It’s been a long time coming for WWE superstar Braun Strowman, and it appears that he may finally get his due. "The Monster Among Men" will reportedly replace WWE superstar Roman Reigns in his Universal Championship match against Goldberg at WrestleMania 36.

The Wrestling Observer reported that Strowman was pegged earlier this week as Reigns' replacement and the match has already been taped. Reigns chose to pull out of WrestleMania due to health and personal reasons. His absence, while unfortunate, sets up a huge opportunity for Strowman. A strong performance in this match could catapult the big man back to main-event status — and ultimately make his career.

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If the WWE does decide to finally put the Universal Title on Strowman, it would open the door for numerous feuds and title matches that the WWE Universe hasn’t seen before. Strowman has never held a heavyweight championship, just the Tag Team and Intercontinental titles. His biggest battles have come against Reigns and Brock Lesnar, who is currently preoccupied with Drew McIntyre on Raw, but Strowman came up short in both of those feuds. With the Big Dog out indefinitely, now is Strowman’s chance to take on new challengers and stake his claim as SmackDown’s toughest superstar. An upset win against Goldberg, who defeated "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt for the title at Super ShowDown, would certainly bolster that claim.

The new Universal Championship match will reportedly be set up during Friday’s go-home episode of SmackDown, and Strowman is expected to make an appearance. This would be a great chance to resurrect the Strowman of old — the true Monster Among Men who refused to be “finished with you” and pummeled everyone in his path.

It’s been years since we’ve seen this side of Strowman. His matches with Reigns and Lesnar were some of the most hard-hitting and physical bouts in WWE at the time. Strowman-mania reached a fever pitch in 2017 and 2018, with the former Strongman competitor getting multiple Universal Title shots. But, he was never able to capture the gold.

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At No Mercy 2017, Strowman was dismantled by Lesnar in just under 10 minutes after months of looking invincible. At SummerSlam 2018, many expected Strowman to cash-in his Money in the Bank contract and defeat either Reigns or Lesnar, who had been competing against one another in the main event. But he wound up being beaten down by "The Beast" instead.

As for WrestleMania, Strowman’s career has been largely underwhelming. He did manage to win the Tag Team titles at Mania 34 — with a child he plucked from the crowd — and the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at Mania 35. But are those really accomplishments to write home about?

A simple Twitter search will turn up countless messages and posts about the 36-year-old being the most misused star in WWE, with many claiming that he was turned from potential powerhouse into a comedy act. Behind-the-scenes issues were said to have halted portions of Strowman’s push in 2017 and 2018, but that was several years ago and other superstars have been able to overcome similar situations and prosper.

Long story short, whether it be because of trust issues or just plain bad booking, Strowman has never been given the chance to carry WWE’s torch as Universal or WWE Champion. But a win at WrestleMania 36 could change that. Careers are defined at the Show of Shows, and what better way to make a new star than by letting him win his first heavyweight championship in the main event? It would be the Strowman’s biggest moment and could help set up some interesting storylines to follow after Mania.

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Since the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is still in full swing, the title picture, as well as the future of wrestling as a whole, is unclear. WWE could keep the Universal Title on Goldberg and hunker down for the next few months until its next major PPV, SummerSlam, in the hopes that things go back to normal by then and Reigns can return to face him as originally planned. But, that could very well send viewers running from their TV screens. Keeping the belt on a part-timer during a time like this would be risky, but understandable. Putting it on someone like Strowman, though, would create a plethora of possibilities for Vince McMahon and company.

Having a new champ after WrestleMania is something that has always worked for WWE, whether it be Kofi Kingston, Daniel Bryan, Eddie Guerrero, Seth Rollins, or anyone else. It’s helped create stars and keep the product moving in a fresh, new direction. Strowman has been out of the title picture long enough to warrant a lengthy run. It just all depends on whether WWE truly trusts that he can pull it off.

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