Big E became WWE Champion this week on RAW, but that was not the original plan for this week’s show. The planned WWE Title match between Bobby Lashley and Randy Orton was moved up from Extreme Rules, and the company didn’t have a lot of time to make those changes.
It was previously reported that WWE keeps their creative team in the dark about most plans. WWE Superstars also aren’t allowed to know their own creative direction unless they are given permission to have that information. This is something that Kofi Kingston also confirmed.
A WWE source told RSN that the decision to move up the WWE Title match was made “shortly after RAW” last week. It wasn’t until SmackDown’s show at Madison Square Garden when plans were made to have Big E cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase and win the WWE Title.
As we saw with the ratings, all that hype for Big E’s WWE Title win didn’t help pop a big viewership number. That is a concerning factor to consider when looking at the rest of the NFL season competing with WWE Raw.
We will have to see how long Big E’s title run lasts, but the call for his big win wasn’t made until the Friday before he cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase.