Braun Strowman admits that getting his WWE release before the company could perform in front of fans again was a hard pill to swallow.
SmackDown Superstar Braun Strowman was the latest guest on WWE After The Bell with Corey Graves to discuss a wide variety of subjects. When asked about his WWE release, Strowman called it a reality check that was very disheartening to him.
“So it was a really hard pill to swallow, probably one of the biggest pills I’ve ever had to swallow in life,” Braun Strowman said. “A reality check, it was disheartening, to say the least. Stepping up at the beginning of the pandemic when other people couldn’t come to work and people didn’t come to work not knowing what’s going on in the world and strapping this company to my back and going out there week in and week out doing everything in my power to get a quality product out so I can take the fans and the people around the world mind off the crazy stuff that was going on.
“I’m proud of those times through the pandemic, not only myself, all the boys and girls, everybody in the back, you guys, everybody that was a part of that. We were the only entity in the entire world that was getting content out other than playing reruns. So we were the only people in the world that were giving people the opportunity to escape reality by sitting down, whether I took you on an emotional journey for three seconds or the whole three hours. I was on Monday Night RAW. That was your chance to escape from reality and I’m really, really proud of that.
“But then coming to how business ended and things like that. And like I said, it’s only business, no hard feelings business is business, but knowing that, I kind of stepped up and did that and then had the feeling of well, I was this a stray dog and all of a sudden I was just kicked off the porch. It was a hard pill to swallow. And kind of like the same thing like I spoke on earlier. What did I do? What did I do wrong? What could I have done better? All those doubts you start to play into yourself because it was literally a cold call out of nowhere.
“I was making breakfast at nine o’clock in the morning and got the phone call. ‘Hey, sorry. We have bad news due to budget cuts. We’re initiating 90 days, and then your contracts terminated,’ and I was just speechless. I think all I said was thank you, and I just hung up the phone and I just was like, literally, what the ef? It definitely sent me to a bad place for a little bit. But I know that everything in life happens for a reason. And one thing is a test. I’m a firm believer that God never puts more on your back than you can handle without you breaking, and he just tested my strength once again.
“Did I falter at times and want to give up? Absolutely. I’d be a liar if I said that. But I know still, regardless, I’m in the WWE where I am in life. I have millions of people around the world, kids, people with disabilities, people that have been through accidents or injured that look up to me and lean on me and my character or myself as a human being to help them continue to get through life and me giving up on myself. I’m not only giving up on myself, which is the most selfish thing you can do in the world, but you’re giving up on all these other people’s hopes.
“I want to continue to be that beacon that light of hope that people can lead to when they’re having these bad days. Or they’re sick or they’re hurt or their loved ones something bad has happened in life and you know, I watched Braun Strowman or I saw Adam Scherr do this. So I saw him overcome these obstacles in life. And by seeing him do that, that gives me the strength to keep moving on, and that’s why we talked about getting into the shape that I’m in, doing everything that I possibly can to be the best version of Adam Scherr so I can be the best Braun Strowman can be in the WWE because I want to be that superhero that kids and people men women everybody around the world looks up to and goes damn that dudes awesome.”
When asked how this second run with WWE will be different from the first, Strowman believes having the experience of being in the business this time around will make a world of difference for him.
“Oh, man. I think there’s a lot more knowledge of the business and what not per se in me as a whole,” Braun Strowman said. “I learned by coming in with zero wrestling experience, I had no idea what I was getting into and then I get thrown in the deep end of the pool with all the big sharks and I gotta figure out how to swim or get eaten. And I learned a lot with that. And then not only that but been talking and coming so close with so many of the great vets in the business, the powers that be before me Undertaker, Big Show, Kane, Mark Henry working with Roman, and I’ve been in the ring with the best guys in the world I’ve been kindled a friendship with and so being able to listen to them and understand the works and the insides and outsides of how this business runs.”
Now that he’s back with the company, Strowman is ready and willing to do whatever it takes to entertain the WWE Universe. The Monster Among Men teased going after multiple championships across both RAW and SmackDown.
“I come to work and I do my job and my job is putting the asses in seats and entertaining the people, so it doesn’t matter I don’t care I can work with anybody. I can wrestle a broom handle; I can wrestle a sycamore. I can powerbomb Otis; I can come after US Championship. I can come after those Undisputed Titles; I can come after the Intercontinental Title. Whatever I want to do, that’s the thing. I’m not a good guy. I’m not a bad guy. I’m a monster and if you get in my way, you’ll find out what these hands are actually capable of.”
READ MORE: EC3 Comments On Adam Scherr’s Departure From Control Your Narrative
What do you make of Braun Strowman’s comments? Are you excited to see him back with WWE? Let us know your thoughts by sounding off in the comments section below.
If you use any of the quotes above, please credit WWE After The Bell with a link back to this article for the transcription.
