With WWE proceeding with Vince McMahon’s “shakeup”, several storylines that were very recently planned appear to have been dropped, according to The Wrestling Observer Newsletter. These include The Alexa Bliss as an authority figure, Shane McMahon’s heel turn after winning Crown Jewel (though this wasn’t supposed to start until January anyway and so could still happen) as well as The Fall-Out of SmackDown LIVE losing every match at Survivor Series in November.
Other changes that have already occurred include removing Paige as The SmackDown LIVE GM and elevating Mustafa Ali to The SmackDown LIVE Brand. Finn Balor, who has been struggling for months as a mid-carder, is expected to get a significant push at least in the short-term, according to The Observer. This is the likely reason Balor was booked to go over Drew McIntyre at The TLC PPV, though WWE did their best to protect McIntyre by avoiding a clean finish.