WWE RAW delivered a pretty solid episode on Monday night, with one of the evening’s highlights being the return of a wrestler that the WWE has declared unfit to compete for around six months — Braun Strowman. Coming out of an ambulance, the Monster Among Men walked to the ring, assaulted Roman Reigns and challenged the Big Dog to an Ambulance Match in the upcoming Great Balls of Fire PPV.
It is difficult to criticize the WWE for setting up Braun Strowman’s return in such a well-orchestrated manner. Strowman suffered a legitimate injury in the ring, one which required the wrestler to undergo surgery. While Strowman’s injury required a few weeks of recovery, the WWE instead released statements saying that the Monster Among Men would be out of action for months. This added tension in the Strowman-Reigns rivalry, especially since it seemed that the Big Dog had put his rival out of commission for good.
Soon, however, reports emerged stating that the timeline for Strowman’s recovery and return was intentionally exaggerated by the WWE, to make the Monster’s return seem far earlier than expected. As proven in the recently aired episode of RAW , the WWE’s gambit was paid off, as avid wrestling fans in the arena were both pleasantly shocked and astounded at the unexpected return of Braun Strowman.
God bless, @BraunStrowman. #ImNotFinishedWithYou pic.twitter.com/1kPYb63ZYL
— Sean (@Seanfranchise6) June 20, 2017
Strowman’s return was well-orchestrated. Reigns built up some conflict during the opening segments of RAW , mocking Samoa Joe for being, just a “regular Joe.” This, of course, resulted in the submission expert coming out and striking the Big Dog. In a lot of ways, Reigns did his part well in the brief segment, performing greatly on the mic as an overconfident wrestler who thinks he could not be beaten in the ring, according to a CBS Sports report.
The two Samoans eventually faced each other in the squared circle later on, and both wrestlers delivered solid performances. The battle between the two Samoans was intense, with Samoa Joe locking in the Coquina Clutch late into the match. Reigns was able to counter the move using a spear, however, which almost ended the match had Samoa Joe not placed his foot on the bottom rope. As Reigns was preparing for another spear, however, the TitanTron started showing an ambulance backing up into the arena.
“If you think you’re man enough, then I’ll see you at Great Balls of Fire pay-per-view in an AMBULANCE MATCH!” – @BraunStrowman #RAW pic.twitter.com/WFhnnnfzMR
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) June 20, 2017
Out of the ambulance comes the Monster Among Men, who immediately headed to the ring. Strowman’s return distracted Reigns just long enough for Samoa Joe to lock in the Coquina Clutch once more. This time, Reigns was not lucky enough to escape the submission expert’s hold, and he practically passed out. Strowman then climbed in the ring, stood above the choked out Reigns, and delivered a line that practically set the fans in the area on fire.
“Oh Roman, you seem to have forgotten. I’M NOT FINISHED WITH YOU!”
The Monster Among Men then picked up the Big Dog, delivered a reverse chokeslam, and challenged Reigns to a match at Great Balls of Fire , according to a Pro Wrestling Sheet report. Strowman’s challenge did not involve a regular match, however, as the Monster Among Men proposed that they compete in an Ambulance Match, a stipulation that has only been invoked a handful of times in the history of WWE.
With Braun Strowman’s return to the ring, it appears that WWE RAW would get extremely interesting once more.
[Featured Image by WWE ]
