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Every business across the world has been affected by the affliction and the malady known as COVID-19 and the world of sports entertainment, the billion-dollar company named WWE is no different.
Had COVID-19 not transpired, we would still have had screaming fans in the arena, booing the heels and cheering for the babyfaces, or hijacking the show doing the exact opposite, essential ingredients of any WWE show.
But let's look at the WWE landscape and note what would have happened if COVID-19 had not happened, in terms of storylines that we could have seen.
Be sure to leave a comment and let us know if you can think of dream WWE scenarios in a world without COVID-19.
#5 Roman Reigns vs. Goldberg would have been the main event of WrestleMania, and Reigns may still have remained an unpopular babyface in the WWE roster
Remember how the former WWE Universal Champion, Goldberg, was scheduled to go up against Roman Reigns before the COVID-19 outbreak happened, and the battle of the spears had to be canceled at the very last minute?
Goldberg revealed what the situation was and why Roman Reigns had to pull out in an interview:
[But] until the 23rd hour, it was still a possibility that he and I were going to wrestle. I think what happened was someone was sick, and Roman heard about it. They just had the flu. But just the fact that somebody was sick in those circumstances, at the end of the day, he just couldn't do it. It's Roman's decision, and whatever he decided, everyone had to go with because none of us are in his shoes.
Maybe babyface Roman Reigns would have dominated the WWE roster as the Universal Champion, and we wouldn't have gotten the current version as a result of the same. So, perhaps things did work out for the best!
#4 NXT would have been a part of WWE Survivor Series 2020 this year
A lot of people were wondering why NXT did not take part at WWE Survivor Series this year when they had such a dominant showing last year.
This is a quote from Sportskeeda about why WWE decided to keep NXT away from Survivor Series this year:
According to the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the reason for NXT not being part of Survivor Series this year is to prevent any more COVID-19 outbreaks. There have been COVID-19 cases at the Performance Center and Vince McMahon reportedly wants to keep NXT away from the other two brands as a precautionary measure.
This year's Survivor Series did feel like a very underwhelming event, especially if you consider that it happened very soon after the most recent WWE Draft, so the loyalty to either RAW or SmackDown for the Superstars participating in the contest wasn't clearly established.
Adding NXT to the mix would have made the entire event a lot more exciting, but COVID-19 decided to play spoilsport with WWE's big plans.
#3 The Undertaker's final WWE farewell could have happened in front of an absolutely packed and emotional crowd
It's a shame that someone who has entertained the WWE Universe for so many years had to bow out of the company in the manner that he did, without any fans in attendance. Sure, there were virtual fans, and there were legends as well, packing the ringside area, but The Undertaker deserved to take his final bow before a packed WWE crowd, staring in amazement one last time.
Had COVID-19 not happened, The Undertaker's final farewell would have happened in the manner that it should have, and genuinely, even his final WWE match would have happened in the perfect manner. AJ Styles and The Undertaker made history and ushered in a new era of WWE with the cinematic Boneyard Match, but just imagine how cool the contest would have been in front of an arena filled with fans galore. A career that will never be rivaled came to a very anti-climatic end, and to their credit, WWE certainly did the best they could.
#2 RAW Underground may not have happened, but if it had, it would have remained a part of WWE programming
One assumes that RAW Underground only happened because the company had no choice during the pandemic, and they decided to shake things up by mixing an equal dose of Fight Club and UFC into a WWE format. But the same pandemic that gave birth to this concept is also the one that ended it prematurely. There were many NXT extras who were a part of RAW Underground, and WWE did not want to risk a COVID-19 outbreak.
This is a direct quote from Sportskeeda, reporting on what Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer had said:
According to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE decided to scrap RAW Underground for a few reasons. He revealed that WWE did not film any RAW Underground segments in recent weeks because they were worried that the extras in the segment could cause the spread of COVID-19. WWE did not want to run the risk of the roster getting the virus from these extras.
Who knows what RAW Underground could have become in due course of time?
#1 The Club/The OC could have taken on The Hurt Business, RETRIBUTION, and any other WWE factions that would've been around
Perhaps the saddest news this year was that Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows, two men who were a part of the Boneyard Match at WrestleMania, had to be released from the WWE roster owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Thankfully, both men have done phenomenally well (no pun intended) since then and have managed to take the equity that comes with being former WWE stars, transitioning into top stars in IMPACT Wrestling.
Had they remained in WWE, however, imagine how cool a battle between The OC and RETRIBUTION could have been. In fact, this could have been the feud that launched RETRIBUTION to the next level because right now, they do not have any formidable opponents to genuinely make them seem like serious players in the WWE roster.
Similarly, The Club vs. The Hurt Business could have really been a very compelling WWE feud that we never got to see, unfortunately, in the year 2020.
What makes Sting special? His first AEW opponent opens up RIGHT HERE.
