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This week's episode of WWE's Monday Night RAW included almost the entire roster. This was because it appears that a last-minute decision was made to present an over-the-top-rope battle royal to kick off the show.
WWE could include their underutilized undercard superstars in recent months, but there were still some stars missing from the show.
Whilst the likes of Becky Lynch, Lacey Evans, Riddick Moss, Titus O'Neil, Bray Wyatt, Keith Lee, Shanky and Veer are all long-term absentees, the following list looks at superstars who were surprisingly absent from last night's show.
#6/#5. T-Bar and Mace were not part of this week's episode of WWE RAW
Last night's episode of Monday Night RAW allowed several WWE stars to have some long-overdue TV time. This included Mansoor, Mustafa Ali Humberto Carrillo, Angel Garza, Erik, and Ivar but didn't include Mace and T-Bar.
Over two months ago the duo left RETRIBUTION and removed their masks but have interestingly not been seen on Monday Night RAW since.
Last night's Battle Royal would have been the perfect place for the two stars to make their return and then pick up a feud inside the match. No reason has been given so far for why the two men were missing.
Mustafa Ali has gone on to step into a storyline with Mansoor since RETRIBUTION's split. But Mace, T-Bar, Slapjack, and Reckoning have all remained off TV in recent months.
Mace and T-Bar's last outing was when the duo were part of the main event picture between Drew McIntyre and Bobby Lashley. This feud has now come to an end, and it would have been ideal for the two former NXT stars to return with new identities.
Several WWE stars, including Keith Lee, are waiting to make their return based on creative decisions.
#4. Former WWE Champion Sheamus
Sheamus was backstage on Monday Night RAW last week with several other WWE superstars, but was a notable absentee from this week's show.
Sheamus was part of the crowd claimed they deserved to be in the Money in the Bank ladder match, or at least given a chance to qualify. As a former winner of the contract, it could be argued that Sheamus had a point, but was struggling with a facial injury following his match against Humberto Carrillo.
The segment also included Jeff Hardy, Jinder Mahal, and Cedric Alexander, who were all part of the Battle Royal which opened this week's show.
It was made clear that the Irish star was suffering from a legitimate injury since he broke his nose in a match at the beginning of the month. Sheamus has since undergone surgery and could now be sidelined for several weeks whilst he recovers.
#3. Former WWE Tag Team Champion Xavier Woods
Xavier Woods has been dragged into the feud between WWE Champion Bobby Lashley and his friend Kofi Kingston in recent weeks. The former Tag Team Champion wrestled Lashley last week inside Hell in a Cell and was laid out by The Almighty following the match.
Woods wasn't part of this week's show as he was recovering from the injuries he suffered at the hands of Lashley. He was locked in The Hurt Lock inside the cell and Kingston was unable to get inside to save him.
Kingston and MVP continued the buildup to their match at Money in the Bank this week with a fired-up Kofi Kingston sending a message to Bobby Lashley, who was also absent. It was also revealed that despite the injuries suffered at the hands of the champion, Woods will return to RAW next week.
It was announced this week that Woods will return to WWE and face The Almighty in a one-on-one match next week.
#2. Current WWE Champion Bobby Lashley
Bobby Lashley has a match against Kofi Kingston in less than three weeks' time at Money in the Bank for the WWE Championship.
MVP explained that the champion was on vacation this week, so Kofi Kingston was forced to send a message to his manager instead for Lashley's actions against Xavier Woods last week.
Lashley competed in back-to-back Hell in a Cell matches last week and was seemingly given a break following the history-making 24 hours of his career. His absence also allowed Kingston to deliver a passionate promo regarding his ascension to the WWE Championship picture, and then send quite the message to the current champion by delivering a Trouble in Paradise to MVP.
This act will only add to the intensity of the feud between Lashley and Kingston when The Almighty returns to RAW next week.
#1. Former 14-time WWE World Champion Randy Orton
Perhaps the most notable absentee from this week's episode of Monday Night RAW was former WWE Champion Randy Orton.
The show kicked off with WWE official Adam Pearce revealing there would be an over-the-top-rope battle royal in order to find a replacement for Orton. It was confirmed that The Viper was absent due to "circumstances beyond our control." But Riddle convinced Pearce to let him wrestle in Orton's place.
Riddle was able to win the Battle Royal by last eliminating Damian Priest, but came up short in the main event when he was pinned by Drew McIntyre.
It's unclear why Orton missed this week's episode since there has been no update and Pearce didn't add anything further regarding the former WWE Champion's absence.
It appeared as though his absence could have been part of the storyline since it allowed Riddle to continue his storyline with The Viper even though he wasn't in the arena.
