Plans for a ceremony to honor The Bloodline on tonight’s landmark “WWE Raw” 30th anniversary show were recently altered. Over the weekend, WWE announced that instead of the ceremony, “Honorary Uce” Sami Zayn — who has struggled to meet the expectations of his “Tribal Chief” Roman Reigns — would be put on trial in Tribal Court. New information has surfaced about why the original segment was scrapped.
According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the change was necessitated because Afa and Sika of the Wild Samoans, along with WWE Hall of Famer Rikishi, could not attend the Philadelphia event. These icons, part of The Bloodline (Anoaʻi) family lineage, were unable to make the trip due to health concerns.
Afa, aged 80, and Sika, 77, were not prepared for travel, and Rikishi fell ill recently, leading to the cancellation of the original segment. Consequently, WWE adjusted the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship contract signing on Friday’s “WWE SmackDown” to set up the new Tribal Court segment for tonight’s “Raw.”
Reports suggesting that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson withdrew or that Vince McMahon, recently reinstated as WWE Executive Chairman, altered the plans are incorrect. It was clarified that Johnson was never scheduled for the segment.
Although there has been speculation about a potential WrestleMania 39 match between Johnson and Reigns, recent updates indicate Johnson might not have enough time to prepare for the bout.