Backstage Updates On Daniel Bryan And John Cena Not Working WWE Crown Jewel, Possible Replacement
It appears as if nothing has changed regarding John Cena skipping Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia this Friday, and WWE may confirm his status on tonight's RAW, according to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio. Meltzer noted that some people in creative and elsewhere in the company are not aware of what is actually happening with Cena, but we should have an answer after tonight's RAW.
In a related noted, the @WrestleVotes Twitter account, which has broken several stories in the past, is reporting that Bobby Lashley will be replacing Cena at the event. We recently reported on how Lashley is dealing with a shoulder injury that's causing him a lot of pain but it's believed he will continue working through it for as long as he can. WWE officials told creative to start looking for Cena's World Cup replacement two weeks ago after he informed officials he would not be making the trip.
As reported earlier, WWE will be announcing the brackets for the World Cup tournament on tonight's RAW and tomorrow's SmackDown.
In regards to reports of Daniel Bryan skipping the show as well, Meltzer noted that the rumor is that no announcement will be made on Bryan not working the event. It's possible they do an angle on the day of the show or at this week's SmackDown to explain why Bryan isn't working the WWE Title match with champion AJ Styles. Bryan's status for Crown Jewel is still very much up in the air, but word is that his role won't be addressed until closer to the show regardless.