Backstage News On Bella Twins Not Appearing On WWE Raw Is XXX
The Bella Twins were advertised to appear on the "Raw is XXX" special episode Monday night, but a planned segment involving the WWE Hall of Famers was reportedly pulled at the last minute.
According to Fightful Select, The Bellas "didn't end up going" to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where WWE celebrated the 30-year anniversary of "WWE Raw" with a show featuring a plethora of legends such as Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Alundra Blayze, IRS, Ron Simmons and The Godfather, among others.
As noted earlier, The Bellas implied via Instagram Stories that their segment was pulled by WWE since the promotion was selective in the legends they wanted to showcase on "Raw is XXX." However, Fightful's report suggests that WWE did have plans for The Bellas but had to call an audible when the former wrestlers did not show up in Philadelphia. The Bellas also lashed out at WWE for not acknowledging the contributions made by Saraya [FKA Paige] and Mercedes Moné [FKA Sasha Banks] in a video package that aired on "Raw" celebrating the strides made by women superstars over the past decade or so.
Earlier, there was speculation about Damage CTRL confronting The Bella Twins on "Raw is XXX," especially after Bayley called out the twin sisters on social media. Bayley and The Bellas had gone back and forth during Night 1 of WrestleMania 37 in 2021, a few nights after Nikki & Brie were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
Meanwhile, Fightful's report included several other backstage notes from Monday's show, including a confirmation on The Wrestling Observer's report that the "Roman Reigns Acknowledgment Ceremony" was canceled due to Rikishi being "ill" and unable to travel. The creative was subsequently changed to the "Tribal Court" segment where Reigns decided on the fate of Sami Zayn as a member of The Bloodline.
Finally, the report added that "people of influence within the company were very happy with how Raw turned out." Clearly, they have good reason to be joyous, seeing as the show garnered its best overall viewership since February 2020, averaging 2,344,000 viewers across three hours on the USA Network.