For anyone hoping to see Roman Reigns loosen his grasp on his Undisputed WWE Universal Championship, you’re going to be waiting at least another two months.
In the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer newsletter, Dave Meltzer revealed that Reigns is not expected to be on the card for WWE’s next premium live event, which is Oct. 8 at Philadelphia for Extreme Rules. Instead, he should be back defending his titles at Crown Jewel on Nov. 5.
Reigns is not on Extreme Rules on 10/8 in Philadelphia, and his next major match is on the Saudi Arabia show.
Meltzer doesn’t list an opponent for Reigns, but does say it won’t be Seth Rollins or Kevin Owens, “even though both have teased it.” Owens, in particular, has become frequently entangled in the business of the Bloodline in recent weeks, remaining a thorn in the side of The Usos and testing the loyalty of “honorary” member Sami Zayn while talking about how Reigns owes him one.
If Reigns does sit out Extreme Rules, the next time fans in the U.S. might see him defend his titles live could be at Survivor Series on Nov. 26 in Boston. That would make it nearly four months between major shows for the Tribal Chief in the U.S., as he was part of SummerSlam, facing off against longtime nemesis Brock Lesnar, in late July.
Reigns also successfully fended off a challenge from Drew McIntyre in Wales at Clash at the Castle at the beginning of the month, emerging victorious thanks to the main roster introduction of another of his relatives, Solo Sikoa. It doesn’t appear Reigns’ program with McIntyre will continue, as the Scottish Warrior was attacked at the end of this week’s Raw by Karrion Kross and figured to be occupied with the former NXT Champion over the weeks to come.
In any case, if Meltzer is correct about Reigns’ upcoming schedule, it means that fans overseas have a better chance of seeing him live over the back half of 2022 than in the U.S., which is an interesting way indeed to book WWE’s top star. Here’s hoping the company has something truly monumental planned for him as the calendar changes and the buildup toward WrestleMania begins again.
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