Acting Raw General Manager Baron Corbin announced on tonight's show that Bobby Lashley will be replacing John Cena in the WWE World Cup tournament at Friday's Crown Jewel event from Saudi Arabia.
The storyline is that Corbin was pleased with Lashley for the beatdown he gave to Finn Balor tonight. Corbin noted that Lashley would be replacing someone who did not qualify for the tournament – Cena. For those who missed it a few weeks back, WWE touted Cena as being the first tournament participant and one who didn’t need to qualify due to his previous accomplishments.
Cena reportedly informed WWE officials earlier this month that he would not be making the trip to Saudi Arabia due to the recent state-sponsored death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. There's no word yet on when Cena might be back on WWE TV but we will keep you updated.
Below is the updated card:
Vacant WWE Universal Championship
Braun Strowman vs. Brock Lesnar
WWE Championship Match
AJ Styles (c) vs. Daniel Bryan
DX vs. The Brothers of Destruction
WWE World Cup: One-Night Eight-Man Tournament
Bobby Lashley, Kurt Angle, Seth Rollins, Dolph Ziggler, Randy Orton, Jeff Hardy, Rey Mysterio and The Miz
SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match
The Bar (c) vs. The New Day
