Although the trophy itself wasn’t going to play an integral role on WWE television, there was still plenty of surprise on Monday Night RAW earlier this week when it was smashed into three separate pieces.

Just like the winners of the Andre the Giant memorial battle royal, having the trophy on-screen doesn’t translate into anything, and the win is usually quickly forgotten about - just ask Naomi who left WrestleMania 34 as the winner of the women’s battle royal.

TROPHY BREAK

With Strowman, though, it was slightly different. It was an outstanding show in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia as The Monster Among Men left the Middle East as the winner of the Greatest Royal Rumble match; leaving with the colossal trophy along with the green championship title.

On RAW this week, Strowman was up to his usual antics as he teamed up with Finn Balor to take on Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre in tag team action. As we’re used to seeing, the former Wyatt Family member went to ringside and steamrolled his way through McIntyre.

In recent weeks, it’s Kevin Owens who has been in the receiving end as Strowman has bulldozed right through him - often lifting him off his feet. When he ran into McIntyre, though, it looked as if he had run into a brick wall with both men hitting the ground.

Sadly, in what was an unscripted moment, the momentum of the tackle saw McIntyre knock over the trophy and smashed it into three pieces. While it might have been a humorous moment when it happened, WWE has taken necessary steps to edit the trophy break out of their footage.

Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter discussed the issue and revealed that there were some high ranking individuals in WWE that did not want anyone in Saudi Arabia witnessing the footage of the trophy being broken.

EDITING FOOTAGE

So, WWE has ensured that it’s being completely removed out of any footage that would end up airing later on in Saudi Arabia.

According to Ringside News, he said: “Evidently, this was a serious offence because they went out of their way to edit it off subsequent airings and YouTube footage that could reach Saudi Arabia.”

Considering the WWE has signed a blockbuster 10-year deal with Saudi Arabian partners, the trophy break can be seen as a sign of disrespect as they have created this award, only for it to be seen by the world being destroyed during a match.

Although the clips have managed to find their way onto social media, it wouldn’t be a massive surprise if Saudi Arabian fans and WWE’s partners have already seen what has happened.

What do you make of the reason why WWE is editing out the footage? Have YOUR say in the comments section below.

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