The 5 Most Successful Acts Since The 2016 WWE Draft

#1 Braun Strowman

Strowman skipped NXT and went straight to the main roster

The new ‘Monster in The Bank’ has improved the most in stature and ability since the 2016 Draft.

Before the roster split, Strowman was a part of the Wyatt Family. As a member of the four-man team, the uber-green Strowman was protected, but now the two-year pro was on his own on Raw.

After the draft, WWE brought back the squash match to build up both Strowman and his female counterpart, Nia Jax. It was a novel idea, Strowman shone in these one-minute destructions

It wasn’t until October that Strowman had his first solo feud against Sami Zayn. Strowman’s first half of 2017 was spent feuding with Roman Reigns, any questions on his suitability as a top star were dismissed. While their series didn’t light the world on fire, their matches were brutal and dynamic.

Strowman’s push has been remarkably measured by WWE standards, they’ve resisted the urge to hotshot the Universal Title on him, and he is not out there wrestling twenty-minute competitive bouts. He’s only been pinned by two men since entering WWE – Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns. It doesn’t get more elite than that.

Strowman growth is as much as down to him as it’s WWE’s booking. The big man cut a lot of weight since his debut. He’s also bulked up and improved drastically in the ring. In the two years he’s been solo, Strowman’s shown that he can play the monster heel and recently, he’s displayed his more comedic side, winning the Raw Tag Team titles with the fearsome Nicholas.

2018 has been a fantastic year for Strowman already. Along with his tag title victory, he also won the inaugural Greatest Royal Rumble and had his hand raised by Vince McMahon.

Whenever Strowman cashes in that contract, he’ll go from being ‘The Monster’ to ‘The Man’.