Braun Strowman asked Mick Foley for better competition next week. Who can step up to the monster?
Braun Strowman’s squash matches have been quite the sight on Raw recently. The pre-match interviews were always entertaining, to say the least. WWE went back to the old ways and started using local enhancement talents to create its newest monster in Strowman. The Black Sheep of the Wyatt Family tore through the competition week after week.
Last Monday on Raw, after the customary squash match, Strowman made a statement. His words to Raw GM Mick Foley were to make sure there was some real competition for his next week.
“You tell @RealMickFoley, if he doesn’t get me REAL competition next week, there might not be a next week!” – @BraunStrowman #RAW pic.twitter.com/sBJPl93duI
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) October 4, 2016
That brings us to the big question—who can step into the ring with the monster among men? We already saw Sin Cara trying to beat the monster and miserably getting squashed. Who else will step up to try to end his winning streak? What the WWE needs to consider is that Strowman doesn’t need an extended rivalry or feud right now. He just needs to fight with and go over some of the main roster names. So, with this in mind, here are five potential opponents for Braun Strowman for the coming weeks.
WWE.com
5. Mark Henry
The World’s Strongest Man is well past his prime, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t loved by the WWE Universe. He is also a big man, a very very big man. Strowman’s squash matches haven’t been about the beauty of the wrestling. It is about raw power and Mark Henry has a lot of it.
The big man will be the perfect opponent to step up to Strowman’s challenge as he has done his share of putting over new generation stars. Henry has enough star power and credibility left in him to put over Strowman as a viable threat to the fans. While the match would be nothing of a classic and could be very slow, the result is all that matters here.
Imagine the kind of rub the monster among men could receive if he is able to kick out from the World’s Strongest Slam? That’s the kind of potential this match up has. Moreover, all of this can be done in a week’s time and Henry can go back to whatever he needs to do. The former World Champion hasn’t been featured on WWE TV for a while, so this would be a good time to bring him in.
WWE.com
4. The Big Show
If Mark Henry is a big man, Big Show is the biggest of them all. There is no conquest greater than 44-year-old for Braun Strowman when it comes to sheer size alone. Show has the kind of star power that can make a still relatively green wrestler like Strowman look like a star.
Like Henry, Show has done a lot to put over the new generation stars. He has proven time and again to be selflessly willing to do whatever the company asks of him. The World’s Largest Athlete might have even made more turns than anybody else in the history of WWE. However, that doesn’t take anything away from the credibility one might gain after beating him.
Imagine Strowman kicking out after one of Big Show’s knockout punches. That’s the kind of thing no one has done in the past. It’s a thing only a true monster can do. Much like Henry, Show hasn’t been featured on WWE TV for quite a while now. If I were Mick Foley, I would bring him back right away.
WWE.com
3. Curtis Axel
It pains me to put Curtis Axel’s name in for a future squash match, but if at the very least it would get him some TV time, then so be it. He’s is not big and bulky like Big Show or Mark Henry, but is still a big wrestler and can move between the ropes with relative ease. It would also give Axel something to do because he’s mostly been absent from TV.
WWE can come up with an angle where he tries to convince Mick Foley that Axel can step in the ring, against Braun Strowman. We haven’t had a chance to see how well Strowman holds up against a more agile opponent. His matches with Sin Cara should have showcased this but they didn’t. Axel can use his speed and mat game to try to bring down the monster.
The match would be less than stellar, but as noted, it gives creative a reason to put Axel on TV. If something needs to be done with him, he can try to go back to Foley, again and again, telling he was really close to defeating Strowman each time. This will keep the matches going on for a couple of weeks until Strowman decides this is not fun anymore.
WWE.com
2. Jinder Mahal
The reason Jinder Mahal is on this list is for storyline purposes only. He is not big enough to hang with Braun Strowman like the rest. Mahal isn’t good enough between the ropes to carry the match and make the monster look good either. However, he has a gimmick that can be used in this scenario.
After his return to WWE, Mahal has taken the role of a yogi who preaches about Shanthi. The former member of 3MB has been featured in multiple backstage vignettes that show him interacting with people like Alicia Fox who are known to have storyline anger issues.
Mahal can step up against Strowman, trying to convince him to become his disciple. That would certainly make for a somewhat entertaining moment. He can promise the monster among men to teach him ways to control his anger and contain his inner demon. In return, Strowman can just, well, squash him. There is no longevity to this match up. It will just be a one time match up, but it will certainly be entertaining.
WWE.com
1. Luke Harper
Of all the names on this list, Luke Harper is the one with the most promise and potential. Imagine the kind of buzz it would create if the two former members of the Wyatt Family were to collide. That just might be the case as Harper just made his return to WWE following a knee injury in March.
WWE doesn’t need to get into this one right off the bat, as they can feed the other four wrestlers to Braun Strowman. Then when the time comes and it seems like Strowman has done it all, enter Luke Harper. Despite making an appearance at a live show in Chile this week, it’s unknown when he’ll return to WWE TV.
WWE can use that time to build Strowman towards this feud. Harper is one of the agilest big men on the entire WWE roster at the moment. Since he is returning after a long hiatus, there is no need to continue his heel stature. Harper doesn’t even have to be a face. He can just step against Strowman because he is simply looking for a fight.
Of all the people on this list, Luke Harper will give Braun Strowman his biggest competition so far on the main roster.
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