We have some backstage notes to pass your way from RAW this week in Atlanta. This comes via a report from Wrestling INC.
— Batista was apparently kept very well hidden backstage at RAW. Titus O’Neil and some WWE officials were the only ones who knew that he was there (prior to the news breaking online).
— Sting, Shawn Michaels, and Ricky Steamboat were not hidden backstage. They were seen interacting with the WWE roster throughout the day.
— The report says that despite rumors claiming otherwise, the Rock was not backstage for the episode. The Rock’s mom, Ata Johnson, was spotted in the crowd though.
— Charlotte Flair and Randy Orton were both not backstage. They wrestled at the SmackDown live event in Savannah, Georgia that night instead.
— James Storm was backstage for the episode. He was visiting friends since he lives in the area.
— Bruce Prichard reportedly spent a good amount of time talking with Roman Reigns backstage in a hallway after RAW. Prichard was recently signed on as a WWE creative team member.
— There was a moment during Reigns’ promo where people were booing. While it wasn’t clear while watching the show, it was actually because a fan yelled, “You suck!” really loud when it got quiet. The crowd booed him and then immediately started chanting Roman’s name.
On a related note, here is the reason why Dean Ambrose didn’t join Seth Rollins after Roman’s big announcement.