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WWE makes it clear whenever there are promotions for upcoming shows, that all plans are subject to change. This is because the company's shows are performed live and often injuries or other personal issues can cause plans to change at the last minute.
Over the past few years, the company has had to cash in on their "subject to change" small print several times due to a number of different issues with superstars who were originally booked to be on certain shows.
The following list looks at just five times that WWE stars were forced to step in at the last minute to save the day, either on RAW, SmackDown, or on pay-per-view.
#5. WWE COO Triple H - Monday Night RAW 2021
This past week on RAW, the company was forced to make several changes to the show at the last minute when it was announced publicly that WWE Champion Drew McIntyre had tested positive for COVID-19 and would be forced into quarantine ahead of the show.
At the time, McIntyre was scheduled to wrestle Randy Orton in the main event of WWE's Monday Night RAW and the company had to act fast to find a replacement. Triple H was the man who was called into action as The Viper challenged The Game to his first match in almost two years.
The former 14-time World Champion accepted after a personal altercation with The Legend Killer before the two men then fought it out in an unsanctioned fight.
Of course, Triple H's part in the bout wasn't a big one and after a few minutes, it appeared as though The Fiend had returned before Alexa Bliss showed up and sent a message to Orton in the shape of a fireball.
Triple H was the perfect man to step in at the last minute and despite being quarantined, McIntyre was still able to play his part in the show when he appeared via pre-recorded video. The WWE Champion accepted Goldberg's Royal Rumble challenge and spoke about his recent positive COVID test and the fact that he didn't have any symptoms.
Despite McIntyre being unable to interact with the WWE Universe following his test result, the company was still able to include him in the show and The Game stepping in meant that the show was able to run smoothly.
#4. Former WWE star Dean Ambrose - Night of Champions 2014
Dean Ambrose was embroiled in a feud with former WWE Champion Seth Rollins mid-way through 2014 after The Monday Night Messiah turned on his brothers in The Shield and formed a union with The Authority.
This led to Rollins putting Ambrose's head through some cinderblocks on an episode of RAW and putting him out of action. Whilst Ambrose was away filming 12 Rounds 3: LockDown with WWE Studios, Roman Reigns stepped into a feud with former teammate Seth Rollins.
Just a day before the show, Reigns was rushed to hospital with an incarcerated hernia and deemed unable to compete. Rollins then made his way to the ring and announced that he would win the match via forfeit.
It was only when Rollins was in the arena that a car showed up and Dean Ambrose made his return to attack his former friend and make it clear that their issues were far from over.
This return led to several impressive matches from the two stars, which included the main event of Hell in a Cell. Roman Reigns returned to WWE three months later and picked up his feud with Rollins when he attacked his former teammate and The Big Show at TLC.
#3. Former WWE star Nikki Bella - SummerSlam 2016
Nikki Bella dropped her Divas Championship to Charlotte Flair in late 2015, before going on hiatus from WWE where it was confirmed that she needed surgery on a neck injury.
The former Champion took hiatus from the company until SummerSlam 2016 when she once again returned as a heel in place of Eva Marie. The former Diva Search contestant was scheduled to be part of a six-person tag match at The Biggest Party of the Summer before she was suspended for violating WWE's Wellness Policy.
Eva Marie was climbing through the ranks at the time, but following her suspension, she never returned to the company and was released the following year.
Nikki Bella was able to step in as a last-minute surprise since she had been cleared to compete a month before. Bella then remained a part of the main roster for the next few years and was able to enter a feud alongside John Cena against The Miz and Maryse.
Recent rumors have claimed that Eva Marie could be set to make her return to the company in the near future.
#2. Kurt Angle and AJ Styles - WWE TLC 2017
AJ Styles made his WWE debut at the 2016 Royal Rumble and many WWE fans wondered when The Bullet Club would come together since Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows, and Finn Balor were all part of WWE at the time.
Balor was once the leader of The Bullet Club ahead of Styles, but the two men didn't have many chances to face off on WWE TV with their first bout coming by complete accident.
Ahead of TLC back in 2017, Roman Reigns and Bray Wyatt were reported to be struggling with a "viral infection" which meant that they couldn't be cleared to compete as part of the show.
Bray Wyatt was originally scheduled to face Finn Balor as Sister Abigail took on The Demon King, but AJ Styles was drafted in as his replacement, and instead, fans were handed one of their fantasy matches.
Reigns was scheduled to team with The Shield in their 5-on-3 handicap match against The Miz, Braun Strowman, Kane, Cesaro, and Sheamus but The Big Dog was replaced by RAW General Manager Kurt Angle.
#1. Johnny Nitro - WWE Vengeance: Night of Champions 2007
Chris Benoit was originally scheduled to take on CM Punk for the vacant ECW World Heavyweight Championship back at WWE Vengeance: Night of Champions. However, after WWE was unable to get into contact with the former Champion, Johnny Nitro was the star who was chosen as his replacement at the last minute.
At the time, it was unknown to anyone within WWE what the reason behind Benoit's disappearance was since this didn't come to light until the following day when the company finally sent someone to his home.
On the night, it was made clear that Benoit was scheduled to become ECW World Champion when Nitro dominated the match and was able to win the Championship with a Corkscrew Neckbreaker.
At the time, CM Punk was still coming through the ranks in WWE and the company perhaps made the decision that it was too soon for a World Championship reign. Considering Nitro stepped in literally minutes before the match was set to take place, the former Champion put on a fantastic show for a crowd that was expecting a very physical match from Benoit.
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