5 afterthoughts from the 2016 WWE Draft who became stars in the company

#3 Braun Strowman (No. 48 in the 2016 WWE Draft)

The latest pick in the 2016 #WWEDraft goes to #RAW, and it's the monstrous @BraunStrowman! pic.twitter.com/HLpZyxvanC

— WWE (@WWE) July 20, 2016

The WWE Draft broke up a few teams in 2016, with The Wyatt Family being among the casualties. Bray Wyatt and Erick Rowan were drafted separately to SmackDown, and Braun Strowman made his way to RAW. It was a sink or swim situation for the man-mountain.

Strowman instantly got a haircut and passed the test with flying colors. He was one of the first success stories of the 2016 brand split. The Monster Among Men was WWE's most over-babyface in 2017 through his insane strength and intensity, along with a brutal feud against Roman Reigns.

However, the company never pulled the trigger on a Universal Title run for him during that period. Despite being cooled off, Braun Strowman remained a big star for WWE. He became Universal Champion at WrestleMania 36, serving as a last-minute replacement for Reigns against Goldberg.

Did you enjoy Braun Strowman’s Universal Title reign? pic.twitter.com/KsWttUin80

— Jake - DailyAccolade (@WrestleJake) January 24, 2021

Despite being released by WWE around two months ago, there is no denying Strowman overachieved in the company. Many predicted he would flop without The Wyatt Family, but made it on his own. He might even return to the company sooner rather than later.