Roman Reigns’ road to WrestleMania 41 took an unexpected detour after he failed to secure a World Title shot at the Royal Rumble. Reigns was eliminated in a dramatic sequence involving Seth Rollins, culminating in CM Punk and Rollins delivering two devastating curb stomps to The Tribal Chief.
This led to the announcement of a WrestleMania 41 triple-threat match featuring Reigns, Punk, and Rollins. However, during this week’s Raw, Michael Cole stated that Reigns would be “out of action for the foreseeable future.” While initial speculation suggested an injury, there has been no confirmation of any legitimate health concerns. Instead, this appears to be a storyline move designed to write Reigns off television, setting up a major return for revenge.
According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, another key reason for the angle was to keep Reigns out of the Elimination Chamber, as WWE didn’t want him involved in a match where he wasn’t winning and would have had to take a pinfall or submission. Historically, WWE avoids having its top babyfaces take a loss unless it serves a major storyline purpose.
Reigns’ exact return date remains unknown, but with WrestleMania 41 still months away in mid-April, WWE has plenty of time to build his comeback. Fans will now wait to see when The Tribal Chief makes his inevitable return to reclaim his place at the top of the WWE hierarchy.
