Is anyone not bothered by the fact that Braun Strowman doesn't have any clear-cut plans heading into WrestleMania with just a month and change remaining before the Show of Shows?
With yet another episode of Monday Night Raw on the Road to WrestleMania having come and gone, things are further crystallizing on the red brand's side, as far as the WrestleMania 34 card is concerned. We already knew that Roman Reigns will, whether the WWE Universe likes it or not, face Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship, and the rumors of a John Cena vs. The Undertaker match have been swirling for quite a while now. Most signs point to Asuka challenging Alexa Bliss for the Raw Women's Championship (if not facing Charlotte Flair in an inter-brand match), and as we saw just this Monday night, Ronda Rousey now has a match at 'Mania, as she will team with Kurt Angle against the husband-and-wife team of Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. Lest we forget, there's also the three-way Intercontinental Championship match, where The Miz defends against Seth Rollins and Finn Balor.
Truly, that's one stacked card to represent Monday Night Raw at WrestleMania 34, but as you may have noticed, there's one name that's prominently missing, and that's Braun Strowman. Currently, he's feuding with Elias, having just defeated him in a "Symphony of Destruction Match." Hopefully that ends their rivalry; there's no doubt they're both among the most over talents on Raw, but let's face it, The Monster Among Men defeating The Drifter in a musical instrument-oriented street fight named after a Megadeth song is pretty much a case of "slumming" for Braun. For as much as people want to "Walk With Elias," the man is an upper mid-carder at best, at least for now. Strowman, on the other hand, is already a certified main event talent, and deserves to be treated accordingly at 'Mania. So how should WWE book him on its biggest event of the year?
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We've established that another match against Elias wouldn't be a good idea, and if we are to look at who else may be available to face Braun at WrestleMania, there's Samoa Joe, who might be healthy enough to compete by that time. But what good will Strowman vs. Joe do to either man, if there isn't any buildup? That could mean Strowman has no choice but to try his luck in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.
At this point in the match's soon-to-be five-year history, it's mostly a dumping ground for mid-carders with nothing to do at 'Mania. And while one would have hoped that it would turn out to be a star-making match, that hasn't proven to be the case for any of its winners, especially last year's winner, Mojo Rawley, who remains in mid-card limbo on SmackDown Live. Maybe Strowman could be booked to win the Andre battle royal, and if he does win, WWE had better use him to buck the trend, and to add some much needed prestige to a match named after the first man to ever be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
Now we understand if you feel that putting Braun Strowman in a mid-card filler battle royal (as it appears to be right now) is still going to make him look like he's slumming it out. So how about making him fight for a title? As we've seen in the booking of SmackDown Live's Fastlane pay-per-view, WWE has had a recent penchant for gradually adding more competitors to title matches. As such, turning the Intercontinental Championship match at 'Mania into a Fatal Four-Way could make sense, especially since Strowman has had his share of issues with The Miz.
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However, there is one man whom Strowman truly "isn't finished with" yet, and that's Roman Reigns. It may have been done before in New Orleans at WrestleMania XXX, as WWE called the proverbial audible and found a way to book Daniel Bryan in the main event match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship and gave him the big win. Sure, it'll be deja vu for fans at the Superdome, but I'm sure they'd rather see Strowman inserted into the Universal Championship match to give the WWE Universe someone they can feel good rooting for.
We don't need to walk you through Reigns' massive unpopularity with a lot of hardcore fans, and being that Brock Lesnar has long been rumored to have one foot out of WWE's door as he entertains a UFC return, he probably won't have much fan support either. Strowman winning the Universal Championship at WrestleMania 34 would make for a feel-good moment, and WWE can book this in a number of ways – have him beat someone earlier on the show in order to get inserted in the main event (shades of Bryan at 'Mania XXX), simply turn the Universal title match into a three-way beforehand, or have Braun challenge the Universal Champion for an impromptu title match to close the show.
At the end of the day, all of the scenarios we presented above are just ideas. Creative will make the final decisions once all is said and done, but they've got to make sure of two things when it comes to Braun Strowman – the Monster Among Men needs to be at WrestleMania 34, and needs to get booked properly once he's on the card.