WWE Rumors: Backstage note on Lars Sullivan's debut on the RAW after Mania

What's the story?

At TLC, WWE revealed that Lars Sullivan was coming to the main roster before undisclosed incidents seemed to hit the brakes on the dominant star's debut.

Well, last night, Sullivan finally appeared on the RAW After Mania, laying out Kurt Angle after the Olympian sought revenge on Baron Corbin. Now it's emerged what the original plans for Lars Sullivan were had he debuted instantly.

In case you didn't know...

When Vince McMahon announced the new era of WWE at the turn of the year, several NXT call-ups were announced, with Sullivan's name showing alongside them. Lacey Evans, EC3, Nikki Cross and Heavy Machinery all debuted on either Raw or SmackDown Live, but Sullivan was a notable absentee.

The Wrestling Observer had noted that Sullivan had to go home from RAW when he was slated to debut after having an anxiety attack, and the vignettes promoting the NXT man subsided. However, Sullivan made up for lost time last night with an incredible appearance at the expense of the retiring Kurt Angle.

The heart of the matter

Lars Sullivan made an immediate impact last night when he attacked WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle on the RAW after Mania, driving Angle into the mat before hitting a diving headbutt from the top rope.

It's now emerged that Sullivan's appearance last night replicated precisely what he was going to do to John Cena back in January, according to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio.

The segment, at that point, was intended to set up Lars' in-ring debut against the 16-time World Champion at WrestleMania.