Braun Strowman Injury Update: WWE Star To Miss Brock Lesnar Universal Championship Challenge
WWE superstar Braun Strowman has been at the center of a huge push on the WWE’s flagship Monday Night Raw, but sadly for Strowman that train has derailed in spectacular fashion. Strowman’s last appearance in the squared-circle was at the 2017 WWE Payback event, where he destroyed Vince McMahon’s “golden boy,” Roman Reigns. A Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman feud has been building for months and was reportedly central to the WWE’s plans all the way to SummerSlam and beyond. Those plans are now in tatters and have forced a major rethink by the WWE creative team.
As reported in the Inquisitr recently, Strowman aggravated an injury to his elbow during his Payback match against Reigns. Early reports suggested that Strowman’s injury was minor, and it was estimated that he could be out of action for as little as four weeks. It is now being suggested that those estimations were wildly optimistic, and Strowman could be out of action for six months.
An announcement on the official WWE website explains that Strowman was carrying an injury after his Payback match against Reigns. That injury was aggravated when Reigns extracted some payback of his own, by attacking Strowman on the recent Monday Night Raw show from London, England.
“Immediately after the assault on Strowman’s injured shoulder and elbow by the former WWE Champion, [Roman Reigns], the ‘Monster Among Men’ left Raw in an ambulance and was able to get back to the United States for an evaluation this past Wednesday.
“Following the medical consultation, Strowman underwent surgery on Thursday in Birmingham, Ala. with Dr. Jeffrey Dugas. During the procedure, it was revealed, among his other injuries, that Strowman’s elbow had been shattered, and he is expected to miss up to six months of action as a result.”
Of course, it is sometimes difficult to assess whether official WWE injury reports are genuine. We don’t have to think back too far, or to look beyond Strowman and Reigns, to recall the last major injury news that proved to be part of a storyline.
When Strowman attacked Reigns and overturned an ambulance with him inside, we were told that Reigns had sustained “serious internal injuries” and a separated shoulder. Reigns must have remarkable powers of recovery as he was back in the ring with Strowman a fortnight later. However, if Strowman’s injury is genuine, it will have a major effect on the WWE’s plans for this summer.
What Does Braun Strowman’s Injury Mean For Roman Reigns And Brock Lesnar?
It’s easy to forget that Strowman has only been on Monday Night Raw since 2015. The WWE have built his status slowly and carefully, and his feud with Reigns showed that the WWE network now believes that Strowman is a main event performer. It has been strongly rumored that Strowman was set to challenge Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship, but it seems that Strowman’s injury means that those plans have now been shelved.
As reported by the Times of India, Monday Night Raw General Manager Kurt Angle announced that Strowman’s injury has opened the path to a Universal Championship challenge for a number of Monday Night Raw stars. The Raw exclusive PPV event will feature a five-way match to establish the No. 1 contender for Lesnar’s Universal Championship.
Seth Rollins, Samoa Joe, Finn Balor, Bray Wyatt, and Roman Reigns will battle it out for the right to challenge Lesnar. That said, don’t rule out a miraculous recovery by Strowman. It’s not too difficult to believe that Strowman will recover in time to destroy the winner of the “fatal five-way” and earn his chance at Brock Lesnar’s Universal Championship.
[Featured Image by WWE]
