RIYADH — Braun Strowman gave Tyson Fury the rude awakening he promised, bulldozing the undefeated heavyweight boxing champion across the ring in the cross-combat match dubbed a “battle of the ages.” And Tyson Fury did exactly what he said he was going to do, knocking out The Monster Among Men in a flash to leave him staring up at the lights.
It was a decidedly shocking ending that played perfectly into Fury’s instincts as a showman — not that The Gypsy King had been low-key about his first WWE match. Fury entered in full Saudi garb to a dazzling array of pyro and fire amid the strains of The Isley Brothers’ “It’s Your Thing,” much to the perplexity of the all-business Strowman. The Monster Among Men certainly went a long way to making Fury realize this was more of a fight than The Gypsy King thought it would be, dropping his foe to his back on the outside of the ring with a hard right.
Fury showcased an apt command of sports-entertainment basics, breaking out a running dropkick that stopped Strowman’s freight train body tackle cold and a textbook drop toehold to tee up a big boot. He also sat bolt upright a la The Undertaker at one point. But his inexperience came back to haunt him when he took a breather outside the ring, leaving him square in the path of Strowman’s freight train.
When The Monster Among Men tried to roll Fury back in to finish the job, however, the boxer unloaded with a right cross to Strowman’s chin that sent the big man tumbling to the outside. Though Strowman eventually staggered back to his feet, he was unable to reenter the ring before the count of 10.
Even after absorbing Fury’s best punch, Braun was far from TKO’d as everyone assumed. The Gift of Destruction decided he wasn’t finished with Fury, suddenly scooped up his rival and planted him with a Running Powerslam. It was a harsh reminder that this is still Strowman’s world. Though if Fury’s display was any indication, there could be room in there for him, too.
