WWE fans (and those who have Peacock Premium subscriptions) watched Roman Reigns once again solidify his spot as “Head of the Table” at WrestleMania Backlash. But going forward, that seat might be vacant in certain scenarios. In short, fans will probably see less of Roman Reigns going forward, and it’s all tied to a new agreement he’s reportedly worked out with the organization.
Following Roman Reigns' promo at a recent house show, Wrestling Observer Radio’s Dave Meltzer (via F4Wonline.com) shared some insight in regards to what Reigns’ mention of “a new phase” that would keep him away from Trenton, New Jersey. Meltzer reports that the wrestler worked out a new deal with the entertainment company that will allow him to do more acting. Not only that but, per the terms, he'll also enjoy some additional time off as an added benefit:
It's not it for him, but the situation is that he got a new deal and the new deal is for far less dates. I don’t know how many house shows he’s going to be doing, but it will be much less than the number that he’s doing now. It’s one of the perks of being there for a while and being valuable there is you can kind of call certain shots. And he’s got the power to maintain the championship and work fewer dates like [Brock] Lesnar had and [Hulk] Hogan used to have. So, he’s gonna be -- new phase in his life. He’s got young kids and everything like that. You know, [in his] mid-to-late 30s. Probably wants to preserve his body a little bit more.
The idea of the wrestling phenom having more time off to pursue other passions and rest up is honestly pretty sweet. That recovery time is particularly important, especially since any severe injury he'd suffer would immediately put the fate of the WWE’s largest titles up in the air. Perhaps this deal is somehow connected to rumors of Roman Reigns suffering an injury during his latest WrestleMania title match, which made him the undisputed champion of the brand.
The downside of this reported development, for WWE fans, is that his appearances in the ring will likely become rarer moving forward. With a number of house shows reportedly removed from the list, Monday Night Raw, SmackDown, and of course, pay-per-views will become the best ways to see him. Of course, this is all also assuming that he doesn’t land some big-time Hollywood role like his cousin Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, which could also reduce his television appearances.
Limiting Roman Reigns’ television time also helps keep him as fresh as possible for the rumored WrestleMania 39 match against The Rock. Given the overwhelming positive response to Stone Cold Steve Austin’s surprise WrestleMania match, one would think there’s increased interest in making sure everything is lined up perfectly for a potential match between Reigns and his cousin. Of course, a hundred things can happen between now and then that could change that event. We'll see if this new deal does allow the WWE to preserve the longevity of one of its top stars.
Roman Reigns appears on Monday Night Raw on USA on Mondays at 8:00 p.m. ET, and SmackDown over at Fox on Fridays at 8:00 p.m. ET. I'm curious to see if the champion “acknowledges” this new agreement in upcoming episodes, and if he’ll keep both title belts with less dates on the schedule.
