Braun Strowman

About

Braun Strowman (real name Adam Scherr) is an American professional wrestler currently performing for WWE.^[1] He initially debuted in 2015 as a member of the Wyatt Family stable and received lukewarm reactions from the crowd. Once he separated from the Wyatts and rebranded as "the monster among men," he attained a new level of popularity. His in-ring ability for a person his size, feud with Roman Reigns, and myriad of over-the-top stunts helped him earn a large and vocal following of fans, even though he was portrayed as a heel (bad guy) in kayfabe.

History

Early Career

Before pursuing a career in professional wrestling, Adam Scherr spent his early years playing semi-pro football, even attending the NFL Scouting Combine in 2007, though he remained unsigned.^[1] Scherr then became a bodybuilder and won the 2012 Arnold Amateur Strongman Championships and earned an invite to the 2013 Arnold Strongman Classic. Scherr was soon discovered by WWE superstar and former strongman Mark Henry, who recommended him to WWE. Scherr signed a developmental contract in 2013, eventually adopting the ring name Braun Strowman.^[2]

Strowman debuted on WWE television in August of 2015 as a new member of Bray Wyatt's stable, the Wyatt Family. He was built up as a monster heel as a part of this group, and was never once pinned or made to submit during this time. The Wyatt Family split in 2016 when Strowman and Wyatt were drafted to the RAW brand as part of the new brand split, while fellow family members Luke Harper and Erick Rowan were drafted to Smackdown.

Strowman began his singles career on RAW squashing local enhancement talent (memorably including James Ellsworth) before moving on to fighting superstars on the main roster.^[3] After a short feud with Sami Zayn, Strowman interfered in the WWE Universal Championship match at the 2017 Royal Rumble event, putting Roman Reigns through a table and costing him the match against Kevin Owens, officially putting Strowman in the main event picture.

Feud With Roman Reigns and Rise in Popularity

Following what happened at the Royal Rumble, Braun Strowman entered into a lengthy feud with Roman Reigns. Initially, the feud began over Strowman's involvement in the Royal Rumble and both men's desire to face The Undertaker at that year's Wrestlemania, but the feud quickly became personal. On the April 10th episode of RAW, Strowman brutally beat down Reigns in the backstage area. Strowman attacked Reigns with several weapons, then returned multiple times to inflict more punishment after the medical staff strapped him to a gurney. Strowman shoved the gurney off a stage with Reigns still on it, then once Roman was put inside an ambulance, Strowman flipped the ambulance on its side with Reigns still inside.

This absurd beatdown instantly turned Strowman into a huge star, and due to the fans' very negative perception of Roman Reigns, Strowman was almost unanimously cheered by the crowd despite being the heel (bad guy) in the storyline. Favorable reactions and 'Thank you Strowman!" chants followed him through his feud with Reigns, and this popularity continued to grow even as Strowman faced other superstars on the WWE roster. ^[4]

Strowman received his first title shot at the Universal Championship at the Summerslam 2017 event, in a fatal four way match involving himself, Reigns, Samoa Joe, and the reigning champion, Brock Lesnar. Lesnar retained the title in that match, and Strowman was also unsuccessful in taking the title from Lesnar in a one-on-one match at the No Mercy event the following month, suffering his first pinfall loss at the hands of the conquering champion. ^[5]

Other Feuds and Notable Segments

After the April 10th beatdown of Roman Reigns, Braun Strowman entered a short feud with The Big Show, one of the very few WWE superstars who can match Strowman in size. On April 17th, Strowman performed a top-rope superplex on Big Show which caused to entire ring to collapse under the weight of the two men. Later in the year, Strowman and Big Show faced off again, this time in a steel cage match with a reinforced ring. Strowman won the match by pinfall, then powerslammed Big Show into the wall of the cage, causing the cage to collapse and Big Show to tumble down to the floor. Big Show was written out of the storyline with an injury and underwent legitimate hip surgery a couple of days later.^[6]

At the Tables Ladders and Chairs 2017 event, Braun Strowman was involved in a multi-man Tables Ladders and Chairs match where he was betrayed by his teammates and thrown in the back of a garbage truck. Strowman "survived" the trash compactor and returned the next week to attack the superstars who betrayed him, notably Kane. Strowman and Kane feuded for the next month, trading brutal beatdowns and eventually being put in a triple threat match for the Universal Championship against Brock Lesnar.

