5 Bizarre booking decisions WWE made this week (February 7th, 2021)

It was another stacked week of wrestling action throughout all of WWE's brands, but with The Royal Rumble pay-per-view also taking place this past week there were several bizarre booking decisions that left many fans scratching their heads.

The Road to WrestleMania has officially begun, but before the company is able to present its two-night extravaganza in April, they have to present both Elimination Chamber and Fastlane in the coming months.

The fact that there are still two pay-per-views before WWE presents their Biggest Show of the Year in just two months' time is why there are many bizarre booking decisions currently taking place on both RAW and SmackDown.

The following article looks at just five of these bizarre booking decisions that took place over the past seven days.

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#5 Bizarre booking - Why was Ricochet part of The Royal Rumble match?

Ricochet hasn't been featured much on WWE TV since his feud with RETRIBUTION was seemingly axed, but interestingly he was part of the 30-man field for The Royal Rumble on Sunday night.

Ricochet actually failed to qualify for The Royal Rumble a few weeks before on RAW, when AJ Styles was able to deliver an impressive Styles Clash to pick up the win and dash Ricochet's hopes of being part of the legendary match.

Despite this, Ricochet was still part of the match and entered The Rumble at number 12. He then went on to last for 11 minutes before he was eliminated by Kane, but didn't make any kind of impact or eliminate any stars himself.

In another act of bizarre booking, Ricochet then failed to appear on Monday Night RAW the following night, which showed that WWE had no long term plans for the star when he was added into the match. The One and Only couldn't even pick up a storyline whilst inside the match with some of the biggest names in the business.

WrestleMania is now just two months away and Ricochet has nothing to latch himself onto. The only explanation for this bizarre booking decision is that WWE could have been short of men on the night and Ricochet was the only man able to step in.

The fact they chose Ricochet knowing that fans would pick up on the simple truth that he failed to qualify for the match shows just how desperate WWE must have been to make up the numbers.

#4 Bizarre booking - WWE booked Goldberg to kick out of The Claymore at The Royal Rumble

WWE Hall of Famer Goldberg returned to the ring at The Royal Rumble this past Sunday night to challenge WWE Champion Drew McIntyre, which could be considered bizarre booking in itself. Whilst the WWE Universe were worried that the company could decide to put another Championship around the waist of the former WCW star, this wasn't the case, since McIntyre was able to walk out with his title.

Despite the two men embracing after the match and McIntyre walking out looking strong, Goldberg still left his mark on the Champion, since he was able to kick out of The Claymore. The WWE Champion's finisher has been one of the most protected in the company over the last year and the bizarre booking decision was made this past week to allow a part-time star to end this streak.

Of course, McIntyre was able to kick out of the Jackhammer, which was seemingly WWE's way of rectifying the situation. But now it's hard to believe that many current WWE stars who challenge McIntyre wouldn't be able to achieve the same feat.

#3 Bizarre booking - Bobby Lashley vs Riddle wasn't the match the WWE Universe expected

This past week on WWE RAW, Bobby Lashley defended the United States Championship against Riddle in a match that was originally set to be part of The Royal Rumble pay-per-view.

Instead, Lashley and Riddle were part of the Royal Rumble match, but neither man was able to come out on top.

Riddle and Lashley both have MMA backgrounds and the WWE Universe were expecting a hard-hitting bout between the two men, when in a bizarre booking twist, Lashley cheated to pick up the win and then attacked Riddle after the match.

This feud has been building for months and the belief now is that the two men will collide at Elimination Chamber for the Championship instead. It's unclear what the future holds for this feud since Riddle has been pushing for a shot at Lashley and his Championship for the past few months, and keeps being swept aside by The Hurt Business or Lashley himself.

It's easy to see Riddle coming out on top and being the man who takes that United States Championship from Lashley, but this piece of bizarre booking makes it look like the company doesn't want to make Lashley look weak heading into WrestleMania.

#2 Bizarre booking - Why is Carmella still in the WWE Women's Championship picture?

Carmella made her return to WWE TV back in 2020 and targeted Sasha Banks heading into Survivor Series. The SmackDown Women's Champion has since turned her attention to The Untouchable One and the two women have faced off several times in recent months.

Carmella has been defeated by the SmackDown Women's Champion at both TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs, and The Royal Rumble. Carmella even tried to use her Sommelier Reginald to give her an advantage, and The Boss was able to defeat him in a one-on-one match on SmackDown as well.

Despite her loss and the fact that Bianca Belair should be stepping into a feud with Sasha Banks heading into WrestleMania, Carmella still tried to involve herself in the SmackDown Women's Championship picture this past week, which certainly felt like bizarre booking.

Interestingly, Reginald was whipped into shape by Belair and her impressive hair and it's now hoped that he has learned his lesson, and Carmella will be added to a different feud on WWE TV moving forward.

#1 Bizarre booking - Why is Roman Reigns vs Kevin Owens still a feud on WWE TV?

Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens have been feuding on WWE TV for several months and it was believed that their feud would finally come to an end at The Royal Rumble.

Reigns has been victorious in every match he's had against Owens in recent months and KO was only added to the match at The Royal Rumble because Adam Pearce tricked Reigns into signing the contract - another piece of bizarre booking.

There was once a time that a Last Man Standing Match would signify the end of a long-term feud, and it finally looked as though Reigns was moving on to a feud with Edge.

Edge won The Royal Rumble this past week and could now choose to challenge Reigns for the Universal Championship at WrestleMania. Whilst the two men were part of a segment on SmackDown this past week, Kevin Owens once again appeared and delivered a stunner to Reigns.

Does this bizarre booking move mean Kevin Owens vs Roman Reigns is now going to take place at WWE's Elimination Chamber pay-per-view in two weeks? Or was this simply a spontaneous act of violence from KO?