Braun Strowman: I Enjoyed My Time Away From WWE But I Was Put On This Earth To Be A WWE Superstar

Braun Strowman talks to Sean Ross Sapp about Crocs, returning to WWE, and more. 

Braun Strowman missed WWE WrestleMania in 2022 as he was released from the company. In 2023, Strowman was back in the fold for WrestleMania. During his time away, Braun made one brief appearance in Ring of Honor and helped form the Control Your Narrative promotion alongside EC3.

As part of the media rush ahead of WrestleMania 39, Braun Strowman spoke with Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp, sans Crocs on his feet, as he was told to get a little more dressed up for the occasion.

“You just never know. My feet are really weird. So my right arch is collapsed on my right foot, and my left leg is 15% paralyzed. So I switched to these new shoes. It’s a U.K. brand called [Vivobarefoot] that is actually helping me strengthen my feet. I feel bad cheating on my Crocs, but I still got my Crocs. I wear those around the house. These are more business casual. They tell me I’m supposed to dress up. This is as good as I can get,” said Braun.

Furthermore, Braun Stroman discussed his return to WWE, noting that while he enjoyed his time away, he hated being gone and truly believes he was put on earth to perform under the WWE banner.

“We talked a couple of times, and I enjoyed my time away. As much as I did, at first, it was a hard pill to swallow, but it was something I realized I needed because, at the time, I was just mentally going crazy, not just with WWE but with everything in life,” he said. “So, it was an opportunity to take a step back and truly realize how amazing it is to work here and how truly blessed my career has been. In the short amount of time of my first stint here, you name it, and I did it; Money in the Bank, Universal Champion, Tag Team, Andre, Intercontinental, whatever PPV I main evented, whatever building I sold out. So having that opportunity to take a step back and go, ‘Wow. I got to do a lot of stuff.’

“But at the same time, I hated being gone. I love this. I’ve said it time and time again, I truly believe I was put on this earth to do this and for this company,” he added. “So it was good to be home. I’m walking into WrestleMania now, things were uncertain about what was going to happen at WrestleMania, but now we figured out a way, we got shoehorned in last minute. It’s so awesome because I’ve had my WrestleMania moments, and now I get the opportunity to go out there and share them with some guys that haven’t had their WrestleMania moments. Guys that have been in the business for many, many years, busting their ass, day in and day out on the indies, in the Performance Center, and now on the main roster. Now I have the opportunity to go out there and share this special moment. [I know from my first WrestleMania how special it is].”

Braun Strowman teamed with Ricochet in the Men’s WrestleMania Showcase Fatal Four-Way Tag Team Match at WrestleMania. Fans can check out the full results of WrestleMania 39 at this link. Strowman recently revealed that he’s undergoing neck fusion surgery.

In the past, Braun has spoken about his connection with WWE and the heart-to-heart conversations he’s had with Vince McMahon. Learn more about those here.