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What’s the story?
According to Bryan Alvarez of F4WOnline, WWE is planning to bring in major changes on Monday Night Raw. The same is apparently being done due to the absence of Roman Reigns, who was taken out from this Sunday Night’s TLC pay-per-view.
Apart from this, Alvarez also noted that Finn Balor and AJ Styles might get a long time slot on the pay-per-view.
In case you did not know…
WWE announced today that Roman Reigns will be replaced by Monday Night Raw General Manager Kurt Angle at TLC. This paves the path for Angle’s WWE in-ring return after a long 11-year gap. The exact reason for the absence of Reigns is unknown but there are speculations that he could be suffering from illness.
Finn Balor, meanwhile, was scheduled to face Bray Wyatt at the event. Balor also got a last minute opponent change as Bray was reportedly dealing with viral meningitis.
The heart of the matter
Ahead of TLC, Roman Reigns had reunited with Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins. The reunion was a major storyline heading into the pay-per-view and the Shield was set to headline the pay-per-view as well.
The rumour suggests that WWE is set to make some changes to their creative direction of Monday Night Raw considering the absence of the "Samoan Superman".
What’s next?
WWE brings TLC this Sunday night from the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The major highlight of the show will be the 5-on-3 handicap match which pits Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Kurt Angle against The Miz, Cesaro, Sheamus, Braun Strowman, and Kane. The match will be under the Tables, Ladders and Chairs stipulation.
Author’s take
Considering how important Reigns was to the Monday Night Raw main event scene, the rumour isn’t a big surprise. While a change is indeed likely to happen, it will depend on a handful of factors.
The most important one among them will be the time Reigns would require for his recovery. Another factor would be the reaction that fans give to Angle when he finally steps in between the ropes for a match.
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