WWE Rumors: Top Superstar Was Reportedly Removed From ‘SummerSlam’ Angle During The Event Itself
According to a recent report, Alexa Bliss was supposed to appear at WWE’s SummerSlam pay-per-view on Sunday but was removed from the event in what seemed to be an 11th-hour decision.
On Tuesday afternoon, Ringside News‘ Steve Carrier took to Twitter to claim that he and his colleagues were “able to confirm” a rumor that Bliss was removed from the event at the last minute. He explained that the former women’s champion was originally supposed to play a role in the Universal Championship match between Braun Strowman and “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt, but at some point during the show, WWE decided against having her appear.
“Wouldn’t you be a bit upset too?” Carrier asked his followers, adding that more details on the matter would be available soon.
On the morning after the show, Bliss posted multiple tweets in which she expressed bewilderment at not being booked for one of WWE’s biggest pay-per-views of the year. She also liked some posts from fans who felt the same way and wondered what happened. Per WrestlingNews.co, she also took to her Instagram stories to indicate that she “never saw that coming” — a reference to this year’s SummerSlam tagline.
As further noted by Ringside News, WWE chairman Vince McMahon had a “big surprise” for SummerSlam viewers — one that he apparently kept secret even from his own wrestlers and backstage workers. That surprise turned out to be Roman Reigns’ return after an extended absence. “The Big Dog” attacked Wyatt and Strowman during the event’s closing segment. While Bliss was purportedly “ready to go” at that time, she did not have any involvement in the title match or in the post-match beatdown.
WrestlingNews.co speculated that plans for Bliss might have quietly changed when it became official that Reigns would be returning to action. As such, it’s possible Bliss might not be participating in Wyatt and Strowman’s storyline going forward, despite her extensive involvement in previous episodes of the blue brand’s program.
Bliss was not the only SmackDown superstar to apparently get removed from SummerSlam shortly before the pay-per-view took place. As previously reported by The Inquisitr, AJ Styles was supposed to defend his Intercontinental Championship against Jeff Hardy at the event, but WWE chairman Vince McMahon reportedly changed his mind about his plans for the two veterans. Instead, their match was held during the August 21 episode of SmackDown, where Hardy defeated Styles to become a five-time Intercontinental Champion, as recapped by Pro Wrestling Sheet.
