5 WWE Superstars who were removed from big matches (and the reasons why)
Regular followers of WWE will know that every match card is subject to change.
In 2019, for example, WWE announced that Asuka would defend the SmackDown Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 35 against the winner of a Fatal 4-Way match between Carmella, Mandy Rose, Naomi and Sonya Deville.
However, in the weeks leading up to the show, WWE’s plans changed and Charlotte Flair ended up going into her WrestleMania main event against Becky Lynch and Ronda Rousey as SmackDown Women’s Champion. Asuka, meanwhile, had to settle for a spot in the kickoff show Battle Royal.
That is just one example of an important match that WWE altered at short notice, but did you know that this has actually been a common theme in high-profile encounters over the last few years?
In this article, let’s take a look at five WWE Superstars who were removed from big matches that had already been announced.
#5 Rusev (vs. The Undertaker, WWE Greatest Royal Rumble)
Following his return to in-ring action against John Cena at WrestleMania 34, The Undertaker was booked in a casket match against Rusev at WWE’s first major event in Saudi Arabia, the Greatest Royal Rumble.
Rusev took to Twitter to simply state, “Bury me softly, Brother,” after the match was confirmed, and it did not take long for WWE to announce that Chris Jericho was going to take his place and face The Undertaker instead.
This prompted lots of speculation about Rusev possibly getting into trouble for his Twitter remark, but the man himself revealed in a video posted on his YouTube channel that Vince McMahon removed him from the match because he did not want the three-time United States Champion's new babyface character to be damaged by a loss to The Undertaker.
“Then they put Jericho in, but what happened was, the prince called and said, ‘I want Rusev back in this match.’ Guess what happened? Rusev went back in the match and Rusev went to dinner with the Saudi prince. Rusev was over in Saudi Arabia, brother.” [H/T Fightful]
Unlike the other examples in this list, Rusev did end up facing his original opponent, The Undertaker, who picked up the victory in an entertaining 10-minute match.