Backstage Update On Bobby Lashley And Carmella Not Appearing On WWE Raw

As the build to WrestleMania 39 continues, two notable names were noticeably absent from this week's edition of "WWE Raw:" Bobbly Lashley and Carmella.

According to Fighful Select, Lashley actually made it to the site of "Raw" in St. Louis, Missouri but after his name didn't appear on the internal rundown of the show, he was evidently kept backstage. The reasoning behind the decision to keep Lashley off television this week was not disclosed. After Lashley's disqualification victory over Brock Lesnar at Elimination Chamber, he seemed poised to pivot to a feud with "The Eater of Worlds," Bray Wyatt, that would lead to a match at WrestleMania. However, with Wyatt reportedly coping with "a physical issue," the possibility of that contest pushing forward is up in the air at this point. Despite not appearing on "Raw," it should be noted that Lashley did appear during this past weekend's live event loop. He defeated Baron Corbin at Saturday's show in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Another notable "Raw" absentee, Carmella, missed out on both live events over the weekend. Originally, the former "SmackDown" Women's Champion was slated to continue the story of her budding partnership with Chelsea Green Monday night while the two wrestled Asuka and "Raw" Women's Champion Bianca Belair. Over the weekend, however, WWE reportedly made the call to replace Carmella with Piper Niven in the respective tag team match. On-screen, Green claimed she simply couldn't find Carmella, so she sought out Niven as a substitute. Belair and Asuka went on to defeat Green and Niven, but similar to Lashley, the exact reason behind Carmella's disappearance remains unclear.