Backstage Update On Opponent Originally Planned For Seth Rollins On WWE Raw

The returning Tommaso Ciampa was supposed to answer Seth Rollins' open challenge for the World Heavyweight Championship on Monday's "WWE Raw," according to Fightful Select. Instead, Ciampa ended up defeating The Miz in his comeback match, and Rollins was ambushed by Finn Balor before anyone could answer his open challenge.

Fightful noted that the originally-planned match between Ciampa and Rollins "was set to get a tone of time" but those plans changed multiple times over the weekend, and a few hours prior to the show. The report added that the match was listed internally as TBA vs. Seth Rollins, but was later changed to reflect the attack carried out by Balor — Rollins' opponent at Money in the Bank.

The report confirmed that Vince McMahon was instrumental in changing up the opening segment of "Raw," and all those who originally planned for the Rollins vs. Ciampa bout "wanted the match to go through as planned." Furthermore, there was a theory floated by some that WWE did not want Ciampa to suffer a loss in his first match back in nearly a year. However, there's very little truth to that theory, per Fightful, which added that the plan was for the Rollins vs. Ciampa match to end up in a non-finish, so as to protect both the returning Ciampa and the champion, Rollins. 

Soon after Ciampa's return, fans in Cleveland, Ohio started a "Johnny Wrestling" chant, possibly reacting to rumors of hometown hero Johnny Gargano's imminent return. To that end, Fightful noted that there have been internal discussions to reunite Ciampa and Gargano — formerly known as DIY in "WWE NXT" — and that Gargano was backstage for "Raw" but was not planned for the show by the time WWE hit the airwaves. Surely, Gargano being backstage at a WWE show bodes well for his fans anticipating his comeback. Fightful's report did not provide any details on WWE's plans for Gargano's televised return.