Major Change For WWE Raw XXX Segment

Raw's much-hyped Acknowledgment Ceremony has been replaced...

by Andrew Pollard
Paul Heyman Sami Zayn Bloodline
WWE.com

With the upcoming WWE Raw XXX having been announced to feature an Acknowledgment Ceremony based around Roman Reigns and every generation of the Bloodline, that segment has now been scrapped.

As per Mike Johnson over at PWInsider.com, Raw XXX will instead now feature The Trial of Sami Zayn.

Previously, the Acknowledgment Ceremony was to include the likes of Afa, Sika, Rikishi and Samu, with many fans speculating that this segment could also be used to set up The Rock to face Reigns at WrestleMania 39.

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This latest development comes hot on the heels of that Rock vs. Roman 'Mania bout seemingly being off the table now, as reports yesterday noted how the Great One's hectic schedule won't allow him to get in ring shape in time to face off against the Tribal Chief this April.

As for The Trial of Sami Zayn, that's designed to follow-up on this past Friday's SmackDown, where things continued to get frosty in the ever-developing relationship between Roman Reigns and Sami. Due the growing tensions amongst the Bloodline ahead of Roman's Undisputed WWE Universal Championship defence against Kevin Owens at the Royal Rumble, Zayn will now go before a Tribal Court in Philadelphia this coming Monday.

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In the aftermath of PWInsider breaking this news, WWE has moved to confirm this change to Raw XXX.

Senior Writer
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Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main dayjob, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg.