This Sunday the WWE: Tables, Ladders, and Chairs (TLC) special pay-per-view event is taking place, but the match will be missing two of the sport's top superstars due to a viral infection. Roman Reigns, Bray Wyatt, and a third unspecified person will be unable to compete because of the mystery bug that is going around and have been replaced. All of this has led to Kurt Angle making what will be his first appearance in the ring in over a decade.
Unknown viral bug knocks wrestlers out of match
In a statement released by a representative on Friday to ESPN, WWE acknowledged the situation that was ongoing.
The representative said that, “We have confirmed that three of our performers have been diagnosed with a viral infection.” It went on to say that all in-ring performers and staff were being tested and immunized if necessary as part of precautionary measures following the outbreak.
Angle and Styles are replacements for WWE: TLC
Hall of Famer Kurt Angle will make his first in-ring appearance in over eleven years at WWE: TLC as he will take Roman Reigns' spot in the main event. He will now team up with Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose as the trio takes on Braun Strowman, Cesaro, Kane, The Miz, and Sheamus in a 5-on-3 Handicap Match. The last time Angle fought in a televised WWE match was August 8, 2006, against Sabu on the then-recently relaunched ECW brand.
Since that last appearance, he has been involved in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), getting into feuds, especially with the Main Event Mafia and Immortal. For a short time, he was also Executive Director of Wrestling Operations for TNA.
In January, it was announced that Angle would be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
The ceremony took place in April, with John Cena inducting him. That same month, Vince McMahon appointed Angle as general manager of the ever popular “Monday Night Raw”, with him having made on-screen appearances since then.
Is it true??? Oh It's damn true! Your Olympic Hero will be wrestling along side of The Shield… https://t.co/Q6MMYO5pCA
— Kurt Angle (@RealKurtAngle) October 20, 2017
Meanwhile, SmackDown superstar and former WWE Champion AJ Styles will be taking the place of Bray Wyatt for the event.
He will now be making a one-night-only appearance on Raw to take on “The Demon” Finn Balor in-place of Wyatt in the one-on-one match.
This will be the first one-on-one match that Styles and Balor will have against each other. The two men have a history together, as they were both leaders of the popular “Bullet Club” faction at different points before making the move to WWE.