Lars Sullivan in an NXT ring. Credit: WWE.com

How WWE Needs to Handle Lars Sullivan's Main-Roster Debut and Push

The Doctor Chris Mueller

NXT's Lars Sullivan is coming to the main roster, but WWE has been unclear about which brand he will end up joining when he makes his debut.

The self-proclaimed Freak had a decent run in NXT, but he never won any gold in the developmental system. Plenty of Superstars have found success on Raw and SmackDown without winning any titles in NXT, so that is not necessarily an indication of potential success.

Sullivan is a monster of a man who has managed to get bigger since signing with WWE in 2013. That's right, folks: He has been in the developmental system for five years.

Somebody obviously sees something special in Sullivan to keep him around for that long, so we should expect him to receive a strong push on the main roster.

He wasn't some indy darling when he was signed. Sullivan was trained by Bobby Lashley prior to being hired, but he had never had a real match. 

Raw already has its own dominant force in Braun Strowman, so the best thing for the rookie would be to put him on SmackDown, where he could reign supreme.

Big Show is on the blue brand, and he would be a great first rival for Sullivan. The former world champion is a veteran who knows how to work with other big guys, so he could help The Freak showcase his skills.

Management shouldn't necessarily repeat what it did with The Monster Among Men, but it should follow a similar blueprint for building its next unstoppable force.

Being on SmackDown would allow him to feud with the likes of AJ Styles, Jeff Hardy, Rey Mysterio and other fan favorites who could make him look good and put him over at the same time.

The vignettes WWE has been airing on Raw and SmackDown have shown Sullivan to be a force to be reckoned with, so his first appearance needs to send a message.

An ideal situation would be a debut at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on December 16. Showing up at a pay-per-view to ruin someone's day would get people talking, especially if he interfered in the main event.

Imagine Styles and Daniel Bryan are in the middle of a hard-fought battle when The Freak jumps the barricade and takes out both men by putting them through some of the many tables WWE will have under and around the ring.

Then, Sullivan grabs the WWE title and holds it up while telling Bryan to keep it warm for him before he leaves as the fans waiting to see Bryan vs. Styles boo him out of the building.

The most important thing management has to do when debuting a new Superstar is to make their first appearance memorable. Sullivan is not coming to the main roster with as much hype as someone like Finn Balor, who spent years building a following before joining the company, so fans need a reason to care right away.

Not only would ruining the WWE Championship match at TLC accomplish that goal, but it would also ensure his debut is seen by as many people as possible and talked about until he makes his first appearance on SmackDown.

WWE used to be the land of giants, but the past decade has seen the company embrace Superstars of all shapes and sizes.

We don't get many Superstars who have the size and power of Sullivan, and we all know how much Vince McMahon likes his muscleheads, so we can look forward to WWE's next monster being given a substantial push immediately. Let's hope Sullivan can live up to his potential.

   

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