Backstage News Of Why Kurt Angle Replaced Roman Reigns At ‘TLC’
As a result of Roman Reigns being forced to revoke his spot in the 5-on-3 main event at TLC, General Manager Kurt Angle stepped in after an 11-year hiatus as a WWE in-ring competitor. Reigns was just one part of a very chaotic weekend for WWE, as Bray Wyatt was also pulled from his scheduled match against Finn Balor. Seemingly, it was not a very good time for Reigns to be left out of the match, since the goal is for him to be embraced by the fans more as a babyface leading to his scheduled WWE Universal Championship match against Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 34.
WWE quickly rebounded from these unexpected occurrences, and compiled a very poignant video package to show the “then and now” of Kurt Angle’s Hall of Fame career. From his formative years in the late-nineties and early 2000s, to his time as a staple main-event star, WWE showcased important milestones throughout his previous seven-year career as a WWE competitor. WWE made sure to note that various media outlets covered his return, further hyping it to heighten the anticipation. At TLC, Angle was given a vest to solidify his role as an honorary Shield member, and helped the Raw Tag Team Champions to a victory.
Why Was Kurt Angle The Choice To Replace Roman Reigns?
Angle as the choice to replace Reigns was cemented nearly right after the news broke that the Big Dog was moved from the match. According to the Wrestling Observer, WWE did not consider anyone else to fill the role, due to Angle being the only person on the current roster who could give the pay-per-view a marquee feel.
Since both John Cena and Brock Lesnar were going to be absent, WWE chose Angle to fill the void of them being gone, while maintaining the suspense of the pay-per-view. Apparently, there was no one else who is on the current roster even considered to be in the role. While there are current babyfaces who could have replaced Reigns, WWE felt that no one has the level of star power currently on the roster to adequately fill in the gap. As a result, Angle was the go-to choice to compete in the match.
[Featured Image by WWE]
