Why Did Kevin Owens Miss WWE Raw This Week?
The last Money in the Bank qualifying match was supposed to take place on this week's Monday Night Raw as Kevin Owens was set to face either Ezekiel or Elias (or Elrod, a potential third brother). But that match never happened as the commentary team announced it had to be delayed. Ezekiel still popped up numerous times during the show and even interacted with John Cena, but there was no sign of Owens. The former Universal Champion took to Twitter to poke fun at the situation, writing, "I didn't want to go to Texas so I didn't go. Leave me alone."
Dave Meltzer gave an update on the situation on Wrestling Observer Radio, saying Owens' situation was nothing serious — "No Kevin Owens [on Raw]. Whatever the situation is, is minor. But he was not on the show, which is why the Ezekiel match did not happen as originally scheduled, which was, I guess, that was going to be for the last spot in Money in the Bank? There's still one spot left," Meltzer said. "I did not check if Kevin Owens would be ready by Friday. I just know that he was not ready tonight, but it's nothing serious is what I was told. Perhaps he could be ready by Friday and they could do that match."
WWE has yet to confirm if Owens vs. Ezekiel will still happen on Friday, though every wrestler who has qualified for either Money in the Bank match is slated to be on the show. The Money in the Bank pay-per-view will take place this Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
The open slot left by Owens/Ezekiel could potentially play into another storyline. Cody Rhodes made a surprise appearance via prerecorded interview during Raw's third hour and once again brought up the Money in the Bank Ladder Match, indicating that he wanted to get some sort of revenge on Seth Rollins. It's possible that Rhodes could play some sort of role in Saturday's match despite his recently torn pec. WWE has pulled the trick of having a last-minute surprise entrant for the Money in the Bank match in the past, having Brock Lesnar show up at the end of the 2019 Men's Ladder Match and secure the briefcase without taking any bumps. Stay tuned for more updates.