Braun Strowman

Strowman signed a contract with WWE in early 2013 and was assigned to the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, where he adopted the ring name **Braun Stowman**. In 2014, he made appearances as one of Adam Rose's "Rosebuds" in his Exotic Express gimmick. He made his professional wrestling debut at an *NXT* live event in Jacksonville, Florida on December 19, 2014, defeating Chad Gable. On June 2, 2015, Stowman appeared at a *Main Event* taping in a dark match, where he defeated an unidentified wrestler.

On the August 24 episode of *Raw*, Stowman, under the tweaked ring name **Braun Strowman**, made his main roster debut by attacking Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns and establishing himself as the newest member of The Wyatt Family alongside Bray Wyatt, Luke Harper and Erick Rowan. Strowman had his first televised singles match on the August 31 episode of *Raw*, when he defeated Ambrose by disqualification. Strowman wrestled in his first WWE pay-per-view event match on September 20 at Night of Champions, where The Wyatt Family defeated Ambrose, Reigns and Chris Jericho in a six-man tag team match after Jericho passed out to Strowman's lifting arm triangle choke. On December 13 at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs, The Wyatt Family defeated The ECW Originals (Bubba Ray Dudley and D-Von Dudley (collectively known as The Dudley Boyz), Rhyno and Tommy Dreamer) in an eight-man tag team elimination tables match.

On January 24, 2016, Strowman appeared at the Royal Rumble and scored among the most eliminations in the Royal Rumble match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, eliminating five opponents before being eliminated by Brock Lesnar, only to return to the match and helping his fellow Wyatt Family members to eliminate Lesnar. On February 21 at Fastlane, The Wyatt Family lost to the team of Big Show, Kane and Ryback, but they got their win back the next night on *Raw* in a rematch. Strowman appeared on April 3 at WrestleMania 32 during The Rock and John Cena's confrontation with The Wyatt Family. The Wyatt Family were originally scheduled to face The League of Nations on May 1 at Payback, but the match was cancelled after Wyatt suffered a legitimate injury. In July, The Wyatt Family began a feud with the WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day, which saw them defeating The New Day in a six-man tag team match on July 24 at Battleground.

As part of the 2016 WWE draft, Strowman was drafted to the Raw brand while Bray Wyatt and Erick Rowan were drafted to SmackDown instead. On the following weeks on *Raw*, Strowman appeared with a modified appearance and defeated James Ellsworth and several other local wrestlers who put up no challenge. On the September 5 episode of *Raw*, Sin Cara challenged Strowman due to him disrespecting *luchadores*, but he lost by countout and by pinfall in the following weeks. On the October 17 episode of *Raw*, Strowman was confronted by Sami Zayn after easily defeating three local competitors in a one-on-three handicap match. Strowman was scheduled to compete against Zayn the following week on *Raw*, but the match never started as both men attacked each other before the bell rang. On the October 31 episode of *Raw*, Strowman won a battle royal by last eliminating Zayn for a spot on Team Raw for the traditional Survivor Series five-on-five elimination match. At the event on November 20, Strowman eliminated Dean Ambrose, but he was the first man to be eliminated from Team Raw after being counted out due to interference by James Ellsworth, who was put through a table after being chased up the entrance ramp by Strowman. Team Raw later lost the match. On the December 13 episode of *Raw*, Raw General Manager Mick Foley announced a match between Strowman and Zayn for Roadblock: End of the Line on December 18, being announced as a ten-minute time limit match in which Strowman had ten minutes to defeat Zayn, which Strowman was unable to do. The following night on *Raw*, Strowman demanded a match against Zayn, but Foley had given Zayn the night off which prompted Strowman to attack Sin Cara and Titus O'Neil during their match and later attacked Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns during their match against Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens. Strowman defeated Zayn in a Last Man Standing match on the January 2, 2017 episode of *Raw* to end their feud.

