Reason Why Finn Balor And Roman Reigns Were Kept Off ‘Raw’ This Week Revealed
During this week’s edition of Raw, both Roman Reigns and Finn Balor were noticeably absent. There was a vignette for Balor and it was revealed that Reigns will announce his plans for WWE SummerSlam next week on Raw. However, neither man appeared on camera and the WWE Universe is curious what the reason was for their absence. Apparently, WWE officials decided to keep both men off the show for one specific reason.
It’s being reported that WWE officials are intentionally keeping some of their top babyfaces off television as a way to ensure they aren’t overexposed to the WWE Universe. This is said to be a temporary way for WWE to book their top superstars because the powers that be are trying to save them during the downtime before the summer months. Because of that booking, Balor and Reigns were given the night off last week on Raw.
For Roman Reigns, some time off would be good for him. He’s been without direction since the rivalry with Braun Strowman was put on hold, and he’s still dealing with the backlash from the WWE Universe after his victory over The Undertaker at WrestleMania 33. Obviously, Reigns is expected to have a huge role over the summer, especially at WWE SummerSlam. One night off in the middle of June isn’t going to hurt him at all.
On the other hand, Finn Balor is still establishing himself as a top babyface on the main roster. He has done a good job with the opportunities he’s been given, but WWE officials are clearly holding him back from a top spot on Raw until the time is right. There is a chance he will get back into the WWE Universal Title picture over the summer, but WWE officials still need to reveal creative plans for him at WWE Great Balls of Fire.
WWE officials choosing not to utilize their babyfaces is an interesting way to book Raw. An occasional night off isn’t out of the question, but WWE fans buy tickets to see Finn Balor and Roman Reigns. If they take that away too often, the WWE Universe may not appreciate that and it may become more noticeable. Eventually, it will become more obvious that WWE officials don’t have anything for their top stars to do on television.
Last week’s edition of Raw didn’t do well in the ratings against the NBA Finals without Balor or Reigns. The exception is the segment between Brock Lesnar and Samoa Joe, but Balor and Reigns being absent was a big hit to the quality of the show. Going forward, if WWE officials are planning to give their top guys an evening off, there should be a better plan in place to ensure the ratings don’t suffer as a result.
[Featured Image by WWE]
