Former World Champion breaks silence after losing massive WrestleMania 41 opportunity on SmackDown

In a battle of behemoths on SmackDown, Braun Strowman came up short in his efforts against an incredibly agile Jacob Fatu.

Former World Champion breaks silence after losing massive WrestleMania 41 opportunity on SmackDown

Braun Strowman and Jacob Fatu on SmackDown [via- WWE]

Every wrestler jockeying for that elusive WrestleMania spot right now is running out of time. At this point, wins might bring about a windfall, and losses are self-sabotaging. And who better than Braun Strowman to cite as an example of someone who came agonizingly close to sealing his WrestleMania 41 fate on this week’s SmackDown?

The Monster of All Monsters failed to put away Jacob Fatu in a Last Man Standing match. Consequently, Strowman hates tables, as he posted on X. The former Universal Champion was driven through a table in the corner of the ring by a steaming Fatu. That was an exclamation mark and decided the result of the US title No. 1 contenders showdown.

Since Jacob won, he’s now headed to Las Vegas and will challenge LA Knight for the United States Championship at The Grandest Stage of Them All. Strowman had the opportunity to dethrone Knight a couple of weeks ago on SmackDown. However, The Samoan Werewolf crashed the proceedings.

While the Bloodline’s enforcer is en route to the biggest night of his career, Braun might not even make it to WrestleMania anymore. However, at the bare minimum, the 335-pounder could partake in the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal as part of the WrestleMania weekend festivities.

The unfortunate part, though, it’s no longer a WrestleMania-exclusive showcase. Since 2020, the over-the-top-rope tradition has been preponed to the SmackDown before WrestleMania. Strowman is the last man to win the coveted Andre The Giant trophy at The Show of Shows, which he did in 2019.

This week’s episode of SmackDown was the first to be held in the US in over three weeks. For the better part of March, WWE staged its shows in different parts of Europe. This Friday, the blue brand taping emanated from the Allstate Arena in Chicago.

Kevin Owens
Kevin Owens announced injury on SmackDown [via- WWE]

From the WWE debut of Rey Fenix to CM Punk finally revealing his favor, it was one of the better three-hour SmackDown editions in recent months. The show also saw a ton of movement related to WrestleMania. First and foremost, a sullen-faced Kevin Owens announced that he’d have to undergo neck surgery. As a result, he bowed out of his previously set match against Randy Orton.

When GM Nick Aldis related to The Viper that he didn’t have anything left to do at WrestleMania, Orton struck Aldis with an RKO and left. Naomi vs. Jade Cargill was also made official. After the Queen of Glow made light work of B-Fab, she called out Jade, who clocked Trinity Fatu with a boot from behind.

The security personnel quickly arrived to avert further damage, followed by Nick Aldis coming out to sanction a singles match between the belligerent women. In other news, the Motor City Machine Guns became the No. 1 contenders for The Street Profits‘ WWE tag team titles. They could square off at WrestleMania.

How matches are internally scheduled for WrestleMania 41?

With almost two weeks left until the D-Day in Las Vegas, the fans might want to peek into how the entertainment spectacle is spread out over two nights. As per WrestleVotes, for Saturday night, Roman Reigns vs. CM Punk vs. Seth Rollins is going to headline.

WrestleMania 41
WrestleMania 41 (via- WWE)

Tiffany Stratton vs. Charlotte Flair for the women’s title and Gunther vs. Jey Uso for the World Heavyweight title are other key matches slated for night 1. Randy Orton vs. Kevin Owens was also penciled in for Saturday, but The Viper is without an opponent after Owens’ injury-related withdrawal.

There’s no word on if Orton would still have a match at WrestleMania. Also, there are currently three bouts earmarked for Sunday, including John Cena vs. Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE title and IYO SKY vs. Bianca Belair vs. Rhea Ripley for the women’s world title. AJ Styles vs. Logan Paul is also expected to go down on the second night of WrestleMania.

Related: 3 mistakes WWE should avoid at WrestleMania 41