Ivica Zubac – Braun Strowman
There’s a comparison to be made here beyond “both are real tall,” although that certainly helps. At 6’8″, 385 pounds, Strowman is one of the most physically intimidating superstars on the WWE roster. Similarly, Ivica Zubac at 7’1″ is tied for the third tallest in the NBA, behind only Kristaps Porzingis and our beloved Boban Marjanovic.
When Strowman made his WWE debut, he was a new mystery member of the cultish Wyatt Family. It was immediately clear why he was brought to the main roster: he was tall, he was big and he could move. But he was green. There were many moves that just didn’t look smooth coming from Braun.
But Braun worked his tail off, and his improvement could be seen practically week to week. Suddenly he wasn’t just big and strong; he had some of the hottest catchphrases in the company. Remember “I’M NOT FINISHED WITH YOU!!!”? Those five words could pop a crowd, and Braun’s fury was an even half of the Strowman/Reigns feud.
That reminds me a lot of Ivica Zubac. Coming into the league, a big part of his appeal was “he’s 7’1″ and can move.” That was enough to give him a chance. But he’s put his fair share of work in, including allegedly being the only player interested in learning the skyhook from Kareem.
While Braun is farther along in his development than Zubac, if Ivica keeps improving at this rate, he could cement himself as a solid starting-level center in the league.