The big news of the week was Braun Strowman being removed from the Universal Title match at the Royal Rumble. Brock Lesnar will now be facing Finn Balor for the Title at the event.
So why was this match changed?
Dave Meltzer provided some more details on the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio (subscribe here).
WWE originally had plans to do the Strowman vs Lesnar match. After Crown Jewel, Vince McMahon reportedly saw that Braun was cooling off and didn’t want to beat him again. Braun also lost some momentum after suffering the elbow injury. Vince felt as if he couldn’t beat Strowman again since the plan was for Brock to retain the Title at the Rumble.
That left Vince with the option of doing a screwy finish to protect Strowman or pulling the match completely. Vince ultimately went with changing the match to Lesnar vs Balor.
WWE also kept advertising the match so long in order to help move some tickets for the Royal Rumble. Vince felt as if Strowman vs Lesnar would sell more tickets than advertising Balor vs Lesnar. The Rumble takes place at Chase Field, which holds over 40,000 people.
My Take: After what happened at Crown Jewel, I had no real interest in Braun vs Brock again. Brock’s best matches always seem to be against smaller guys, so I am thrilled with the change. I am expecting a fun match at the Rumble, even though Balor is more than likely losing.
How do you feel about Strowman being replaced by Balor? Let us know in the comment section below.
On a related note, check out some potential surprise returns that could happen at the Rumble.