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WWE is an industry where things change on the go. There are several storylines and ideas being discussed at any point in time. While some are outright dropped, some others make their way to WWE programming, only for the higher-ups to decide it's not going to work out.
There have been several instances of WWE starting some storyline and quietly dropping it without any explanation. The same has been the case this year. With a lot of uncertainties due to the pandemic, WWE was forced to change many of their plans at the last minute. Unfortunately, as a fan, it just seems very odd when something like this happens.
In this article, let's take a look at five storylines and ideas that WWE quietly dropped this year. Be sure to comment down and let us know your thoughts on the same.
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#5 The love angle between Lana and Liv Morgan on WWE RAW
The weird love-triangle storyline between Rusev, Lana, and Bobby Lashley was one of the most criticized angles in 2019. But WWE tried to make things interesting when Liv Morgan returned and interrupted Lana and Bobby Lashley's in-ring marriage.
While these segments always end in chaos, no one expected Liv to return and reveal herself as Lana's former lover. The twist surely got fans interested in the storyline but WWE soon dropped the entire storyline without any proper conclusion. There was no decisive victory for the babyfaces and then Rusev was released from the company in April 2020.
Still, fans expected WWE to continue the love angle between Lana and Liv Morgan, but that was quietly dropped as well. There was no explanation as to where was that supposed to lead. The only good thing that came out of it was that WWE got some huge numbers on social media through some of those segments.
Thankfully, Bobby Lashley is now out of it and is being booked as a serious threat to the WWE roster. Lana has meanwhile formed an alliance with Natalya and Liv Morgan has reunited with Ruby Riott.
#4 Vampire Shayna Baszler on WWE RAW
The WrestleMania 36 feud between the RAW Women's Champion Becky Lynch and Shayna Baszler was something fans were looking forward to since two unstoppable forces were going to collide against each other. While WWE did a great job in booking Baszler as a serious threat, The Man managed to retain her title at the Show of Shows.
One of the most bizarre segments in the rivalry saw the Queen of Spades attack Lynch, biting her neck in what was a bloody segment. Following the segment, Baszler was dubbed as a vampire all across social media with even Becky Lynch calling herself the vampire slayer.
It looked like this would be her new gimmick with WWE repackaging her as a vampire, which would surely have not worked. Thankfully, those ideas were dropped. Baszler went on to compete as a normal human being and did not bite the RAW Women's Champion again.
Currently, Shayna Baszler is the WWE Women's Tag Team Champion alongside Nia Jax. As for Becky Lynch, she is out of action with her pregnancy.
#3 WWE Brand-to-Brand Invitational
One of the best decisions that WWE took was to separate the RAW and SmackDown roster at the 2016 draft. Unfortunately, Vince McMahon has made multiple decisions that have hurt the exclusivity of the brands. Last year, we saw the Wild Card Rule and WWE did something similar this year as well.
In May 2020, WWE introduced the Brand to Brand Invitational, which was a revamped version of the Wild Card Rule. In this, Superstars were allowed to appear on other brands a set number of times the entire year.
The main reason behind the same was the lack of stars on both the brands as many top names decided to not work during the COVID-19 pandemic. This didn't last long either as WWE quietly ended the Brand to Brand Invitational and we don't see that on either RAW or SmackDown anymore.
Currently, the only Superstars who can be seen crossing over brands are the WWE Women's Tag Team Champions, as the titles are not brand exclusive. There have been a few other appearances as well but WWE has stopped using the term Brand to Brand Invitational, essentially dropping the idea.
#2 WWE SmackDown hacker storyline
One of the most interesting things to happen in WWE this year was the tease of a brand new gimmick of a hacker that had everyone intrigued. The gimmick was unlike anything seen before as the hacker was supposedly watching and observing everyone, revealing the true face of Superstars.
The hacker played an important role in the rivalry between Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville when he revealed the footage of Sonya planning against Rose and Otis. The Superstar who was speculated to be behind the gimmick was Mustafa Ali, who had been absent from WWE programming for a long time. Also, his real-life background made him a perfect option to play the character.
Unfortunately, after numerous vignettes and glitches, the storyline of the hacker was dropped quietly. WWE had been building the gimmick for several months and fans were very disappointed to not get any revelation on the same. Mustafa Ali was then quietly moved to RAW where he returned with his previous gimmick.
It is interesting to wonder how this gimmick could have turned out to be. Maybe the hacker will return some day.
#1 Roman Reigns vs Goldberg at WWE WrestleMania 36
WrestleMania 36 was surely the most unique edition of the Show of Shows. With the COVID-19 pandemic, WWE were forced to do the unthinkable and hold WrestleMania 36 in the Performance Center in front of no fans. Yes, WrestleMania without any fans. They still managed to pull it off, but it was not without hickups.
One of the biggest matches that was scheduled to take place at the PPV was "The Battle of the Spears" as Roman Reigns challenged Goldberg for his Universal Championship. After weeks of build-up, news broke out that Reigns had pulled-off the show at the last minute due to health concerns. The Big Dog later confirmed that he took the decision to protect his family and his two newborn babies. Fans were then looking forward to how does WWE address it in storyline.
A week before WrestleMania, WWE quietly advertised that Braun Strowman will be challenging Goldberg for the Universal Championship at the pay-per-view, completely ignoring the match that was being built for the past few weeks. At WrestleMania 36, the Monster Among Men defeated Goldberg to become the new Universal Champion.
Roman Reigns recently returned to WWE programming at SummerSlam 2020 and has since captured the Universal title at Payback. The Big Dog has formed an alliance with Paul Heyman and has turned into a massive heel.
