The only man to face Tyson Fury in a WWE match is finally back in the thick of the action after more than a year on the shelf.
Braun Strowman wrestled for the first time in a non-televised bout following the conclusion of a recent episode of WWE’s flagship weekly show SmackDown.
Strowman is back in action in WWE after a serious neck injury cost him a year of his careerCredit: WWE
His victory over Shinsuke Nakamura came more than 12 months after his previous outing, a tag team match with Ricochet against Alpha Academy on Monday Night Raw.
“Damn it felt good to be back out there!!!!” the star posted on Instagram following the outing, with the Monster Among Men now seemingly back in full flow and into a feud with The Judgement Day.
The 40-year-old has had to bide his time in recovery following ‘scary’ neck fusion surgery.
“Thank you to @wwe for always taking the up most care of us,” he said after the procedure.
“This was very scary to find out about having to have done and they were there every step of the way reassuring that I was going to have the best care possible.”
The popular performer completed his long-awaited return having been recently assigned to Raw in the latest WWE draft, immediately setting his sights on Finn Balor and co.
It comes the better part of a very eventful five years after Strowman tangled with Fury in the powerhouse’s first and only WWE match to date at Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia in 2019.
The two towering menaces locked horns in the high-profile bout as part of a short on-screen feud that began a few weeks prior after Strowman picked a fight with Fury, who was sat ringside at a SmackDown shown in LA.
Fury got involved with Strowman during a WWE television show to set up their major Saudi clash
After facing off on Raw and signing a storyline contract for the match, the two did battle in Saudi Arabia in Fury’s only WWE matchCredit: WWE
Fury eventually took exception to the former Wyatt Family member’s antics and needed restraining by security.
In the weeks that followed and to build towards the Crown Jewel clash, Fury and Strowman threw hands in a mass brawl on Raw, the Premium Live Event match confirmed at a press conference soon after.
It all came to a climax in Saudi when the big clash arrived, Fury strutting his stuff with a typically bombastic entrance before taking to the ring and showing up well against the former Intercontinental champion, executing a number of traditional wrestling moves and taking some heavy hits.
Towards the bout’s conclusion, the decorated fighter landed a knockout punch on Strowman, who was stood on the turnbuckle, toppling to the outside and eventually losing after failing to get back into the ring before the count of ten.
The Gypsy King, who returns to Saudi Arabia to fight Oleksandr Usyk in a Box Office blockbuster this weekend, was reportedly paid a staggering fee of just under £20 million for the fleeting WWE run.
It wasn’t his only WWE appearance. When the company staged SmackDown at the Manchester Arena, he effectively teamed up with former foe Strowman to take out Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel.
Three years later he was ringside again at WWE’s Clash at the Castle in Cardiff, Wales, again delivering a monstrous punch, this time to upstart on-screen bad guy Austin Theory.
Theory had attempted to intervene in the main event match between Roman Reigns and Fury’s pal Drew McIntyre but was stopped in his tracks by the thunderous blow.
Fury didn’t look out of place in WWE and was a major attraction at Crown Jewel in 2019
Wrestling megafan Fury is good pals with Scotland’s Drew McIntyreCredit: WWE
McIntyre came up short, but closed the show with an in-ring singalong with McIntyre, leading the crowd in a rendition of American Pie.
Strowman’s career endured numerous ups and downs after the Fury rivalry.
He won the WWE Universal Championship at WrestleMania 36 by defeating legend Goldberg, holding the gold before being unseated by Roman Reigns at SummerSlam, beginning Reigns’ lengthy run with the championship.
Strowman was released by WWE in the summer of 2021, but returned a little over a year later in amazing shape.
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