As a former strongman competitor and one of the biggest grapplers on the WWE circuit, Braun Strowman often deals with unimaginable external forces, but the big man has shared that he’s been struggling internally as of late. Strowman (real name: Adam Scherr) has been away from WWE due to a severe health issue that he says caused him to lose 36 pounds in a week but fortunately, he appears to be winning the battle.
“2025 has been off to a ruff start for me,” wrote Strowman in a Jan 8, 2025, Instagram update for his 1.8 million followers. “I picked up some kind of bug last week and it absolutely whipped my ass.” The popular wrestler, who is 41, is a former WWE Universal Champion and is one of the biggest beasts of the ring. He was forced to take time away due to getting neck surgery in 2023 and also suffered a torn groin during a match in 2024.
But after successfully returning in December, Strowman was missing from television once again during the company’s much-hyped move to Netflix. Rather than lace up his boots, the 2012 Arnold Amateur Strongman Champion would instead find himself laid flat out on his bed. “I laid in a hotel room for four days with a fever of 102 or higher for the first three days,” he has now shared. “A week later I am finally over what I think is the hump. My severe body aches are finally easing up.”
Braun Strowman missed WWE’s Netflix debut due to a severe flu
Having apparently now turned the corner, Strowman, who is 6’8” and has a fighting weight of 385 pounds, went on to explain just how awful he’d felt in the first week of 2025. “Today (Jan 8) is the first day I have been able to move around and really do anything,” he shared. “I have lost 36lbs in this week. Had test taken and all they could determine is that it was a very bad flu thankfully.”
Fortunately, the wrestler had some encouraging words for his fans. “I hate I have had to miss Raw on Netflix and I will miss TV again this week,” he wrote. “This is yet another speed bump in the road. I will be back bigger, stronger and badder than ever! There hasn’t been anything this life has thrown at me that I haven’t been able to OVERCOME and this sure as hell isn’t gonna stop me in having one of my best years to date! 2025 your ass is mine!”
Strowman’s struggles drew widespread support from fellow wrestlers and fans eager to see him powerslam the flu just like one of his hapless opponents. Get better soon big man!
To read our full 2021 interview with Braun Strowman where he discusses transforming his physique click here:
