Why Was Braun Strowman Pulled From WWE Universal Title At Royal Rumble?

Following Monday's WWE Raw, Finn Balor earned a WWE Universal Title match by defeating Baron Corbin, Drew McIntyre, and John Cena in a Fatal 4 Way Match. Balor will now go up against Lesnar at the Royal Rumble.

The match itself was made by Vince McMahon following him revoking Braun Strowman’s opportunity earlier in the broadcast.

Since McMahon's decision, there has been much speculation as to why Strowman was pulled from the match. There are some who believe Strowman hasn't been medically cleared following recent elbow surgery, but Mike Johnson of PWInsider is reporting that WWE officials didn't want Lesnar to beat Strowman, thus the decision was made to replace him in the match.

Given this is it is likely that Lesnar s going to retain his title at the Rumble and likely defend it at WrestleMania, with Lesnar vs. Strowman taking place at a later date. There have also been rumors recently that Lesnar will go up against Seth Rollins at WrestleMania. 

As for Balor, he is in line for a big push over the coming months, so look for him to be booked much stronger than he was in 2018.