With severe winter storms sweeping across North America, many travelers are experiencing delays, cancellations, or rerouted flights. This weather disruption prevented WWE Raw ring announcer Alicia Taylor from making it to the January 26th event, leaving her stranded at the airport. Taylor shared on Instagram Story that “All flights to Canada have been canceled, so I’m currently at the airport… tagging my sister Lil in my place,” confirming that Lilian Garcia would be stepping in as the Raw ring announcer.
Although Garcia is no longer a full-time announcer, he remains under a two-year WWE contract that includes appearances on select shows such as Saturday Night Main Event (SNME). Garcia recently announced the January 24 SNME episode from Montreal and will now cover for Taylor’s missed Raw event in Toronto due to the flight cancellations.
The winter storm has also impacted other WWE personalities; during Saturday Night’s main event, Stephanie McMahon revealed that Joe Tessitore couldn’t co-host due to being stuck at Detroit airport. His return for other upcoming appearances this week remains uncertain.
On the upcoming Raw episode, tag teams The New Day (Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods), American Made (Brutus Creed and Julius Creed), Alpha Academy (Otis and Akira Tozawa), and Los Americanos (Bravo and Rayo) will battle in a four-way match to determine the number one contenders for the WWE World Tag Team Championship. Additionally, AJ Styles and Gunther are set to appear ahead of the Royal Rumble event.
Fan Take: This unexpected reshuffling highlights the unpredictable nature of live WWE events and the importance of versatile talent like Lilian Garcia. For fans, it’s a reminder that the show must go on regardless of obstacles, and these moments can create unique opportunities for surprise appearances and fresh storylines.
