Highlights
- Roman Reigns won't have another match in WWE for nearly two months, with his next match scheduled for 11/4 in Saudi Arabia.
- The lack of title defenses raises questions about Reigns' credibility as a dominant champion.
- His absence from the ring could be due to an injury or a strategic choice to elevate the drama surrounding The Bloodline storyline.
For fans hoping Roman Reigns will make an appearance in the near future and finally defend his championship, one that rarely gets defended on television, don't hold your breath. In fact, it sounds like Reigns won't be having another match in WWE for nearly two months. Reigns didn’t wrestle on WWE’s September PLE Payback, and isn’t advertised for Oct. 7’s Fastlane.
Per Dave Meltzer in a recent Wrestling Observer Newsletter, "As expected, the next Reigns match will be 11/4 in Saudi Arabia. He will be back on television in the time leading to that show to promote the match." That's a long time for the title not to be defended on WWE programming, even if Reigns makes appearances between now and then. Meltzer suggests that Roman will show up on SmackDown or other programs, but he won't have defended his title until an international show in November. It opens up a debate as to why WWE would hold off for so long, and also what kind of asteriks it puts beside his title reign.
The less Reigns defends his title, especially against credible opponents, the less people look at him as the dominant champion he claims to be. He might be the Head of the Table in WWE because he holds the championship, but what kind of champion only has the belt because he never has to defend it?
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Is There More Going On With Reigns We Don't Know About?
He has made just one appearance on SmackDown since SummerSlam, and there have been reports suggesting he may have sustained a hip or back injury during his match against Jey Uso in Detroit. His absence from the ring could be linked to this injury, and it's possible that WWE is choosing to keep quiet about it to maintain his aura. If he's injured, it would make sense that WWE doesn't want to mention it and then set up a storyline where he's forced to relinquish the title after a three-year long run.
If it's not related to an injury, the lack of having him wrestle might also serve to heighten the drama surrounding The Bloodline storyline while keeping him out of the spotlight for the time being. This could be about getting Jey and Jimmy over without being in Roman's very large shadow.
