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WWE RAW was an episode with no real major developments this week, which made everyone believe that there would be a major title switch in the main event. Shockingly enough, that wasn't the case at all, as Braun Strowman was disqualified by the referee for seemingly using a chair on his opponent.
Just to recap the events, AJ Styles took the fight to Strowman and for a second it actually seemed like the latter would tap out to the calf crusher submission. And then, out of the blue, the referee was knocked out and The OC interfered.
When the referee came to, he saw the chair in Braun Strowman's hand and assumed that he'd used the chair to knock Styles out. Which meant that Braun Strowman isn't your US Champion.
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But why did Vince McMahon, Paul Heyman, and WWE Creative choose to not go with Braun Strowman to represent the mid-card of brand red?
Cody Rhodes' uncle is a WWE Hall of Famer. More details HERE.
#5 Would have had to compete thrice on the very same night
It is almost a certainty that Braun Strowman and Seth Rollins will be taking each other on at WWE Clash of Champions next month.
It's also a certainty that they will be competing twice on the same night considering that they are also the RAW Tag Team Champions, against Ziggler and Roode. It would be absolutely criminal to ask him to compete thrice on the same night.
Remember Clash of Champions is the night where every title has to be defended. Not even the 24/7 Championship is spared.
And as good as Braun Strowman is, asking him to compete thrice on the same night may not exactly be fair to him, especially if you consider his history riddled with injuries.
Read on to find out more reasons for Vince McMahon's decision!
See WWE RAW Results, Highlights of event, & more on WWE RAW Results page
#4 To get more people in the Clash of Champions card
WWE has one of the most talented rosters in the history of the company thus far. And because of the makeshift team of Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode, the actual tag teams on the red brand will not get a chance to compete at WWE Clash of Champions. WWE could not deprive the actual mid-card of the company of a similar opportunity as well.
By keeping the title on AJ Styles, he has an opportunity to mix it up with the likes of Cedric Alexander, or Cesaro, or Ricochet, or any number of these performers in a title match at the pay-per-view.
Having another Braun Strowman vs. AJ Styles match on the card wouldn't have necessarily been exciting for fans either, truth be told. After all, they'd have already seen this match on WWE RAW weeks prior!
In that sense, this was a good decision in my personal opinion!
#3 Keeping the US Championship with the 'workers'
Once upon a time, every pro wrestler used to look like Braun Strowman does, and now almost everyone seems to look like AJ Styles does. The match between the two was, in a lot of ways, a clash between the old school wrestler and the modern one.
That said, if you look at the US Championship picture since it's been on WWE RAW, the men who've been involved with it are Rey Mysterio, Samoa Joe, Ricochet and AJ Styles. These are men who're a hit with the internet wrestling community, 'the workers' so to speak, who put on great matches consistently.
While this is not a slight aimed at Braun Strowman, he does not necessarily fall into this category. He's a fantastic worker for a big man but will never be someone that gets five-star ratings for his matches from wrestling journalists.
Vince McMahon may want the US title picture to connect with this hardcore fanbase, since they're so vocal online and they're the ones who're rooting for WWE's biggest competitors- AEW!
#2 Letting Strowman be coronated with the big one someday soon
Braun Strowman has achieved a lot since he arrived in WWE. Well, one glance at him and you know why that is the case almost immediately. Not many pro wrestlers look like he does, and that's putting it rather mildly.
But even though he's been a Money in the Bank winner, Greatest Royal Rumble winner, Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal winner and also the RAW Tag Team Champion on two different occasions, it just seems like he's been kept away from the Universal Championship. Someone who looks like him and performs like him should have been Champion a very long time ago, right? I suppose WWE is biding their time for him to win the big one.
This is pure speculation, but him winning another singles title before the big one may diminish his moment. He'll win the big one on a big stage!
#1 To not have The OC look powerless overnight
One of my biggest complaints with WWE is how they form formidable factions and then have them lose steam with sub-par booking. While Randy Orton and The Revival looked absolutely unstoppable on RAW, Kofi Kingston, armed only with a steel chair drove away all three men on SmackDown Live, the same week!
The New Day seems like a big deal because every single member holds gold. This was the case with The OC as well back when Gallows and Anderson were the RAW Tag Team Champions with AJ Styles holding the United States Championship.
And while nobody remains a Champion forever, it would have been cool to see the three Champions involved in a storyline with another faction for gang supremacy. In any case, it's good that The OC has not been stripped of all its gold.
If that had been the case, they would have slipped to the mid-card immediately.
