MEMPHIS — Braun Strowman is out of the Universal Championship Match at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view.
The dramatic shift in The Monster Among Men’s fortunes came after a tumultuous start to Raw that saw him go from promising victory against Brock Lesnar to chasing Baron Corbin throughout the backstage area when The Lone Wolf questioned Strowman's chances against The Beast. Strowman found his prey holed up in a limousine in the loading dock (Elias provided the key tip-off in song) and tore the door off the limo with his bare hands to smoke out The Lone Wolf, only to find himself face-to-face with the vehicle's intended passenger, and the only man who could possibly intimidate Strowman more than Lesnar: Mr. McMahon.
The Chairman was, obviously, less than pleased that The Gift of Destruction had decimated his ride. Furious, really, is a more apt description. So much so that he levied a $100,000 fine against Strowman. That might have been that, but when The Monster Among Men raised his voice, The Chairman upped the ante by calling off the Universal Title Match and walking away. Braun replied by flipping over Mr. McMahon’s limo in frustration, an impressive display that doesn’t hide the fact that Strowman let his long-awaited opportunity slipped right through These Hands. And with the most monstrous player off the board, the Universal Title field is wide open.
