Citing Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select , WrestlingNews.co has reported that Riddick Moss was in line for a major WWE push prior to the pandemic.
The Monday Night Raw superstar, who was the 24/7 Champion at the time, decided to take time off due to COVID-19 concerns. Moss’s brother suffers from cystic fibrosis, and he didn’t want to risk exposing his sibling to the disease.
Moss cares for his brother outside of wrestling. Due to his sibling’s condition, he’d be more susceptible to catching the illness if he became exposed to it. The star taking time off might have been the wisest move, as several employees have contracted the coronavirus in recent weeks.
Paul Heyman, who was reportedly pushing for Moss’s ascent before his hiatus, supposedly made the decision to keep the star off television throughout the pandemic. The belief backstage was that the former executive director didn’t want Moss to get heat from officials, so he made an executive decision on the wrestler’s behalf.
However, the article also revealed that there is no heat on Moss for being absent for several months. Officials respected his decision to stay away and created a story that allowed R-Truth to reclaim the 24/7 Championship to write him off WWE television.
Moss isn’t the only performer who stayed at home due to the pandemic. Performers were given permission to take a leave of absence and several, including Roman Reigns and Sami Zayn, accepted the option. However, some talents reportedly upset management as a result.
Heyman has since been released from his position as executive director, and many of the performers he was pushing have fallen down the card since then. Vince McMahon has reportedly given up on some of the wrestlers who his former colleague was high on.
The latest report stated that Moss is still held in high regard by officials, according to the latest report. He also returned to television earlier this month, defeating Cal Bloom in a “Raw Underground” segment in his comeback match.
The former NXT star was initially promoted to the main roster as Mojo Rawley’s bodyguard. He was tasked with helping Rawley protect the 24/7 title, but it didn’t take long before Moss turned on his friend and claimed the prize for himself.
The title is mostly associated with comedy segments. Moss’s run suggested that his reign could have been more serious than the others, however, and he looked set to become a prominent name on the red brand.
