Every year at the Royal Rumble, one entrant seemingly becomes a superstar with a performance for the ages in the Royal Rumble match. That star could be Braun Strowman this time around.
Braun Strowman could be heading for the Roman Reigns-Kane treatment in this year’s Royal Rumble match this Sunday.
Although Kane established himself quickly as a monster in WWE back in late 1997, it’s the 2001 Royal Rumble match that many remember as his moment of superstardom. The Big Red Machine eliminated a then-record 11 wrestlers before being the last elimination of the match by Stone Cold Steve Austin. During the unpopular 2014 Royal Rumble match, Roman Reigns broke Kane’s record with 12 eliminations before also being the last elimination of that match.
Regardless of Reigns’ popularity among wrestling fans today, that match launched him into a new atmosphere of stardom. Although Seth Rollins became the first member of The Shield to win a world title after the trio split, it was clear that Reigns was in line for a lengthy run in the spotlight.
Case and point: Reigns won the 2015 Royal Rumble match.
Similarly to Reigns three years ago, there’s another big man in line for a potential run with the main event crew of the company: Braun Strowman.
The monstrous animal was left on the Raw brand while his Wyatt Family took off for the blue brand and it’s been the best thing to happen to Strowman. He’s looked like a guy who could become the most dominant performer in the company, which could lead to some gold down the line soon.
How soon?
Well, how about WrestleMania 33?
Most would assume that Seth Rollins will be tied up with Triple H after this past summer. With Kevin Owens still holding the Universal Championship, it wouldn’t make sense for Strowman to face him.
However, Owens could lose the title this Sunday against … Roman Reigns.
That could put Strowman in line to be one of the favorites to win the Royal Rumble match and face Reigns at WrestleMania. In terms of the Royal Rumble, the paths for both Reigns and Strowman could be coming to a head in a Universal Championship match in Orlando.
Or, with a Fastlane pay-per-view card still to fill in March for the red brand, Strowman could be on the Reigns-Kane track and look like a colossus beast during the Rumble match before being eliminated late in an impressive showing to continue his build towards his first title.
How can that be done? Feuds like Goldberg and Brock Lesnar will be involved in the Royal Rumble match. An example of building Strowman up even more is having him eliminate both of them. They’ll be two of the biggest stars in the ring on Sunday and disposing of both of them would make Strowman look like the man to beat.
Credit: WWE.com
You could really up the stakes and have Strowman team up with his Wyatt Family brothers during the match and then have him eliminate all three of them.
Although the latest rumors have shut down any thoughts of it happening, Strowman was potentially an opponent option for The Undertaker at WrestleMania. There’s no telling if that would be the final match for The Undertaker in his career, but if it was, that would be a huge chance for Strowman to show off in front of the world against one of the greatest of all-time in the business.
Whatever the case is for Strowman, he could steal the headlines on Sunday night in San Antonio one way or another among the likes of Lesnar, The Undertaker, Goldberg and 26 other superstars. He’s looked impressive as of late, especially in his feud with Sami Zayn. The booking for both stars has been fantastic in terms of the underdog and the unstoppable mammoth.
Sure, Strowman’s not the sexiest pick in the world to win on Sunday, but it might be a really good one.
Outside of Reigns in 2015 — who many would argue was the easiest pick to win the Rumble that year — the last three winners of the Royal Rumble match are: John Cena (2013), Batista (2014) and the predictable Triple H victory last year. All three superstars had won a Rumble match (2008, 2005 and 2002) already, so booking a first-time winner for Sunday’s match would be an ideal situation for WWE.
A first-time winner is fresh. It’s new. And, it’s different from what we’ve seen lately.
The Royal Rumble match is (literally) one of the biggest matches every year. This match contributes in making stars into superstars. Strowman appears to be right on the cusp of becoming that next superstar for the Raw brand and for the company.
Sunday night could be Braun Strowman’s night and that’s bad news for the person holding the Universal title.
More from FanSided
This article originally appeared on 
