OFF-TRACK: A Full Investigation Into The Controversy Of Braun Strowman’s “Tag” Last Week

In this edition of OFF-TRACK, I explore the controversy surrounding Braun Strowman’s illegal tag and why the referee let it slide.

Welcome To Another Edtion Of

OFF-TRACK with A-TRAIN

where I report on the weird and the wacky
in the wide world of wrestling

or in this case,

I BLOW THE LID OFF
THE BRAUN STROWMAN ILLEGAL TAG STORY

Last Monday night on RAW, the main event was rife with controversy.

New Money In The Bank Contract Winner Braun Strowman partnered with his little buddy Finn Balor to take on Kevin Owens and Constable Baron Corbin.

Finn was getting worked over for several minutes, playing the “face in peril” role, and Braun was impatient to get the hot tag.

A tad too impatient.

So he did this:

For those of you who can’t view the embedded video, Braun Strowman, Mr. Monster In The Bank, got into the ring, sprinted to his opponents’ corner and laid out The Constable with a forearm to the back of the head. Kevin Owens, scared to death, hopped off the apron and backed away in a panic, possibly wetting himself. 

Then Braun picked up Finn and flung him back into their corner, then got out of the ring and tagged himself in.

This is, unsurprisingly, highly illegal.

It is against the rules.

You can’t do that.

But the referee just lets it slide.

It’s possible he was just too scared of the possibility of receiving those hands, and so he kept his mouth shut. 

Perhaps there is the chance that he was just incompetent, didn’t know the rules, but in this case, the ref is veteran official John Cone. John Cone knows you can’t do this:

So why didn’t he disallow the tag?

Because John Cone is biased in favor of Braun Strowman.

And there is a very simple reason why.

You might remember back in April, at Wrestlemania 34 in New Orleans, Braun won the RAW Tag Team Titles by defeating Sheamus & Cesaro.

He entered the match without a partner. He had ample time to find one, but instead decided to go into the crowd and pick out a fan to tag with.

He chose a ten-year-old boy named Nicholas.

They won.

Of course, they then had to relinquish the tag titles, considering that Nicholas had an ongoing conflict–he had yet to finish the fourth grade.

If you’re wondering how Braun’s escapades from two-and-a-half months ago relate to John Cone refusing to disqualify Strowman for his blatant illegality last Monday, I might remind you of THIS:

John Cone is the father of Nicholas.

Now, obviously, he loves his son.

His son is former tag partners with Braun Strowman. They remain good friends.

So it makes sense that John Cone would be a little lenient.

However, it is straight up nepotism once-removed, and I expect a full investigation from The Constable.

In the world of wrestling entertainment, we can’t have the appearance of impropriety, or every decision your referees make can be called into question.

And if you have that, you know what else you have?

Anarchy.