wrestling / News

Backstage Notes on Last Night’s WWE Raw, AJ Styles Appearance Was Last-Minute Change

May 30, 2023 | Posted by Jeffrey Harris
WWE Raw AJ Styles Seth Rollins, World Heavyweight Title Image Credit: WWE

PWInsider has some additional backstage notes for last night’s edition of WWE Raw. According to the report, AJ Styles appearing on the show, despite being a SmackDown Superstar, was a last-minute creative change for the show. Styles had actually already returned to the United States from the Saudi Arabia trip and flown home on Sunday (May 28) before WWE made the decision to have him fly to Albany for Raw. So Styles’ appearance was not planned ahead of time.

PWInsider also notes that Rollins is scheduled to appear on “all Raws” moving forward, so it doesn’t appear he has any additional filming commitments for Captain America: The New World Order at the moment that would conflict with him appearing on Raw.

Additionally, PWInsider notes that WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus is expected to appear regularly on Raw now. So fans can reportedly expect her to appear weekly “as often as possible.” The Zoey Stark pairing was also not done to give Stratus a proxy in an absence, since she will be a regular fixture on the show now.

Lastly, PWInsider notes that the wrestlers who made the trip from Saudi Arabia to Albany for Raw were said to have been very tired from the trip. As previously noted, the roster’s flight out of Saudi Arabia was delayed by three hours. They were flown to New York, and then they had to fly again out to Albany for Raw.