Braun Strowman has been notably absent from WWE's recent programming, including the January 3rd episode of SmackDown (which expanded to a 3-hour format) and the debut of Raw on Netflix on January 6th.

The Monster Among Men says he lost 36lbs in a week after coming down with a bad case of the flu. Braun Strowman is still off the road as he recovers.

Braun Strowman reveals the circumstances behind his absence from "WWE Raw" as well as last week's episode of "WWE SmackDown."

Braun Strowman‘s recent absence from WWE programming comes down to catching a very bad flu. Strowman returned to the SmackDown brand on the December 13 episode of SmackDown. But he was noticeably absent from last week’s show and the premiere of RAW on Netflix.

In an Instagram post, Strowman (Adam Scherr) wrote that he lost 36 pounds in a week while battling the flu, which caused him to miss SmackDown last Friday and Raw’s Netflix premiere. Strowman believes he’s finally getting over the illness but will miss SmackDown again this Friday night.

Braun Strowman has been absent from WWE due to a severe illness, losing 36 lbs from the flu. He recently shared his struggles on Instagram, revealing he was bedridden with high fevers. Despite missing significant events,

Braun Strowman has been out of action since the beginning of 2025 due to an illness. A six-man tag team match featuring The Bloodline against Sami Zayn, Jimmy Uso, and Braun Strowman was supposed to headline the January 3rd episode of WWE SmackDown. However, shortly after, WWE confirmed the match, substituting Jey Uso for Strowman.