On January 27 at the Royal Rumble, Strowman interfered during Kevin Owens and Roman Reigns' title match, helping Owens retain the Universal Championship. Later that night, Strowman would enter the Royal Rumble match at number seven, eliminating Mojo Rawley, Big Cass, Kalisto, Mark Henry, Big Show, James Ellsworth and Tye Dillinger before being eliminated by Baron Corbin. On the January 30 episode of *Raw*, Strowman challenged for his first world championship when he took on Kevin Owens for the Universal Championship as he was granted the match by Foley after video proof of Owens promising Strowman a title match, which Strowman would go on to win by disqualification after Reigns interfered and attacked him. Strowman then continued to demand better competition, easily defeating four local competitors and then being granted a match with Reigns at Fastlane while also attacked him in his match against Samoa Joe, causing Joe to win. At the event on March 5, Strowman faced Reigns in a losing effort, marking his first loss by pinfall. At WrestleMania 33 in April, Strowman competed in the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, but failed to win.

On the April 10 episode of *Raw*, Strowman continued his feud with Roman Reigns, attacking him and kayfabe injuring his shoulder. Despite playing a villain, Strowman received a very positive fan response, partially due to the negative fan reaction of Reigns. The two had a match at Payback, where Strowman defeated Reigns. After the May 8 episode of *Raw*, WWE claimed that Strowman had a legitimate injury with a shattered elbow and would therefore be sidelined for about six months. This also caused a change in the schedule, with the planned match between him and Brock Lesnar at Great Balls of Fire having to be scrapped. Strowman underwent surgery three days later in May 11. On the June 19 episode of *Raw*, Strowman returned from injury, attacking Roman Reigns. This led to an ambulance match at Great Balls of Fire, with Strowman winning. At SummerSlam, Strowman would challenge for Lesnar's Universal Championship in a fatal-four-way match also involving Reigns and Samoa Joe in a losing effort. Strowman faced Lesnar for the championship at No Mercy in September, but was unsuccessful once again.

Strowman later became involved in The Miz's feud with the reformed stable The Shield, leading to a five-on-three handicap TLC match at the TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs in October, with Strowman teaming with The Miz, Cesaro and Sheamus, and Kane against Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Kurt Angle. During the match, Strowman's teammates turned on him, throwing him into the back of a garbage truck, thus turning Strowman into a face in the process. His team would also go on to lose the match. Strowman would return to *Raw* the following week, attacking The Miz and The Miztourage (Curtis Axel and Bo Dallas). At Survivor Series in November, Strowman appeared as part of Team Raw, defeating Team SmackDown as Strowman and Triple H were the sole survivors of the team. On the December 11 episode of *Raw*, Strowman fought Kane to a double countout in a match to determine the number one contender to the Universal Championship on January 28, 2018 at the Royal Rumble leading to the match being changed to a triple threat match involving also Kane and Lesnar. At the event, Strowman would be unsuccessful in winning. The next night on *Raw*, Strowman defeated Kane in Last Man Standing match to qualify for the Elimination Chamber match at the titular pay-per-view to determine the number one contender for the Universal Championship. At the event on February 25, Strowman eliminated The Miz, Elias, John Cena, Finn Bálor and Seth Rollins (setting the new record for the most eliminations in a single Elimination Chamber match), but in the end he was eliminated by Roman Reigns.

On the March 12 episode of *Raw*, Strowman, despite lacking a partner, won a tag team battle royal to determine the number one contenders for the Raw Tag Team Championship at WrestleMania 34. Raw General Manager Kurt Angle allowed Strowman to challenge for the titles, under the provision he choose a partner at the event. At the event on April 8, Strowman chose a young fan in attendance named Nicholas to be his partner (in reality, son of referee John Cone). The duo then defeated champions Cesaro and Sheamus, winning his first championship in WWE and making Nicholas the youngest champion of any kind in WWE history. The following night on *Raw*, Strowman and Nicholas relinquished the titles due to Nicholas' "scheduling conflict" (school). On April 27 at the Greatest Royal Rumble in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Strowman won the namesake match and in doing so broke the record for most eliminations in a Royal Rumble match with 13, beating Roman Reigns' previous record of 12.

From April to August, Strowman feuded with Kevin Owens. He and Bobby Lashley defeated Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn at Backlash, and won the Money in the Bank ladder match at the namesake pay-per-view on June 17. At Extreme Rules, Owens defeated Strowman in a Steel cage match after Strowman performed a chokeslam off the cage through an announce table on Owens, thereby giving Owens the win as his feet touched the floor first, per the rules. At SummerSlam, Strowman defeated Owens in a singles match with his Money in the Bank contract on the line in two minutes. Later in the night, Strowman announced he would be cashing in on the winner of the main event and challenging them after the match. However, then-reigning Universal Champion Brock Lesnar attacked Strowman during his match with Roman Reigns, leaving Strowman unable to cash in when Reigns won the title after pinning Lesnar.

Strowman would attempt another cash-in on Reigns, the new champion, the next night on *Raw*, but was stopped by The Shield, who attacked Strowman before the match became official. Strowman then formed an alliance with Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre by helping them attack The Shield, thus turning heel. At Hell in a Cell in September, Strowman would cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase on Reigns, but due to interference from Brock Lesnar, the match ended in a no contest. At Super Show-Down on October 6, Strowman, Ziggler and McIntyre faced The Shield in a losing effort, before defeating them two days later on *Raw*. However, on the October 15 episode of *Raw*, Strowman, Ziggler and McIntyre lost to The Shield once again after McIntyre accidentally kicked Strowman during the match. Afterwards, Strowman powerslammed Ziggler before being attacked by McIntyre, dissolving their partnership and turning Strowman face once again.

At Crown Jewel in November, Strowman lost to Lesnar after a pre-match attack by Raw General Manager Baron Corbin. Later that month at Survivor Series, Strowman was again attacked by Corbin, along with McIntyre and Bobby Lashley, after Team Raw defeated Team SmackDown in the traditional tag team elimination match. The following night on *Raw* Strowman would again be attacked by Corbin, Lashley and McIntyre. This was to write him off television, as WWE revealed that Strowman was suffering an legit elbow injury, which would require surgery. Strowman returned at TLC in December, where he defeated Corbin in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match to earn a Universal Championship match against Brock Lesnar at the Royal Rumble and Corbin was stripped of all authoritative power. On the January 14, 2019 episode of *Raw*, he was removed from the Universal Championship match since he wasn't medically cleared to compete. However, he instead participated in the Royal Rumble match, being the last eliminated by the eventual winner Seth Rollins. In February, Strowman continued his feud with Corbin, leading to a no-disqualification match at Elimination Chamber, which Strowman lost after interference from McIntyre and Lashley. However, the following night on *Raw*, Strowman defeated Corbin in a tables match.

Strowman then got involved in a storyline with Colin Jost and Michael Che of *Saturday Night Live* (*SNL*) fame. On the March 4 episode of *Raw*, the *SNL* duo appeared and were announced as special correspondents for WrestleMania 35. They were then involved in a backstage segment with Strowman, where Jost questioned the legitimacy of professional wrestling, resulting in Strowman attacking him. On the March 18 episode of *Raw*, Strowman announced his participation in the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. He challenged the duo to also enter the battle royal, which was made official by WrestleMania 35 host Alexa Bliss. The match, which would take place on the kickoff show, saw Strowman emerge victorious after last eliminating Jost. Strowman broke another record, of most eliminations in that particular match as well.

