The WWE is less than 48 hours away from the annual Royal Rumble and Braun Strowman has the opportunity to win the WWE Universal Championship.
However, there may be different Wrestlemania plan for the monster. According to a report from Wrestling Inc., – via the Wrestling Observer Newsletter – the backstage plan is still for Roman Reigns to challenge Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship at Wrestlemania.
As for Strowman, the big man will still have an opportunity to capture WWE gold, specifically the Intercontinental Championship.
The report states Strowman is set to challenge The Miz for the Intercontinental Championship at the Show of Shows in New Orleans. Miz recently defeated Reigns for the IC title on Raw to begin his eighth reign with the championship. It’s said the reason Miz went over clean was to make his match with Strowman one of the featured bouts at Wrestlemania.
The Intercontinental Championship is one of the cornerstones in WWE’s legacy and the title has been featured in several Wrestlemania bouts over the years, with a few of those matches etching their name in the annals of professional wrestling. The two that come to mind are the title match between “Macho Man” Randy Savage and Ricky Steamboat at Wrestlemania III, as well as the ladder match between Razor Ramon and Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania X.
An Intercontinental title bout between Miz and Strowman has the potential to be one of the most important matches at Wrestlemania. Fans who are dreading the idea of Reigns-Lesnar II have a new match to look forward to.
Both Miz and Strowman have shined on RAW in terms of in-ring work and mic time. Miz is widely regarded as one of the best heels in the company – his promos are second to none and he can work in the ring. Many fans and critics have praised Miz for helping elevate the Intercontinental Championship to a place it hasn’t been in a long time.
Strowman has has gotten over with the audience as this monster and can put on a good performance.
There’s also speculation that Miz winning the IC title is the beginning of a major push for him, one that could lead to a program for the Universal title. If Reigns wins the title from Lesnar, he and Miz could continue where their feud left off.
But if Miz is going to challenge Reigns for the Universal title, does that mean Strowman wins the IC championship at Wrestlemania? Probably and that’s a good thing.
Fans love Strowman and they want to see him succeed and win the Universal title. Having him defend the Intercontinental Championship would be a good test to see if he can carry the weight and pressure that comes with being a WWE Champion. If Strowman can shine with the IC title, then it won’t be long before he is wearing the Universal Championship – or the WWE Championship if he gets traded to Smackdown Live.
If Strowman’s IC title reign doesn’t work out or if Miz’s push gets derailed – this is WWE after all – then the two can feud over the Intercontinental Championship.
Former WWE star Lanny ‘The Genius’ Poffo has reportedly died at the age of 68, according to his close friend “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan, although no cause of death has been given at the time of this writing.
Poffo made his in-ring debut with the All-South Wrestling Alliance back in 1974, and also wrestled for a number of promotions such as the National Wrestling Alliance where he won a tag-team title with his father, Angelo.
Poffo debuted for WWE back in 1985 where he would be known as “Leaping Lanny Poffo” and “The Genius.”
Poffo would return to WWE back in 2015 to induct his brother, ‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage, into the WWE Hall of Fame in a touching induction ceremony ahead of WrestleMania 31.
“With a very, very heavy heart, I’ve been asked to let everyone know about the passing of our friend and colleague Lanny Poffo, The Genius,” Duggan said on Twitter.
WWE superstar Braun Strowman has had a number of memorable moments during his career at WWE, but none are quite like the 2018 Royal Rumble where Brock Lesnar got upset with Strowman for catching him with a knee.
Lesnar didn’t take to kindly and immediately hit Strowman with a flurry of legitimate punches, including a right hand to his jaw.
“I mean, at the end of the day it’s two scary guys, two dominant males, not wanting to give an inch to either one, and we took it from each other. Things happen. We’re not playing, we’re not ballet, we’re not badminton. We’re physical. He’s [Lesnar] 300lbs, of just unadulterated animalistic beast and I’m a 385lbs monster. Things happen. At the end of the day, we made one hell of a segment, that’s what really happened.”
“I pat myself on the back. I think I’m the only person in history to take an overhand right from Brock Lesnar and not get knocked out. Anytime you get in the ring with “The Beast” and mix it up, the bigger the challenge the better. If you’re not wrestling the best, then who’d you beat?”
Former New Japan Pro Wrestling star Karl Fredericks has officially signed with WWE following the conclusion of his four-year tenure with NJPW. Fredericks announced on social media back in summer 2022 that he would not re-sign with NJPW.
Fredericks was initially linked to WWE last September, when he was reportedly spotted at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.
According to PW Insider, Fredericks has officially signed with WWE and will be a part of the NXT brand initially.
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