Braun Strowman's Release Reminds Fans The Tragic Fate Of Wrestling's 'Big Men'

Former WWE Universal Champion Braun Strowman was released from WWE for the second time over the weekend. Initially a part of the mass COVID layoffs in 2021, Strowman returned to WWE in 2022 for a run that was plagued with injuries. Strowman also suffered a spinal injury early in his second run, and towards the end of last year, Strowman revealed that his leg was "15% paralyzed." Despite his injuries, Strowman had been feuding with Jacob Fatu on Fatu's route to the WWE United States Championship.

Strowman's need to push through the pain is yet another case of an outsized WWE star dealing with injuries, like Great Khali and Andre The Giant before him. While all wrestlers are seemingly expected to "play with pain" in one way or another, the giants of the wrestling world are often suffering from the aches and pains of their immense size, on top of the regular bumps and bruises of pro wrestling.

Strowman suffered a neck injury in a match, not long after his return to WWE, that made his arms go numb. In an interview with Chris Van Vliet, Strowman said this was the result of undiagnosed spinal stenosis.

"It felt like someone was pouring boiling hot water down both my arms...I was in this really terrifying place for two weeks," Strowman said, not sure if he'd ever live a normal life again. Luckily, he had the counsel of WWE Hall of Famer "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, who suffered a similar injury in 1997.

"His injury was almost exactly like mine, just a little more severe," Strowman revealed. The conversations with Austin helped Strowman understand that there was hope for recovery, as the bulk of Austin's WWE success came after the injury. "It was a very big breath of fresh air."

Strowman returned from the injury in December of last year, going on to feud with Carmelo Hayes on "WWE SmackDown," and then his feud with Fatu before his release on May 2. According to Strowman, WWE took tremendous care of him during his injury, but there were other stars who were not as lucky, even WWE Hall of Famers. 

One of Braun Strowman's chief talents is his speed. Larger wrestlers are not often known for their athleticism, but Strowman could run, jump, and dropkick with the best of them, which many felt helped him stand out. However, this is something of an anachronism, as wrestlers like Andre The Giant or The Great Khali were tremendous athletes until their bodies began to break down under the weight of their hulking frames.

Andre had been known as someone who could run and jump during his days wrestling in France. By the time he got to America, Vince McMahon's WWF, especially, he was worn down and barely mobile. Even his famous 1987 match against Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania III was often in doubt until the bell rang, as Andre's back was completely wrecked. Hogan has often spoken about how the match needed to be tailored around the many physical limitations from which the once-agile wrestler was suffering. The match is often known as the last true-blue main event for Andre, who spent the years until his death mostly wrestling in tag matches, often leaning on the ropes for support while his tag partner wrestled much of the match. Andre died in 1993 as a result of the acromegaly that caused his immense size in the first place.

Former World Heavyweight Champion The Great Khali was another giant in WWE who had to suffer through his share of physical stresses due to his size. While not as athletic as Braun Strowman or Andre The Giant, the large star did show some speed and agility when he was in Japan as "Giant Singh."

However, almost immediately after signing with WWE in 2006, Khali suffered a knee injury that required surgery and for him to be written off TV. By the time he returned, he was much slower, and despite a run as World Champion, fans were not happy with his slow and staggered style. Khali remained with WWE, dealing with all the struggles of the WWE touring schedule, until he almost died the same way Andre did. Doctors found a tumor on Khali's pituitary gland in 2012, requiring brain surgery.

The surgery was a success, and while Khali is no longer with WWE, he continues to run Continental Wrestling Entertainment in India. Khali even appeared at a recent WWE event in India, where he said that he felt he might have one more match in him. As it stands, he has not wrestled since the Greatest Royal Rumble Match in Saudi Arabia in 2018.