At one point, Strowman was removed from the match by RAW general manager Kurt Angle, but "earned" his spot back by rampaging across the backstage area attacking multiple WWE superstars and backstage personnel, claiming he wouldn't stop until he was re-added into the match. Strowman got his wish, but was unsuccessful in winning the title as Lesnar retained by pinning Kane. Strowman is set to compete at the Elimination Chamber 2018 PPV, in a 7-man Elimination Chamber match to determine who will face Brock Lesnar for the title at Wrestlemania 34.

Outside of WWE's canon storylines, Strowman also takes part in the WWE Mixed-Match Challenge events broadcast on Facebook Live. Partnered with WWE RAW Women's champion Alexa Bliss, these episodes have led to many WWE superstars showing a lighter and more playful side, including Strowman himself. ^[7]

Reputation

Braun Strowman's incredible size and physical ability have led to him being called "a monster among men" in the world of professional wrestling, but his popularity with WWE fans grew due to his surprising natural charisma and humorous moments. His one-liners have spawned online memes, and his absurd acts of strength and insanity have led to him being likened to "a walking episode of Looney Tunes" by an article on Gamespot.^[8]

Online Presence

Braun Strowman has verified Facebook and Twitter accounts, as well as a more personal Instagram account. Strowman often posts and retweets gifs, videos, and memes that fans have made of him. Fans have also discovered his profile on the dating app Tinder (using his real name, Adam Scherr, and with no mention of his wrestling career) in which he claims "I like lifting weights and eating steaks!" ^[9]

Memes and Catchphrases

"I'm not finished with you!"

"I'm not finished with you!" is a catchphrase that Braun Strowman began using during his 2017 feud with Roman Reigns. During an episode of RAW, in which Strowman beat Reigns down in the backstage area, Strowman returned shortly afterwards yelling "I'm not finished with you!" and tried to attack Reigns as he was being helped into an ambulance. ^[10]

Strowman would inflict more pain on Reigns and other WWE superstars in the coming months, often featuring Strowman returning to do more damage after he had seemingly left and shouting his new catchphrase.

"Get these hands!"

"Get these hands!" is a recent catchphrase that Braun Strowman began using in late 2017, which Strowman uses to imply that he's going to punch his opponent in the face very soon. This catchphrase's popularity was reaffirmed by a shirt on WWEShop.com featuring it, and featured heavily in one of Strowman's most memorable moments on RAW.

This catchphrase also received more development in a YouTube video where Strowman tries to teach his Mixed-Match Challenge partner Alexa Bliss how to flip a car. In the video, Bliss is wearing one of Strowman's "Get these hands" shirts, which is at least 10 sizes too big for her, and fails to flip the small vehicle. ^[11]

Singing Strowman

Singing Strowman is a reference to the February 12th, 2018 episode of Monday Night RAW, in which Strowman interrupted a musical performance by fellow WWE superstar Elias. Elias' promos regularly feature him playing an acoustic guitar and singing to the crowd, but this time Strowman appeared on the stage to perform a song of his own. Playing an upright bass like a normal guitar, Strowman sang a song about wanting to beat Elias to a pulp, then beat Elias to a pulp. ^[12]

The beatdown concluded with Strowman smashing the large instrument onto Elias' back, as revenge for Elias smashing his guitar onto Strowman the previous week. GIFs and memes of Strowman's beatdown of Elias have become popular online, and Strowman's "music performance" has been parodied by fans as well.

Search Interest

External References