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SmackDown has moved to a new night and the excitement is real. Of all the exciting surprises that were promised to us all, perhaps the least exciting thing on the card seemed like an Eight-Man Tag Team Match.
As Braun Strowman ran through his competition in the weirdest looking pants mankind has ever seen, he got into an altercation with world-renowned English boxer Tyson Fury. And from the looks of it, it is very clear that WWE is planting the seeds for a Fury vs Strowman match.
So why is WWE teasing this massive match and not pitting Braun Strowman against someone from the roster? The answer is very simple when you think about it, and I have detailed the salient points out for your convenience.
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#5 'Real sports' feel
It has been said and repeated many times at this point. FOX wants WWE on its Network to have the feel of a real-life sporting event and not necessarily a sports entertainment show that has become synonymous with RAW on the USA Network. We saw a clear difference in terms of presentation in both cases
So, the easiest way for any show to have real-life sports feel is to bring out real-life sportsmen and women to become a part of the mix, to lend it the credibility. Even if they are working a staged match per se, it will make things very interesting for fans. We've seen in the past how athletes like Ronda Rousey incorporate moves from their actual arsenal in MMA in a pro wrestling format.
One can be assured that Fury will be throwing furious punches. Let's hope that he learns to throw a work punch to not genuinely hurt his opponents.
#4 Bringing mainstream appeal to WWE
A long time ago, WWE was in the midst of what was known the Monday Night Wars with WCW, where the two companies were trading victories when it came to television ratings. What eventually helped turn the tide for WWE was an appearance by Mike Tyson. Tyson was the biggest star of the 90s, whose popularity transcended the sporting world because of his infamous incidents.
WWE hopes that they can do the same with Fury as well because while SmackDown isn't facing any direct competition per se, one can definitely argue that WWE is not as popular as it used to be once upon a time. To mark a brand new start for the brand, WWE needed all the eyeballs that it could garner during this particular season premiere. While it wasn't the best show I've watched, I daresay that it was a success overall.
Having Fury as part of your roster is a very big deal!
#3 Believable opponents for one another
Another boxing legend that faced off with a WWE star was Floyd Mayweather. A lot of people may remember his clash with The Big Show on WWE television. They may also remember the size discrepancy between the two international Superstars.
While someone like Rey Mysterio is an equally small man who can tell a believable David vs Goliath story because of the years of experience under his belt, a boxing star may not be able to do so. This problem is overcome in the case of Fury as he is a big man himself, who sizes up nicely with Strowman.
In this case, this was a contest waiting to happen. Strowman vs Fury is a match that is guaranteed to get a lot of publicity from outside the sports entertainment bubble.
Even though SmackDown on FOX was not necessarily the best show, in this case, it was a win!
#2 Keeping Braun Strowman out of the title picture
Many believe that Braun Strowman should have been the Universal Champion a long time ago. But for a variety of reasons WWE has never really allowed Strowman to ascend right to the top of the division, to become the face of either one of their brands. And it seems like they'll continue to do so on WWE SmackDown, going forward.
The ongoing feud with Tyson Fury may be a great way to keep him out of the title mix, while still keeping him in the conversation. It is guaranteed to be a big-ticket feud and FOX could get a lot of mileage from having a legitimate boxing star on the show. This could also be Strowman's ticket to the very top.
Will this get the 'Monster Among Men' over with fans of boxing as well? I think there's massive crossover potential.
#1 Worthy replacement for Ronda Rousey
It is a very well-known fact that FOX was keen on Ronda Rousey on their Network, but because of her injuries and plans to start a family, these plans never did materialize. And this created a void of sorts that was fulfilled by the arrival of Tyson Fury and Cain Velasquez.
Rousey really took the women's division to new heights because when she was a part of the roster, the women got to main-event WrestleMania for the first time. One may attribute this to the meteoric success of Becky Lynch or the quality of matches that Charlotte Flair puts on, but honestly, we all know the real reason.
Maybe Fury can do something similar in Braun Strowman's case. Maybe the guy who never really got his break could do so thanks to this exciting program.
What do you guys think?
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