WWE may have subtly confirmed Braun Strowman’s WrestleMania 41 status

WWE Superstar Braun Strowman received a brutal beatdown at the hands of Jacob Fatu on this week’s episode of SmackDown. The Monster of All Monsters will now face The Samoan Werewolf on next week’s episode of the blue-branded show.

By booking this match, however, the Stamford-based promotion may have subtly given away Strowman’s status at WrestleMania 41.

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Jacob Fatu and Braun Strowman will probably have their last match next week

The New Bloodline interfered in an in-ring segment between LA Knight and Jimmy Uso, where the latter was demanding a title shot at the US Championship. As Tama Tonga, Solo Sikoa, and Jacob Fatu tried to surround and overpower LA and Jim, Braun Strowman came to their rescue. Shortly after, Nick Aldis made it an impromptu six-man tag team match.

The final moments of the match saw the former Black Sheep of The Wyatt Family pinning Tonga after a Running Powerslam to pick up the win. Before he could celebrate, however, The Samoan Werewolf buried him with three consecutive Mighty Moonsaults. If this wasn’t enough, he also charged at him, crashing through the barricade.

Now, the two men are scheduled to face each other next week in Bologna, Italy. This could be an attempt by WWE to put an end to the Jacob Fatu-Braun Strowman storyline on SmackDown instead of taking it to WrestleMania 41. Moreover, the company also planted a big hint during the match, potentially revealing a different Mania opponent for Fatu.

The Samoan Werewolf left Solo Sikoa behind

Shortly after The New Bloodline interrupted Jimmy Uso’s US title shot demand, Solo Sikoa pitched The Samoan Werewolf as the most deserving man for the title shot in Las Vegas. During the match, however, LA Knight and Sikoa’s ringside brawl spilled into the timekeeper’s area.

This was the last time both superstars were seen during the bout while Strowman picked up the win and got punished by Jacob Fatu. Strangely, however, the New Bloodline leader didn’t join his men, and Fatu and Tonga walked out of the arena without Solo Sikoa. Moreover, the duo didn’t even try to look for Sikoa. He was, however, later spotted in a backstage promo where Fatu challenged Braun Strowman for a match next week.

While Sikoa looked pumped for his enforcer, there is a chance that he could bring up this abandonment next week. This could further add to the differences between the two wrestlers, especially when Sikoa got abandoned minutes after vouching for The Samoan Werewolf as the deserving US title challenger.

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The Strowman-Fatu story isn’t getting the same direction as another future WrestleMania encounter

This week’s episode of SmackDown also saw Drew McIntyre release a video promo talking about how Damian Priest stole everything from him, starting from WrestleMania XL. Later in the show, The Scottish Psychopath attacked The Archer of Infamy during his match and punished him alongside his opponent of the night, Shinsuke Nakamura.

In comparison, Braun Strowman and Jacob Fatu have had a comparable storyline sans championship belts. But, while the Priest-McIntyre storyline is likely going to make its way to the Show of Shows, Bologna, Italy may be the final stop for Strowman and Fatu.

Hence, while The Samoan Werewolf still has a window to make it to WrestleMania with Sikoa, The Monster of All Monsters may miss the Show of Shows this year. It would be interesting to see what lies in the future for the former Universal Champion.