Brock Lesnar was removed from all advertisements for Monday Night RAW next week after being previously scheduled for it and reports indicate the WWE World Heavyweight Champion was pulled due to a creative change in the company.
According to Wrestlingheadlines.com, the WWE opted to pull Lesnar from next week's RAW in South Carolina on Dec. 8 due to a change in creative direction, so he will not be at the special Slammy Awards edition of the company's flagship show next week.
John Cena is the No. 1 contender for Lesnar's title and there were rumors the two will clash at TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs on Dec. 14 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, but the plans didn't come to fruition.
The WWE opted to do a Cena vs. Seth Rollins Tables Match at the show later this month instead, which means that Lesnar isn't needed Monday night to promote the go-home show for TLC. The storyline is that if Cena loses to Rollins, he will no longer be the No. 1 contender.
As it stands, Lesnar is slated to return to television on Dec. 15 to begin the build to the 2015 Royal Rumble on Jan. 25 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, where he is expected to face Cena for the third time this year.
Cena has been advertised to appear in the Royal Rumble match by the Wells Fargo Center's website, but it will likely be corrected and was probably done so as not to spoil the planned Lesnar vs. Cena match and ruin the stipulation to Rollins vs. Cena.
The WWE pulled Lesnar from the RAW advertisements from WWE.com and The Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, S.C. has also pulled Lesnar from promotional material for next Monday's show as well.
Cena vs. Lesnar has occurred twice this year, with "The Beast" defeating the "Cenation" leader at SummerSlam in August to win the belt and then losing to him via DQ due to outside interference from Rollins at Night of Champions in September, which was Lesnar's last bout with the company.
TLC will likely mark the third straight pay-per-view and WWE Network special that Lesnar will miss as the WWE World Heavyweight Champion was absent for Hell in a Cell in October, Survivor Series last week and now TLC this month.
Lesnar defeated The Undertaker to end The Streak at WrestleMania XXX and build his momentum last April and will be a big part of WrestleMania season this year.
The current plan is that Lesnar will be brought back into storylines soon to build toward the Royal Rumble and likely his rumored title defense against Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 31 on March 29 at Levi's Stadium in the Bay Area.
While "The Beast's" long-awaited return is coming to an end soon, it won't be this Monday on RAW in South Carolina.
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