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"Card is subject to change." These are the four dreaded words that gave WWE the window to change up their pay-per-view plans.
Up until this week on Raw, Dolph Ziggler vs The Miz was scheduled to take place for SummerSlam. While it was never going to be the plan, the match was changed to Ziggler vs Goldberg. This is just the latest in a long line of instances where WWE advertised a match for a pay-per-view and it did not take place.
There are several reasons why a previously advertised match would not happen. Injuries and illnesses are generally unavoidable, with WWE having no option but to alter certain matches. However, there have been times where a previously advertised match got canceled or replaced due to the creative decision-making of the company.
Whether it was a bait-and-switch or due to real-life circumstances, here are five recent instances where WWE advertised a pay-per-view match that would end up getting canceled or replaced.
#5 The Shield vs The Miz, The Bar, Braun Strowman and Kane (TLC 2017)
Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, and Seth Rollins reunited as the Shield in the fall of 2017, livening up the post-SummerSlam scene on Raw without the likes of Brock Lesnar and John Cena. Their coming together was the result of issues with a whole host of people. The Miztourage and The Bar all began, or continued, feuding with the members of the Shield. That is why the Shield's reunion match at TLC was initially a 3-on-3 affair.
Soon, Braun Strowman entered the mix to swing the advantage to the heels' favor before Kane returned to further add more odds against the Hounds of Justice, making it a 5-on-3 TLC handicap match for the pay-per-view. However, real-life struck as Roman Reigns was diagnosed as having been brought down by a meningitis virus that had affected a number of people on the Raw roster. This burnt a hole through the TLC card and the heavily anticipated Shield reunion, forcing WWE to name a suitable replacement for the Big Dog merely days before the show.
Rollins and Ambrose were joined by Kurt Angle, in what was his first match in WWE in over 11 years. It was surreal to see the Hall of Fame headliner return to the ring in such a scenario, sporting the full Shield gear with two younger superstars by his side.
#4 The Demon vs Sister Abigail (2017)
Speaking of the meningitis virus burning a hole through the TLC card in 2017, one of the most outrageous matches in WWE history got canceled. Bray Wyatt was also struck down by the illness, rendering him unable to make the show. He had been embroiled in a never-ending feud with Finn Balor, one that started with so much promise. The former NXT Champion defeated Wyatt at SummerSlam and No Mercy, with and without the face paint respectively.
Just when we thought the feud was through, Bray Wyatt transformed into his supposed alter-ego, Sister Abigail, challenging the Demon to a final match at TLC. Balor was going to sport black and orange paint, probably for the full Halloween effect. The match would have been a guaranteed trainwreck, something that would have likely derailed Wyatt's momentum for good. So the virus he got could possibly be looked at as a blessing in disguise because here he is, days away from wrestling his comeback match at SummerSlam as the Fiend against, guess who, Finn Balor.
Much like the Shield situation, WWE had to come up with something big to make up for Wyatt not being cleared. SmackDown Live's AJ Styles flew in from Santiago, Chile to wrestle Balor for the first time in a WWE ring. It was certainly expected, but they both tore the house down.
#3 Bray Wyatt vs Randy Orton (Backlash 2016)
After Randy Orton's head got viciously busted open by Brock Lesnar, he was not cleared to compete for weeks. This was something that WWE either did not know or failed to address. The Viper had begun a feud with Bray Wyatt during the initial stretch of SmackDown going live, with a match being booked for Backlash. It was a match and a feud that was intriguing and exciting at the same time before it got run into the ground.
The company had predicted that Orton would be cleared by the pay-per-view, three weeks after his destruction at SummerSlam. However, that would not be the case and WWE had to come up with something to replace this ready-made match. After a backstage beatdown on Orton's leg at Backlash, Wyatt marched to the ring and awaited a new opponent for the night. Enter Kane. Great, everyone thought, this would be a big win for the Eater of Worlds over a veteran and he would gain some much-needed momentum. Right? Wrong.
The following No Holds Barred match was fine, aside from the finish. Randy Orton came out, selling the "leg injury", and distracted Wyatt before he hit him with an RKO, gifting the win to the Monster. It did not make much sense for a rising star like Wyatt to get pinned by Kane, who was on his way out of WWE by this point.
#2 Brock Lesnar vs Jinder Mahal (Survivor Series 2017)
The feud between Raw and SmackDown Live was one of the most entertaining things in the final quarter of 2017 for WWE. Following the aforementioned Raw-branded TLC pay-per-view, Shane McMahon led SmackDown in an invasion of Raw. It was a great segment, building up hype for Survivor Series perfectly. Several brand warfare matches were announced, with each brand's Champions facing off against their Blue/Red counterparts.
One of the most baffling matches on the card was Brock Lesnar vs Jinder Mahal. The latter was deep into his WWE Championship reign, laying out the challenge to the Universal Champion. WWE even seemed to have plans to book John Cena to be the special guest referee in this match, making it more of a spectacle. However, plans ended up changing as a few Championships changed hands on the road to Survivor Series, altering a few matches. But none was bigger than that moment in Manchester.
Despite the result being spoilt due to the time difference, AJ Styles defeating Mahal for the WWE Championship was one hell of a moment. This meant that the Phenomenal One would take his place against Lesnar at Survivor Series, less than a month after being a last-minute replacement to face Finn Balor at TLC.
#1 AJ Styles vs Daniel Bryan (Crown Jewel 2018)
Following his crowd-pleasing WWE Championship victory in England, AJ Styles embarked on a long journey with the title. His resultant match with Brock Lesnar was a classic and helped him a lot, despite losing the bout. The reign he had was not always electric, but Styles did bring it, on most occasions. His feuds against Shinsuke Nakamura and Samoa Joe stick out, with multiple matches against both men ranging from frustrating to excellent. He was quickly approaching a full year with the title, with a match against Daniel Bryan looming.
The two were set to meet in Riyadh, at the controversial Crown Jewel event. However, after assessing the situation with Saudi Arabia and the grim circumstances surrounding the journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, Bryan refused to travel to the show. This forced WWE to change plans for the WWE title match for Crown Jewel, so they had this match take place on the SmackDown before Crown Jewel. Bryan and Styles had an excellent match for the belt, with the Phenomenal One standing tall before being jumped by a former bitter rival.
Samoa Joe challenged AJ Styles for the title for the fourth time at Crown Jewel, with the Phenomenal One's victory taking his title reign past the one year mark. As for Daniel Bryan, it seemed like WWE would punish him for refusing to go to Saudi Arabia. But, to the shock of everyone, he turned heel and won the WWE Championship, ending AJ's title reign at 371 days.
