Top RAW Rumors & News: Reason why former world champion has quit, Bray Wyatt replaced? Randy Orton's absence (4th August)
Welcome to another edition of the top RAW Rumors & News which could have a big impact on the red brand. The biggest story coming out of RAW this week is the release of two big names who were featured prominently on the show - Bray Wyatt and Ric Flair.
It has been said that Bray Wyatt was ready for his return in August. Ric Flair, meanwhile, seemingly asked for his release as he was having some creative issues with Vince McMahon. In today's edition, we will take an in-depth look at the release of these two former world champions among more interesting topics.
So without further ado, let's dive in and take a look at the biggest stories related to Monday Night RAW:
#5. Reason why RAW legend Ric Flair decided to quit WWE
There has been a lot of speculation regarding Ric Flair's departure from RAW and WWE as a whole. Flair was featured heavily in a storyline involving his daughter Charlotte Flair and his protege Lacey Evans earlier this year. He was also a prominent part of the storyline between Drew McIntyre and Randy Orton last year.
It was reported that Flair had some creative issues with Vince McMahon which led to him asking for his release. Speaking to People, Ric Flair himself clarified all the rumors about his release and gave the real reason:
"We(Him and Vince McMahon) just didn't see eye to eye on some business opportunities that I wanted to pursue, so I asked for my release. There has been no animosity and everything has been on friendly terms."
Flair also talked about his future and what he plans to do now that he is no longer under WWE contract:
"It was a mutually agreed-upon decision and I will be moving forward to pursue other exciting endeavors such as my own line of wine, my own network, as well as comic books. I had to make this decision personally for my business and my brand."
Do you think Ric Flair made the right call by choosing to quit WWE? Tell us in the comments section.
#4. Has WWE replaced former RAW superstar Bray Wyatt with someone else?
Former RAW superstar Bray Wyatt was released by WWE last week. Many WWE superstars and former superstars spoke about his release on Twitter. One such name was former women's champion Mickie James.
Mickie James, who was also released by the company earlier this year, said that WWE did not know how to book Bray Wyatt. She added that they gave his gimmick to someone else, likely a reference to Alexa Bliss' current work on the show, and then fired him:
"I think what you meant to say was: "Thank you so much for coming up with such an incredible gimmick(time & time again)one so cool & over, we really didn't know how to book it right. So we just gave it to someone else so we can still make ALL the money off of it & let you go"
#3. Update on Randy Orton's absence on RAW
Randy Orton has been absent from RAW since June with no signs of The Viper's return. It was initially speculated that he will be returning on the August 2nd episode of RAW. However, that did not happen.
Cageside Seats have revealed that he wasn't even present backstage:
"Randy Orton was not backstage at Raw last night, says PW Insider. Jeff Hardy wasn’t there either as he’s still waiting to be cleared after his positive COVID test, and no NXT talents were brought in for Main Event or dark matches."
It was reported that Randy Orton had been put on the inactive/disabled list by WWE sometime back. However, there is no word on why the former WWE Champion has been missing from RAW for so long.
#3. Reason behind Karrion Kross' weak booking on RAW
The NXT Champion Karrion Kross made his RAW debut a few weeks back. To the shock of many fans, Kross lost his first match on RAW to Jeff Hardy in underwhelming fashion. After gaining a win over Keith Lee last week, Kross lost to The Limitless One on RAW this week.
As per Andrew Zarian of the Mat Men podcast, the initial idea was to have Kross undergo a losing streak before his partner Scarlett joined him on RAW and the two became a major force together:
''The plan was that Karrion Kross keeps losing until Scarlett shows up and that’s gonna bring him back on track because she is able to unleash the warrior, whatever they’re calling him, the gladiator in him,” Andrew Zarian stated.
#1. Booker T reveals why former RAW superstar Bray Wyatt is irreplacable
Speaking on his podcast Hall of Fame, WWE veteran Booker T commented on why Bray Wyatt's exit from WWE is a big deal. The former world champion said Wyatt cannot be replaced as he is a "throwback superstar":
''Bray Wyatt was a talent. Will he be missed? Of course. Can he be replaced? I don't think so because, I think Bray Wyatt was one of those guys that was kind of like a throwback. You didn't just look at Bray Wyatt because of his wrestling ability or anything like that."
Booker T further praised Bray Wyatt and compared him to legends like Jake Roberts and Mick Foley. Booker T said Wyatt had the ability to be different from everyone else.
Even WWE legend Mick Foley has tweeted saying Wyatt is a visionary and it is unfortunate that the company chose to release such a talented superstar:
"With @WWE’s release of @WWEBrayWyatt the company has lost a true visionary and a creative genius; one of the most innovative makers of mayhem pro-wrestling has ever seen."
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