On the April 29 episode of *Raw*, Strowman was announced as one of the entrants in the Money in the Bank ladder match at the titular event on May 19. However, on the May 13 episode of *Raw*, Strowman lost to Sami Zayn, forfeiting his spot in the match to Zayn in the process. He then beat Bobby Lashley at an arm wrestling match on the June 3 episode of Raw, but was then attacked by Lashley setting up a match at Super ShowDown, which Strowman also won. On the July 1 episode of *Raw*, Strowman faced Lashley in a Falls Count Anywhere match where the match ended in a no contest after Strowman crashed Lashley through the LED boards on the stage where Strowman suffered a kayfabe ruptured spleen. Strowman defeated Lashley in a Last Man Standing match at Extreme Rules. Strowman became a two time Raw Tag Team Champion along with the Universal Champion Seth Rollins on August 19 edition of Raw by defeating the The O.C.. The following week on *Raw*, Strowman challenged tag partner Rollins for his Universal Championship at Clash of Champions, where they were to also defend the Raw Tag Titles against Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode. At the event, Strowman and Rollins lost the titles to Roode and Ziggler, and Strowman was also unsuccessful in defeating Rollins for the Universal Title in the main event.

Strowman then started an on-air feud with professional boxer Tyson Fury. This led to a brawl on the October 7 edition of *Raw*, due to neither man wanting to offer an apology; many superstars had to try to keep them apart. Strowman was drafted to SmackDown as part of the 2019 WWE Draft. At Crown Jewel, Strowman would lose to Fury by countout. On the November 8 episode of SmackDown, Strowman and Fury made amends and teamed together to take out the B-Team. The following week, Strowman was announced as being part of Team SmackDown for the annual five-on-five Survivor Series match at the eponymous pay-per-view. At the event, Strowman's team was victorious. On the January 10, 2020 edition of *SmackDown!*, Strowman defeated the Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura in a non-title match in which he secured a title opportunity in the future. Strowman participated in the Royal Rumble match at the namesake event, but was eliminated by Brock Lesnar after Strowman and Keith Lee tried to eliminate each other. On the January 31 episode of *SmackDown*, Strowman defeated Nakamura to win the Intercontinental Championship, his first singles title in the WWE. However, at Elimination Chamber on March 8, Strowman lost the title to Sami Zayn in a 3-on-1 handicap match, also involving Nakamura and Cesaro.

On April 3, it was announced that Strowman would replace Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 36, facing Goldberg for the Universal Championship, after Reigns opted to pull out of the event amid medical concerns. At WrestleMania 36, Strowman defeated Goldberg after four powerslams to capture his first world championship in WWE. Later that week, on *Friday Night SmackDown*, Strowman began a feud with Bray Wyatt. At Money in the Bank, Strowman defeated Wyatt to retain the Universal Title. On the May 22 episode of *SmackDown*, The Miz and John Morrison challenged Strowman for the Universal Championship at Backlash after Strowman defeated Morrison in an impromptu match. Over the coming weeks, The Miz and Morrison continued the heated rivalry by trying to provoke Strowman by using different pranks and even damaging his car. Their rivalry would culminate with Strowman defeating The Miz and John Morrison at Backlash to retain the championship.

On the June 19 episode of *SmackDown*, a returning Wyatt in his "Eater of Worlds" gimmick reinstated his rivalry with Strowman. He would later on be challenged to a "Swamp Fight" at The Horror Show at Extreme Rules by Wyatt in a non-title match. At the pay-per-view, Strowman was dragged down into a lake by Wyatt before Wyatt emerged in his "Fiend" gimmick. Strowman, however, was nowhere to be seen after. On the August 14 episode of *SmackDown*, Strowman returned with a new look with a shaved head and acted more sinister as he showed no compassion towards Alexa Bliss who tried to talk sense into him, but he refused and physically attacked her with a gorilla press. At SummerSlam on August 23, Strowman lost the Universal Championship to Wyatt in a Falls Count Anywhere match, ending his reign at 141 days, after which, both he and Wyatt were attacked by a returning Roman Reigns. At Payback, Strowman failed to win back the title after he was pinned by Reigns.

