4 reasons why Lars Sullivan assaulted Kurt Angle on RAW

Lars Sullivan was originally supposed to debut with WWE a few months ago, estimated to be January. This would have seen him set up a rivalry against John Cena at WrestleMania. However, he, unfortunately, suffered an anxiety attack and his appearance was shelved and delayed.

It's not known exactly what happened, but the fact of the matter is that Sullivan has Mauro Ranallo to thank. Had it not been for Mauro Ranallo, WWE would not have known how to deal with people suffering from mental health issues.

So Sullivan was sent back home and the John Cena program as canned. WWE did a great job in dealing with the situation and brought him on the post-WrestleMania RAW. Kurt Angle got a measure of revenge on Baron Corbin but was immediately taken out by Lars Sullivan.

Here's why the freak athlete Lars Sullivan assaulted the Olympic Gold Medalist.

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#5. Heat before Kurt Angle finally left

In the last couple of years, Kurt Angle has completely selflessly, constantly putting people over left and right. He did so until his final match, where he put over Baron Corbin at WrestleMania.

He did get a measure of revenge on RAW when he angle slammed and made Corbin tap out with the ankle lock, but WWE likely wanted to capitalize on the fact that this may be the last time we see Angle on WWE TV.

Sure, he may appear occasionally for nostalgia-sake, but other than that, Kurt Angle is more or less done on WWE television. There's not going to be a follow-up feud with Lars Sullivan, but WWE just wanted to capitalise on the heat they could get.

Plus, what better way can one announce themselves to the world than by taking out a multi-time World Champion and Olympic Gold Medalist?

#3. He's finally recovered and ready to go

Though he did get heat, Lars Sullivan returning is a great thing, because it shows that he has overcome his anxiety issues and panic attacks and is all good to go. Mental health issues are no joke and must be treated with the utmost seriousness.

As we mentioned, it has a lot to do with Mauro Ranallo. Triple H seemingly took responsibility for what happened with Sullivan and rightfully so. He was the one who helped Mauro Ranallo re-sign with the company and assigned him to NXT and now, Ranallo answers only to Triple H.

This is a sign of true progression in WWE and Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter said that had it not been for the Ranallo situation, Sullivan very well could have been axed from the company. Thankfully, they're much more wary of it now and deal with it better.

#2. Perfect time and place to make an impact

What better way than to debut on the RAW after 'Mania?

What better time is there to debut than the RAW after WrestleMania? The most exciting episode of RAW every year always features big returns, big debuts, big twists and fresh storylines.

While it would have been good to see Lars Sullivan debut in January (and we honestly can't predict how it would have gone), it's actually a good thing that he debuted on the RAW after WrestleMania.

For one, he got a great reaction. Secondly, since it was the hardcore travelling crowd, essentially everyone knew exactly who Sullivan is and what he's capable of. The RAW after WrestleMania is always special for many reasons and he now has the distinction of falling into the category of having debuted in what was an overall great show.

Plus, they capitalised on it in the perfect place, especially given that Kurt Angle was going out.

#1. To potentially set up a feud against John Cena

It's never too late

John Cena made an incredible impact at WrestleMania 35 and set the wrestling world abuzz after he returned with his old "Doctor of Thuganomics" gimmick. It only made a brief return in 2012 during his feud against The Rock, but apart from that, it was a good 14 years before we had seen it in its full form.

Whether he will be returning with that gimmick or not, we don't know. But our best guess would be to say no. However, if his schedule is clear enough, we could see Cena return for a month or so for a one-off program against Lars Sullivan.

It wouldn't have to be an extensive feud by any means, but a rather quick 4-week build to a squash match. Squashing Cena would be the perfect way to get Sullivan over as an extreme threat.