Real Reason Braun Strowman PULLED From WWE Royal Rumble! | WrestleTalk News Jan. 2019

WWE Unveil Women’s Tag Team Championships

On the Christmas Eve episode of Monday Night Raw, Vince McMahon doing his best Silent Night, Deadly Night cosplay promised that in 2019 we would see the debut of Women’s Tag Team Championships. Technically it’s a re-debut, but that is nitpicking. Since then little has been mention of the belts on TV – aside from a few off-hand comments here and there by the likes of IIconics – but that all changed on last night’s Raw.

During her Moment of Bliss segment, Alexa Bliss came out to reveal the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships – which aren’t quite as nice as the NXT UK Tag Team titles, but are a major step up from the ugly ass Raw and Smackdown Tag Team Championships – and announced that the belts will be decided at Elimination Chamber; with 3 teams from Raw and 3 teams from Smackdown stepping inside the titular structure to crown the first champs. Bliss didn’t announce any teams for the Chamber, but a few people have already put their hands up looking for a shot – including NXT’s Dakota Kai tagging her Team Kick partner Tegan Nox in a Twitter post, Mandy Rose saying she and Sonya Deville will win them and Billie Kay promising they will look iconic round the waists of her and Peyton Royce – but spare a thought for poor Naomi. Who’s Empress and The Glow tag partner Asuka ditched her to become the Smackdown Women’s Champion – meaning Naomi is looking for a new ride or die partner. Time to step up Lana!

Perhaps Bliss herself can go after the belts at Elimination Chamber – as she has provided an update on her injury.

Alexa Bliss Injury Return Update

Alexa Bliss hasn’t been inside a WWE ring since October last year after suffering multiple concussions during her feud with Ronda Rousey and subsequent house shows. There wasn’t a lot of information about return timetable for the former Raw Women’s Champion, but it was reported at one point that she may face early retirement due to her injuries.

Thankfully in a new interview on Lillian Garcia’s podcast, Bliss offered a positive update on her in-ring return. “I plan on coming back pretty soon… It’s a brain; you only get one, can’t trade it off for another. I’ve been doing really well. I’ve been training at the Performance Center. I’m training in the ring there, so there’s definitely hope for me getting back in the ring relatively soon.”

Bliss does note however that although her MRIs are good, if she suffers from headaches or memory loss or anything like that, she won’t be cleared to wrestle.

Bludgeon Brothers Injury Return Update

Two other wrestlers looking to make their return is Harper and Rowan of Bludgeon Brothers, with Dave Meltzer reporting in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Rowan has been spotted at the WWE Performance Centre in Orlando, Florida, and Harper is closing in on being cleared to wrestle again.

Fandango & Sin Cara Injury Return Updates

PWInsider are also reporting that Sin Cara and Fandango have been spotted down at the Performance Centre – working to make their in-ring returns. And we’re not done yet, as there are two more in-ring returns possibly coming soon.

Sami Zayn & Kevin Owens Injury Return Updates

Back before Christmas last year when the McMahon Family announced another New Era of WWE, video packages were played to hype the returns of Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens. And while those video packages haven’t been played since, PWInsider are reporting that Sami Zayn has also been spotted at the Performance Centre training for his in-ring return. Zayn has been on the injured list since June last year – needing time off to get rotator cuff surgery on both shoulders.

His partner in crime Kevin Owens is also near a return going by his Twitter game – posting a picture of himself holding the Intercontinental Championship with the caption “Soon-ish”. For what it’s worth he also posted the same thing about Finn Balor winning the Universal Championship from Brock Lesnar and, well that seems highly unlikely.

But why was Braun taken out of the Royal Rumble match?

Real Reason Braun Strowman Was Pulled From Royal Rumble?

It was announced by Vince McMahon on Raw last night that Braun Strowman was no longer in the title match against Brock Lesnar at the Royal Rumble after tearing the door off his limo. Dave Meltzer reported in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter last week that although the match was still being advertised, Strowman was still not cleared to wrestle following the bone spur surgery he had late last year – which also kept him from getting physical in his match against Baron Corbin at TLC.

Dave Meltzer reported before Raw went on the air last night that WWE were going to shoot an angle that would write Braun out of the Brock Lesnar match, but stated that this was always the plan and it had nothing to do with his injury. He expanded on Wrestling Observer Radio, saying that following the finish at Crown Jewel – where Baron Corbin cost Braun Strowman the Universal Championship – the title match at Royal Rumble was going to be Lesnar vs. Strowman  – which would then lead into Brock Lesnar defending the title against Seth Rollins at WrestleMania. However Vince McMahon changed his mind as he didn’t want to beat Braun again so quickly after Crown Jewel, and they had no plans for Strowman to win the title.

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