Though still a member of the *SmackDown* roster, on the September 14, 2020 edition of *Raw*, he made an appearance on a *Raw Underground* segment. The following week, he defeated Dabba-Kato in a *Raw Underground* match. On the October 5 episode of *Raw*, Strowman had an exhibition match against Keith Lee, during which he sent Lee through the barricade and both men were counted out. As part of the 2020 draft in October, Strowman was drafted to the *Raw* brand. On *Raw*, Strowman would enter a brief feud with Keith Lee. Strowman and Lee fought on the October 5 episode, however both men were counted out after Strowman sent Lee through a barricade. On the November 2 episode of *Raw*, Strowman would qualify for the *Raw* team at Survivor Series after defeating Lee and Sheamus in a triple threat. At Survivor Series, Strowman would go on to eliminate Otis and help Team *Raw* pick up the win. The following night on *Raw*, Strowman would be indefinitely suspended after headbutting WWE official Adam Pearce. On the January 29 episode of *SmackDown*, Strowman would make his return to WWE, taking out AJ Styles, Sami Zayn, and Cesaro. Two days later at Royal Rumble, Strowman entered the titular match at number thirty, eventually being eliminated by Edge and Seth Rollins. On the February 22 episode of *Raw*, he faced Bobby Lashley for an opportunity to be added to the WWE Championship match scheduled for the following week, but was unsuccessful. On the March 1 episode of *Raw*, Strowman would team with Adam Pearce and face the Raw Tag Team Champions Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin, but they were unsuccessful after Shane McMahon would get up on the ring apron and force Strowman to tag Pearce in, causing Benjamin to roll up Pearce and get the win for him and Alexander. The next week, an aggravated Strowman would demand an explanation and apology from Shane. However, Shane would instead play a prank on Strowman by mocking him and pretending to flee the arena, before calling him "stupid" behind his back, effectively causing a double-turn, making Strowman turn face and Shane turn heel. McMahon was scheduled to face Strowman at Fastlane, but McMahon would suffer a left knee injury preparing for the match, instead having Elias take his place in the match; Strowman defeated Elias nevertheless. Strowman would eventually face McMahon in a steel cage match at WrestleMania 37, where he was successful.

On the *Raw* after WrestleMania, Strowman faced Drew McIntyre and Randy Orton in a triple threat match for a WWE Championship match at WrestleMania Backlash, but failed to win after McIntyre pinned Orton. On the April 26 episode of *Raw*, Strowman defeated McIntyre to gain entry into the WWE Championship match following interference from Mace and T-Bar. On the May 10 episode of *Raw*, Strowman interfered in the main event match and assaulted both McIntyre and Lashley, sending the latter through the barricade with a powerslam. At Wrestlemania Backlash, Strowman failed to win the title from Lashley in a triple threat match also involving McIntyre. On June 2, 2021, Braun Strowman was released by WWE.

Strowman returned to WWE on the September 5, 2022 episode of *Raw*, attacking every single competitor in a fatal four-way tag team match. It was then announced that he would become a member of the *SmackDown* brand. Strowman then began a short feud with Alpha Academy (Chad Gable and Otis), defeating Otis on the September 23 episode of *SmackDown*, and Gable on the October 3 episode of *Raw*. On the October 14 episode of *SmackDown*, Strowman was confronted by Omos, beginning a feud between the two. At Crown Jewel on November 5, Strowman defeated Omos.

Strowman then entered into the *SmackDown* World Cup, with the winner earning an eventual Intercontinental Championship match against Gunther; he defeated Jinder Mahal in the first round before losing to Ricochet in the semifinals. Ricochet and Strowman then formed an alliance to feud with Imperium, where Strowman and Ricochet emerged victorious against Ludwig Kaiser and Giovanni Vinci in a "Miracle on 34th Street Fight" on the Christmas Eve edition of *SmackDown*. This led to an Intercontinental Championship match against Gunther on the January 13 episode of *SmackDown*, where Strowman lost. On the following episode of *SmackDown*, Strowman declared his entry into the 2023 Royal Rumble match. At the Royal Rumble on January 28, Strowman entered the match at number twenty-seven, eliminating Omos before being eliminated by eventual winner Cody Rhodes. As part of the 2023 WWE Draft, Strowman and Ricochet were drafted to *Raw*.