5 Booking mistakes that WWE must avoid with Braun Strowman's Universal title reign

WWE’s biggest pay-per-view of the year, WrestleMania, was quite a different affair this year owing to the COVID-19 crisis.

Ahead of the PPV, it was announced that Roman Reigns has decided to pull out of the event in which he was scheduled to face Goldberg for the Universal Championship. As a result, WWE decided to bring in Braun Strowman to replace Reigns at the last minute.

In a shocking turn of events, Strowman went on to defeat Goldberg and became the Universal Champion for the first time in his career. On SmackDown after WrestleMania, Strowman was challenged by ‘The Fiend’ Bray Wyatt, and the two are set to engage in a title feud.

While the ‘Monster Among Men’ is immensely over with the crowd, he has not had an interesting run for quite some time. But things have changed with the Universal Championship wrapped around him. This is a golden opportunity for WWE, and they should make the best use of it to establish Strowman as the dominant champion that he is meant to be.

In this article, we will take a look at five booking mistakes that WWE must avoid with Braun Strowman’s Universal Championship reign. So, without further ado, let’s begin.

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#5 Use Braun Strowman as transitional Champion

Braun Strowman deserves better than that

At WrestleMania 36, Braun Strowman won a title that he has deserved for so long. Although the ‘Monster Among Men’ has been involved in title feuds in the past, he always found himself walking out of the arena empty-handed. But things took a turn for good at the ‘Grandest Stage of Them All’ this year. And WWE should make the best use of this opportunity.

Time and again, Strowman has proved that he can carry himself as a Champion, and now that he has his hands on gold, he must be given a chance to showcase his potential. Hence, it is important for WWE to not book the ‘Monster Among Men’ as a transitional champion by taking the title from him soon.

We know that Roman Reigns was supposed to take the title from Goldberg and was expected to feud against the likes of ‘The Fiend’ Bray Wyatt. But the last-minute changes in the WrestleMania card gave Strowman his moment of glory. If his status is once again reduced to a transitional Champion where he will immediately drop his title to Reigns or Bray, his credibility will take a serious blow, and WWE can’t afford that at this point.

#4 Underwhelming storylines

All he needs is a well-planned feud

More often than not, we have seen Braun Strowman engage in two types of storylines. One, he finds himself added to a title picture only to make the eventual winner look strong during the challenges. Second, he finds himself feuding with groups of people who eventually win against him due to the number’s advantage.

Although the same can be said about most Superstars of his stature, Strowman is someone who has created a different sort of league for himself. He is widely respected for his in-ring skills and has never shied away from attempting moves that you would not expect to see from a man his size. His dedication towards his work is the biggest reason why he must be rewarded with better storylines.

Think of it this way, Strowman has managed to be one of the top Superstars in WWE despite a handful of good storylines. One can only imagine how compelling his title reign would be only if he is involved in feuds that are both exciting and well-narrated.

Strowman has had feuds with a lot of WWE Superstars including Brock Lesnar in the past, and now would be the perfect time to bring up old rivalries or create new ones that can help create an engaging storyline for the Champion.

#3 Squash matches against Superstars

The Monster Among Men will lose a lot more than his title in a squash match

For years, Bran Strowman has been billed as the ‘Monster Among Men’ who has steam-rolled through the roster whenever he turned desperate. But when he was put in encounters where the stakes were high, Strowman has rarely enjoyed a decent duration in the spotlight. That should change during his Universal Championship reign on SmackDown.

While WWE can have Strowman picking easy wins over a few of his counterparts, they must ensure that he spends enough time inside the ring. A good match, even if it is short, will help both Strowman and his opponent by adding to their credibility.

Similarly, if and when he eventually loses his title, it should be a result of a solid match and not a squash encounter. Or else, there would be no difference between him and the previous Champion, Goldberg, whom he defeated at WrestleMania.

WWE are in a desperate need to protect some of their top guys, and Strowman is definitely one of them. Despite weak booking, he has managed to keep his popularity intact, but that won’t last long if WWE continue to keep him out of interesting matches.

Instead, now the creatives should use the opportunity to have him square off against different names to see how he adapts to different contenders.

#2 Ending his title reign with a weak booking

This shouldn't be repeated

It is quite easy to predict that Braun Strowman’s Universal Championship reign won’t be that long. After Roman Reigns returns to WWE, the creatives would want him to become the new Champion. Even before that, WWE could have Bray Wyatt win his title back and he has already initiated a feud with Strowman.

Unfortunately for the ‘Monster Among Men’, he might drop his title sooner than anyone expects. However, WWE can still save his credibility if they have him drop his title after a strong, compelling booking.

Even if Strowman is set to hold onto his title only for a few weeks, WWE must ensure that he loses his gold in a respectable fashion. After all, we all remember how Kofi Kingston's historical title reign came to an end.

An unexpected heel turn, a brutal match, or a shocking trick used by his opponent might help Strowman better even when he loses his title. But the creatives must ensure that everything ranging from the build-up of his Championship feud to the final encounter of his title feud is on point before he drops his title to one of his peers.

#1 Underutilizing a deserving Champion

Braun Strowman has waited a long time for this opportunity

It is unfortunate that Braun Strowman only picked his first Single’s title on the main roster this year when he won the Intercontinental Championship. However, he soon lost that title to Sami Zayn.

Somehow, the stars seemed to be aligned in his favor and he walked out of WrestleMania 36 as the Universal Champion in one of the most shocking results of the night.

Having said that, none of that matters at this moment except for the fact that Strowman is now sitting at the top of the SmackDown roster, with a golden title wrapped around him. As a Champion, the ‘Monster Among Men’ must be used to his full potential before he eventually drops his title.

WWE should have him defend his Championship against the rising Superstars of the Blue brand, which will benefit everyone involved.

Moreover, it would be the right time to have him engage in a few good rivalries of his own – something that he can continue even when he is not the Champion. The WWE Universe always look forward to new, interesting rivalries in the making.

Strowman’s first Universal Championship reign will do more than enough to keep him over with the audience in the way he was over two years ago. This will ensure that Strowman finds some of the momentum that he has lost.