championship matches and who was climbing the proverbial talent ladder. Whether they had a puppet-master or not was never really proven or completed development as a story line. The Shield still had a general heel attitude for the way they did business.
Their first task was to ended the chances of Ryback ever holding the WWE Championship. Then they were toppling the likes of Daniel Bryan, Kane, the Undertaker, the Rock, and John Cena. All moves that were deemed the ‘better path’ for the WWE Universe by the architect and his brothers. There is no denying that this team’s actions were firmly planted in heel territory.
I’d argue that no matter the fan reaction, the Shield still operate as a heel faction. Their brand of justice might get the fans on their feet, but they are still a personification of knowing what is better for us than what the fate of a match may decide. I’m getting a little too psychological here, but it makes sense. If Braun Strowman’s size and strength were enough to take down Roman Reigns on Monday Night Raw, then that’s what would’ve happened. However, the return of the Shield and their decimation of Braun Strowman was the same as Vince McMahon telling you “Roman Reigns is your favorite…get used to it”. The truth is that they are still a tool being used as a tool, but instead of helping prolong storylines, they are being used to push your likability of a certain character.
Does that mean Strowman was justified in selecting the Show as his new back-up? Is it fair that a man, who could destroy anyone on the roster 1-on-1, should be out-numbered whenever he tries to win the Championship? If anything, this is a call-back to when the Rock had to take down D-Generation X or the Corporation. Factions like the Union forming (the likes of Mankind, Test, Ken Shamrock and the Big Show). Maybe they weren’t everyone’s favorite wrestlers at the time, but it’s what the Rock had to do to get the better of his rivals.
(Excuse me as I completely nerd out here) I don’t remember anyone complaining when the X-Men recruited Magneto to take down Apocalypse! Superman needed Lex Luthor on multiple occasions. Batman loved working with Harley Quinn, Mr. Freeze, Poison Ivy, and he even married Cat Woman! The list goes on folks.
Braun Strowman is doing what is necessary to defeat his new rival, Roman Reigns. Roman went a length (that the likes of the Miz is usually capable of) when he had Dean and Seth defend him. Strowman, the sympathetic loser (lol), had to get dirty to match the wits and lengths of Reigns. If getting dirty meant muckin’ it up with Show…then so be it.
Our history of storytelling is one of the great things that makes us human, but it is also what helps guide our feelings and emotions for certain individuals. It’s what we use to teach lessons and prepare ourselves for the horrible world we live in. What we taught ourselves with thousands of years of storytelling is that Braun Strowman is doing what he was pushed to do. Strowman wants that title and we want it for him. But for Strowman to overcome the odds, he had to do the unthinkable (hyperbole…activate!).
The important thing to mention here is that I am a fan of the Shield return. I am glad that they are present for Roman’s current title run. Braun will get his turn to hold the Universal Title, but I do worry about formidable opponents for Braun going forward. At least with Roman we can get a believable thirty-minute match with Finn Balor. Not only does Braun’s history tell us we shouldn’t expect a long match with his future opponents, I don’t know if he is capable of making a match interesting enough to last thirty minutes. Whether it’s his capabilities or the fact that any offense he lands would surely be too powerful for anyone to absorb for a lengthy affair.
While I am a fan of the Shield returning, we do know that in a couple of weekends they will be shut of the Universal Title match due to the cage that will be surrounding the ring. I don’t expect them to let this stop them completely, but it will be interesting to see how far they will go to continue the Strowman/Reigns feud into the Super-Show-Down and then deeper into the fall.
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