How Braun Strowman became WWE’s 6’8, 385-pound face

Braun Strowman is larger than life in both the metaphorical and physical sense.

At a time of contrivance and frustration, Braun Strowman remains a bastion of hope inside WWE for fan agency and a feeling that somehow, someway, wrestling’s most ardent fans can shape its future. Stowman was never positioned to be “the guy,” and yet there’s a very real chance he could become the face of the company.

Strowman is incomparable, working in an industry of familiarity. A big man who tirelessly works in the ring, displays enough athleticism to put on a good match, is charismatic on the microphone, and all with an awe-inspiring, barrel-chested 6’8, 385 pound frame that makes him look like a dude who could rip an alligator in half if given the chance.

Strowman is everything WWE hoped Roman Reigns would be, but he wasn’t incubated in a chamber and sent through focus groups to distill the qualities that would resonate with an audience. Strowman was made by the people, works for the people, and they’re ready for him to be their champion.

So how did this monster of a man elevate himself from carnival curiosity to future main eventer in just three years?

The roots of Braun Strowman

Adam Joseph Scherr was born in the small town of Sherrills Ford, North Carolina just outside Charlotte. In high school he was a multi-sport star, playing football, wrestling and he was a member of the track and field team. Football resonated with Scherr, and seemed like a natural fit because of his size — but he was never able to break through. In 2007 he was invited to the NFL Combine, but no teams scouted him.

While working as a security guard, bouncer, and mechanic, Scherr began competing in strong man competitions where he could put his size to use. It was during these competitions that he met WWE superstar Mark Henry, who was competing on the same circuit, and the two became friends.

Between 2010-2012 Scherr won seven amateur strong man competitions, including the 2012 Arnold Amateur Strongman Competition — which put him in the running to compete at the 2013 Arnold Classic, but an injury forced him to withdraw. This coincided with Henry telling WWE to bring in Scherr for a visit, convinced his size and personality were perfect for pro wrestling.

Scherr signed a training and developmental deal in 2013, and Braun Strowman was born ... kind of.

Wrestling training and NXT (2013-15)

Scherr began training in early 2013 and adopted the name “Braun Stowman” (he would later have an “R” added to the name.) It wasn’t until the end of 2014 that he wrestled his first match on the developmental NXT brand, a one-on-one match against then-American Alpha member Chad Gable.

Strowman made scant few appearances on TV, wrestling a few dark matches and being a member of Adam Rose’s “Rosebuds” entourage, but showed enough promise that he quickly got called up to the main roster. This was done in an intentionally quiet way, so even the most-ardent wrestling fans would be surprised by the monster’s arrival.

Braun’s RAW debut and the Royal Rumble (2015-2016)

Strowman made his first appearance on the main roster on August 24, 2015 by attacking Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose during a feud the pair had with the Wyatt Family. Strowman was quickly established as the cult’s newest member, and his lack of previous TV time added an air of mystery to his arrival.

The bulk of WWE fans saw Strowman as the monster he is, and his strength, blended with the Wyatt Family mystique, made him immediately popular. He did steady work on TV, but it wasn’t until January of 2016 that it became clear he was destined for stardom.

Strowman entered the Rumble as a relatively fresh face, but got a huge push in the Royal Rumble match. He recorded five eliminations, and was positioned as an unstoppable force that only Brock Lesnar could eliminate.

The eliminations were a bit of a footnote, but the fact it took Lesnar to eliminate Strowman put him over big time, and showed that WWE had bigger plans for him than just a background stable member of the Wyatt Family.

The break Strowman needed, and a main event push (2016-2017)

It had become apparent that Strowman was destined for bigger things, and in late-2016 the whole Wyatt Family gimmick had become stale in its construction. The WWE Draft gave the company a chance to break Strowman away from the Wyatts so he could do singles work, and putting him on the Raw brand meant that his star would shine brightest.

WWE wasted no time in giving Braun a push, and it came in the form on a lengthy undefeated streak which further solidified the idea that when Strowman only relied on himself, he was unstoppable.

Up to this point Strowman had been involved in high profile matches, interfered in WWE Universal Championship story lines, but he’d yet to establish himself as a main event mainstay.

That changed in early 2017 when Strowman was given a distinct push into the hunt for the Universal Championship. He was involved in a length feud with Roman Reigns before being injured and missing two months of time.

At SummerSlam 2017 Stowman returned to the ring and challenged for the WWE Universal Championship in a match many believed could have been a torch passing from Brock Lesnar to Strowman as the predominant big man in the company, but it wasn’t to be. This was really a kick-off point for a series of frustrating main events where fans believe Lesnar would give up the title and likely move on from the company, only to keep on winning.

Who is “the guy”? (2017-18)

It’s around this time that the future direction of WWE becomes confusing and muddled. Strowman has everything the company has been looking for out of a big man, and he’s wildly popular with fans. On paper it’s a no-brainer to make him the new Brock Lesnar, especially considering rumors Lesnar is looking to return to UFC.

This makes Roman Reigns an unfortunate third wheel. Now look, I think Roman gets way more crap that he really deserves. The dude never asked to be artificially pushed into the spotlight, and it’s only natural for him to want to become the face of the company like Vince McMahon was aiming for — but much like the friction in the C.M. Punk/John Cena days there’s a divergent path between what WWE wants and the fans do.

Finally it seems like Strowman is going to get the title at Royal Rumble 2018, and once again there’s a bait-and-switch. Lesnar retains again, making everyone question how (and when) WWE is going to take the title from him.

In an effort to keep Strowman relevant, but not put him in main events, WWE pushes him into the tag team division ahead of WrestleMania 34, where he won with the aid of a kid in the audience because Strowman needed no real partner.

Monster in the Bank (2018)

Strowman once again returned to the main event conversation after his bizarre tag team title run and won the Money in the Bank 2018 match. A hugely symbolic event, traditionally Money in the Bank holders either go on to become WWE champion, or at least the briefcase is seen as a sign they will be in main event conversation for a long time.

In recent years that hasn’t been the case. It’s unclear now what winning Money in the Bank means other than another story line, which may or may not be used in the future. The past three MiTB winners have no seen a significant push, or WWE failed to capitalize on the excitement around the event. Baron Corbin, Dean Ambrose and Seamus are all still competing — but none ascended to the status of “face of the company” the way early winners like Edge, CM Punk and John Cena did.

This year feels different.

Strowman is competing to keep his MiTB contract and putting it on the line against Kevin Owens in what should be one of the best matches on the card. Owens has already cemented himself as the best heel to hit WWE in over a decade, and he’s had a title run — which should mean Strowman retains.

However, there’s more to this than the match Strowman has on the card. The main event marks the sixth time Reigns and Lesnar have met in the main event of a pay-per-view, and the match’s conceit is so stale at this point it feels like no fans want to see it. However, a cash-in of the contract would be a convenient way to put Reigns over and allow him a win over Lesnar to finally close out this chapter of WWE, while also setting the company up for the future.

Is this about to become the Braun Strowman era? Hopefully.