It's not hard to imagine Braun Strowman emerging from WWE Royal Rumble 2017 as the monster alone on the mountaintop. WWE has presented Strowman as an overwhelming predator, a beast among boys.
But should it anoint him the latest winner of the annual Royal Rumble match, issues with storytelling and star power are bound to pop up.
Is this the right time to elevate Strowman to that level? How would he fit on the WrestleMania marquee? Is the company ready to commit to the New Era?
Those are the questions swirling as the Jan. 29 pay-per-view draws closer. A difficult decision looms, and Strowman is sure to be in the discussion when it comes to choosing a winner.
He is now the betting favorite at 5-2 (+250) odds to win the 30-man Battle Royal, according to OddsShark.
And Monday's Raw offered the latest hints of the big man making a major impact on the bout. In the show's opening segment, Strowman stared down Brock Lesnar. He later flung Seth Rollins around the ring and manhandled Sami Zayn.
If these are precursors to a victory at the PPV, what will that mean for WWE? What effect will that result have on the company's landscape?
It would be a loud proclamation of the New Era's arrival, for one.
Pro: Embracing the New Era
WWE has gone away from making the Royal Rumble a means to elevate emerging talent in recent years.
It has crowned a number of repeat winners, from John Cena to Triple H. The rich got richer in those cases, as established stars earned a career boost they didn't need.
A Strowman win would break that pattern.
Opting for a fresh face over a familiar one would be a welcome change. Rather than celebrating the past by pushing part-timers, WWE would be investing in a young, rising star. The product would benefit from a move in that direction.
If Undertaker, Lesnar or Goldberg win instead, WWE will miss out on the Battle Royal's ability to alter an up-and-comer's career, and it will fall into the same trap of leaning on nostalgia rather than taking risks to build toward the future.
Con: Better WrestleMania Matches on the Table
What money match awaits Strowman at WrestleMania?
If he wins the Rumble, he will be in position to face either Kevin Owens or Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship. Those are both intriguing opponents for the beastly giant, but those clashes wouldn't be worthy of the top spot on the biggest show of the year.
Owens vs. Strowman wouldn't have the magnetic story that Chris Jericho vs. Owens would have.
Reigns vs. Strowman wouldn't feature the engaging in-ring action AJ Styles vs. The Miz would. It doesn't boast the same star power that a Cena-Undertaker collision would.
WWE's options for Strowman don't have the electricity of other showdowns the Royal Rumble could set up. The company is better off giving him a high-profile match elsewhere on the card, where it has more options to play with.
Pro: The Rumble as a Launching Point
The Royal Rumble can be the jet pack a wrestler wears to marquee status. It's a career-altering prize. That was the case for Chris Benoit, Batista, Shawn Michaels and others.
WWE could follow suit with Strowman, turning him into a made man with a Royal Rumble victory.
Strowman has flirted with being a main eventer of late. He was 2016's most improved Superstar. More and more, he looks like he can be a major player for the company.
A Rumble win would be a full-on declaration of his march into a headliner role. It would push the 33-year-old to WWE's top tier, building on the strong booking he has received for months.
Making that move would be refreshing, bold and forward-thinking. And it would leave Strowman with armfuls of momentum moving forward.
Con: A Hurried Ascent
Strowman only recently devoured his first real opponent during his domination of Raw.
After months of taking out no-name foes, Strowman ran into Zayn. The Underdog from the Underground fought valiantly, but the heel steamrolled him in the end.
The natural progression from this point would be for Strowman to find bigger and badder enemies. After Zayn, he could clash with Big Show. Strowman could then conquer the upper midcard before scoring a series of wins over the likes of championship contenders like Rollins and Reigns.
Then it would make sense for him to outlast the competition at the Rumble and move into the WrestleMania spotlight.
There's isn't enough time to hurry Strowman's story along before the PPV. WWE runs the risk of having Strowman celebrating a Royal Rumble win feel like an unearned climax.
The story of his ascension would have a compressed arc. Should WWE instead wait until next year, it could properly propel Strowman ahead of the Rumble, maximizing the tale of his journey to the top.