As noted before at this link, Jaxson Ryker returned to WWE TV for last night’s pre-RAW Main Event tapings, apparently aligning himself with Elias. This was his first appearance since being pulled from SmackDown in late May due to heat from his pro-Trump comments.
In an update, Fightful Select reports that this Main Event segment was a dry run to see if the pairing with Elias and Ryker worked, in an effort to pitch the duo to WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon.
There were said to be a lot of surprised people at the Amway Center when Ryker was brought in to work with Elias. After Ryker’s former partners Wesley Blake and Steve Cutler were brought back to SmackDown this past Friday with King Baron Corbin, several people on the blue brand side noted just last week that “Ryker was not worth the risk of being on TV” and when contacted about the Main Event appearance, they said WWE was likely gauging reception to the segment.
For months following the pro-Trump comments, Ryker was not brought to TV tapings and at one point was not featured on internal roster sheets.
Stay tuned for updates on Ryker.
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