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What's the story?
WWE unveiled the official match card for the upcoming live events in India on December 8th and 9th. The company made a host of changes to the existing card and announced the inclusion of Samoa Joe, which led to one of the matches being changed.
In case you didn't know...
WWE's yearly stopover for two house shows at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in Delhi, India, as mentioned above, will happen on December 8th and 9th.
The Raw-branded show will have one SmackDown Live match in which the now former WWE Champion will face Kevin Owens.
The heart of the matter
The Samoan Submission Machine's addition to the tour has forced WWE to alter a few matches. Roman Reigns was originally supposed to face Braun Strowman on December 8, but will now go up against Joe.
The Monster Among Men will instead have a match against Kane on the first day.
Below are the announced match cards for both days:
Day 1 (December 8th, 2017)
3 on 4 Handicap Match: Apollo Crews, Titus O'Neil & Goldust vs. Luke Gallows, Karl Anderson, Bo Dallas & Curtis Axel
Jason Jordan vs Elias
WWE Cruiserweight Championship: Enzo Amore (c) vs. Kalisto
RAW Women's Championship: Alexa Bliss (c) vs. Sasha Banks
Finn Balor vs. Bray Wyatt
WWE RAW Tag Team Championship: Cesaro & Sheamus (c) vs. Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins
Kane vs. Braun Strowman
Roman Reigns vs. Samoa Joe
Jinder Mahal (c) (w/ The Singh Brothers) vs. Kevin Owens
Day 2 (December 9th, 2017)
Apollo Crews & Titus O'Neil vs. Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson
Mixed Tag Team Match: Kalisto & Sasha Banks vs. Enzo Amore & Alexa Bliss
Goldust vs. Elias
Jason Jordan vs. Bray Wyatt
Finn Balor vs. Curtis Axel (with Bo Dallas)
Braun Strowman vs Samoa Joe
Jinder Mahal (c) (w/ The Singh Brothers) vs. Kevin Owens
The Shield (Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins & Dean Ambrose) vs. Kane, Cesaro and Sheamus
As Jinder Mahal is no longer the WWE Champion after AJ Styles defeated him on the taped SmackDown episode in the UK, the Modern day Maharaj's match against KO will now be a non-title match.
What's next?
Expect the card to undergo more changes before the show finally takes place next month. Reports state that Mahal may win the title back in time for the tour and that Styles won the title only because a dream match against Brock Lesnar is a safer option for a big four PPV.
With Survivor Series up next, be prepared for the swerves WWE could have in store.
Author's take
With Jinder Mahal and the Shield no longer champions, WWE may have felt the need to upgrade the card a bit. Having already acquired my tickets for the show, Samoa Joe's introduction has only doubled up the anticipation.
The Indian fans are in for an unforgettable experience.
