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In recent weeks, one of the Monday Night Raw athletes who has had the most limelight on him has been the red show's secondary champion, Riddle. After winning the belt that had previously been held on Bobby Lashley's hips for months, the former NXT tag team champion has managed to become one of the most talked-about characters on the McMahon company's flag show, with several ironic angles in the backstage that helped a lot to grow his character.
Apparently, according to the latest rumors arrived online through the usual and very prompt Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer, it would seem that the WWE had to change the plans for the US Championship at the last second, after Keith Lee's departure, with Riddle not being, in fact, initially the athlete designated to be United States champion.
Riddle was not supposed to win the US title
According to what Meltzer reported in the Observer's well-known Daily Newsletter, WWE's original plans were to move Monday Night Raw's secondary title from previous champion, Bobby Lashley, to Keith Lee, with the mammoth former NXT Champion who was supposed to in fact win the triple threat in the second PPV of the year.
To the microphones of his latest update, the well-known journalist has in fact revealed: "Riddle's US title win was not originally in the plan. The initial idea of ​​the booking team was to have Riddle take the pin in the triple threat to win Lee so that Lashley could be free of the belt to go to the WWE title and to leave the US one in Lee's hands.
Due to Lee's absences from recent shows, due to health problems, WWE was unable to air these plans, with Lee not returning to the scene by the way." Apparently, Keith Lee would have been doubly unfortunate, both in falling ill with covid (this should be the real motivation never officially confirmed), together with the girl Mia Yim and in losing a great opportunity, which was to be able to win the first title in the main roster of the Stamford federation.
The initial booking plan was for Keith Lee to win the United States title in a triple threat match at Elimination Chamber. WWE had booked Keith Lee to face then-champion Bobby Lashley and Riddle in a three-way title match at the Elimination Chamber.
WWE's creative plan was for Lee to pin Riddle and win the championship. The booking decision would have also protected Bobby Lashley as WWE had earmarked him for a world title push.
