WWE Creative makes the right call when hit with surprises

When WWE Creative has been hit with forced changes, they’ve shown that they can come up with booking that was better than originally planned.

WWE Creative is in a thankless position. Even if they put together an intriguing storyline, there are people who will complain and think they could do their job much better. While writing for professional wrestling is challenging, there are times when WWE Creative is hit with the proverbial “curve ball” that throws their best-laid plans out the window. However, the team of writers find a way to overcome the surprise and deliver on something that keeps fans engaged over the long term.

The last two months have been riddled with incidents that have forced major stars out of action. First, there was Roman Reigns, who is dealing with a battle against Leukemia that will keep him out of action for an extended period.

Last week, Becky Lynch suffered a broken nose and concussion after Nia Jax landed a stiff punch on Monday Night Raw, knocking Lynch out of a big match with Ronda Rousey at Survivor Series on Sunday.

Both Reigns and Lynch, already stars, were able to do something special in their roles on Raw and SmackDown Live, respectively. These situations forced WWE Creative to make changes that have been met with mixed reactions.

Braun Strowman was used as fodder to get the WWE Universal title back on Brock Lesnar. Meanwhile, Charlotte Flair has been tabbed in to take on Rousey on Sunday. These adjustments are a far cry from what was originally offered, but they were put together to keep the action going.

On one hand, putting the belt back on Lesnar pushes WWE Creative right back into a situation where the promotion’s main title is non-existent on WWE programing. It would be understandable why rumors are growing that the Raw roster is perturbed by the situation backstage. Having the belt on Raw gives their storylines and airtime much more meaning. Lesnar’s time as champion hasn’t been as exciting as when it began, but WWE Creative was pushed to go backwards instead of pushing forward with Strowman or even Drew McIntyre as the main man for the flagship show.

As for Charlotte, it’s long been rumored that her and Rousey are headed on a course to face off, perhaps as the main event for WrestleMania 35. Having her fill in for Lynch puts all the wrestlers involved in a storyline that isn’t complete when Sunday’s match ends, regardless of the winner.

This is the type of booking that can lead to engaging storylines in the future instead of a meaningless match that doesn’t have any stakes – a situation that has plagued much of WWE programming in the past. While Lynch’s injury puts a highly-anticipated match on hold, WWE Creative took the right direction to build to something in the future that keeps all parties at the forefront.

When surprise situations hit WWE Creative, it’s an interesting opportunity to watch how the organization responds to the situation. There are many examples as to when an injury or a legal matter created booking and story-telling that was better than originally offered.

Take Kevin Owens as an example. Finn Balor’s shoulder injury created a need for the WWE to put the Universal Title on someone. It seemed like either Roman Reigns or Seth Rollins would get the belt, but WWE Creative booked a storyline where Triple H turned on Rollins and opened the door for Owens to win the title.

It’s hard to believe that Owens would have been considered a main event player had Balor not suffered the shoulder injury. That shift in booking helped push Owens into a position that everyone familiar with his work knew he would thrive in. From there, he was able to give us various gems, such as the Festival of Friendship.

One could even look at the change in booking around 205 Live. Enzo Amore was the champion that everyone loved to hate. He had X-Pac level heat, but when a rape allegation cut his WWE run short, the brand was taken in a completely different direction. Now, fans get to enjoy action that involves Buddy Murphy, Mustafa Ali, Cedric Alexander and more, putting the brand in a much better spot that it would have been with Amore in the title picture.

It’s always hard to predict exactly where WWE Creative will take the rosters they are working with. Internal pressures from higher-ups and external pressures from fan response sway the final outcomes. But when surprise situations pop up, this group has shown that they can book something that is better than the original plan. In many ways, fans and experts alike wished they would use that same creativity week in and week out.