The WWE is fresh off its Money in the Bank pay-per-view, and it’s looking like some big things are planned for the future. As exciting as that is, an allegedly official new poster for the upcoming Extreme Rules event has some fans nervous, though not about who's shown, but rather who isn’t on it at all. Specifically, Roman Reigns is nowhere to be found on the advert, which would indicate he’ll be missing yet another PPV in 2022.
Extreme Rules will happen in Philadelphia in October, and the imagery circulating the Internet seems to show who is a part of the event. Check out the photo below (via Wrestling News), which features Becky Lynch front and center, as well as Seth Rollins, Rhea Ripley, Drew McIntyre, Bobby Lashley, and Riddle:
The poster for WWE Extreme Rules. pic.twitter.com/UsJnMPfT4fJuly 6, 2022
That’s a solid lineup of stars, to be sure, but the lack of the undisputed champion Roman Reigns on this supposed poster is obviously concerning. If the “Head of the Table” was going to appear at the most extreme PPV of the year, then one would assume the WWE would make sure to feature him on any and all posters to help sell tickets. His absence here, though, has some thinking he won’t attend at all, which is becoming a trend in 2022.
Roman Reigns won the Universal and WWE titles at WrestleMania 38, and news surfaced not long after saying he'd worked out a new deal with the company to take a number of shows in the summer off to pursue other opportunities. Obviously, October is well into the fall season, which seems to indicate that Roman Reigns won’t just be returning to business as usual once the summer is up.
Currently, Roman Reigns will defend his titles against Brock Lesnar at the WWE’s upcoming SummerSlam PPV. It’s rumored he’ll also appear at the overseas PPV Clash At The Castle and wrestle Drew McIntyre, but again, that one is only a rumor. Essentially, there’s a possibility that Roman Reigns will defend his titles at SummerSlam and then not appear on another PPV until Crown Jewel at the earliest.
Currently, it’s unknown what’s going on behind the scenes with Roman Reigns or the WWE. Reigns was originally scheduled to compete at the latest Money in the Bank PPV, but was removed from the event weeks beforehand. Reigns has only had sporadic appearances on Monday Night Raw and SmackDown, so wrestling fans aren’t seeing a lot of him at all these days outside of stories like this.
It’s a problem for many fans because the WWE gave Roman Reigns the Universal and WWE titles just before before his schedule was reduced. As such, the company is pressing ahead with wrestlers earning opportunities and creating feuds, but without two of the biggest championships in play, the stakes can feel a bit hollow. This is especially true with the latest Money in the Bank briefcase win by Theory, who won’t have many opportunities at this stage to cash in on Reigns if he wants his championship titles. It feels like Reigns has become a part-time employee at the WWE, which feels concerning given he’s the current star of the company. Hopefully, we’ll get to see more of him soon or get some answers behind this prolonged time away.
Peacock premium subscribers will get a chance to stream Extreme Rules on Saturday, October 8th. We’ll have to wait and see if Roman Reigns will join the show as time goes on, and if the reason for his absence might be clearer by the time SummerSlam ends.
