As documented by Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter , by way of WrestlingNews.co , “Raw Underground” hasn’t been canceled yet.
The shoot-style fighting segment was noticeably absent from this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw , which surprised some viewers as it had aired for the previous seven consecutive weeks.
The reason behind this was reportedly down to the rushed nature of this week’s edition, coupled with the unfortunate circumstances surrounding it.
According to the report, WWE chairman Vince McMahon and his creative team didn’t start writing the latest show until 2 p.m. on the day it aired. Superstars were only notified about their duties at 5 p.m., which only gave them three hours to prepare and finalize their segments.
McMahon was supposedly inaccessible for most of the day and “Raw Underground” simply didn’t factor into the company’s creative plans at the time.
While the concept hasn’t been scrapped as of this writing, the article also stated that changes could be applied to it in the coming weeks. As The Inquisitr previously documented, there have been rumors of a title being introduced to the segments in the foreseeable future.
Another reason for the segment being scrapped on this week’s episode was the fact that several performers were unavailable. The recent outbreak of COVID-19 cases in the company meant that the extras who are typically used were absent.
As The Inquisitr recently reported, the latest outbreak can be traced back to NXT. “Raw Underground” angles have used several developmental stars and the majority of them have been ordered to self-isolate for at least two weeks after being in possible contact with the positive cases.
It’s possible future installments of the red brand’s fight club will be put on the back burner until the talent is available again. The promotion is working with a depleted roster at the moment.
In addition to the absent developmental stars, performers such as Shayna Baszler — who has fought on “Raw Underground” in the past — were withdrawn from the most recent show as a result of COVID-19 concerns.
“Raw Underground” was introduced by Shane McMahon in an effort to help the promotion gain some ratings during the pandemic. In a separate report from Sportskeeda , he revealed he wants to bring an MMA and gladiatorial vibe to the product.
Shane also stated he has considerable creative input over the concept and he seems to have some big plans in mind for its future.
