WWE Crown Jewel is moving forward without Gunther vs. Finn Balor, even though the match was originally part of the company’s plans. Now, questions are being raised about why WWE decided to leave the two Superstars off the card after building their rivalry on television.
During Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer revealed that Gunther and Finn Balor were originally included in a five-match lineup for Crown Jewel. However, WWE ultimately advertised just four matches for the Premium Live Event, leaving their planned encounter off the show.
“I mean, I can say Gunther and Finn Balor was on the five match lineup.”
Meltzer pointed out that WWE’s own promotional material had established Crown Jewel as a four-match event, which led him to believe the company had made a change behind the scenes.
“And if they’re doing a four match thing show, as they have been talking about in their own publicity, that it’s a format show that would tell me that for some reason they made the call to pull that match.”
What makes the situation strange is that WWE had already spent television time advancing the storyline between Gunther and Balor. The two were involved in an angle on RAW, but WWE never followed through by adding their match to the Crown Jewel lineup. Meltzer admitted he didn’t know why the match had been removed from the plans. At the time of the discussion, he was still wondering whether WWE might make a late announcement on SmackDown.
“And I don’t know why that would be, but I guess we’ll find out tonight if it’s a late edition or not.”.
WWE has not provided an explanation for why Gunther vs. Finn Balor was left off the card. It’s also unclear whether the company intends to move the match to a future episode of RAW or save it for another Premium Live Event.
For now, Gunther and Balor are on the outside looking in as Crown Jewel goes ahead without them. WWE had already put time into their rivalry, only to leave the match off one of its major events. Whether this was simply a scheduling decision or part of a larger creative change remains to be seen.
What do you think about WWE leaving Gunther vs. Finn Balor off the Crown Jewel card after building their rivalry on RAW? Should the match have been included, or is WWE better off saving it for another show? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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