WWE Rumors: Roman Reigns Omitted From Make-A-Wish Video, Reportedly Fueling Speculation Of Rift With Company

Ever since Roman Reigns backed out of tapings for WrestleMania 36 over safety concerns caused by his previous bout with leukemia, the wrestler has been absent from WWE television, with no definite return date just yet. A new report about one of WWE’s latest moves has raised concerns that there might be some friction between the former world champion and his employer, as the “Big Dog” appears to have been removed from the company’s Make-A-Wish advertisements.

According to this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter (via WrestlingNews.co), Reigns was not included in WWE’s newest Make-A-Wish video, despite how these clips typically feature all of the company’s leading superstars granting wishes for children around the world. As pointed out by the latter publication, Reigns was “always front and center” in WWE’s videos for the foundation in recent years.

WrestlingNews.co added that WWE also appears to have replaced Reigns’ image on its Make-a-Wish banners with that of John Cena, who happens to be the foundation’s top wish granter of all time. The outlet noted that the new update has further driven speculation about WWE and its chairman, Vince McMahon, “being mad” at the Friday Night SmackDown star.

The new development comes a few weeks after WWE published its Community Impact Report for 2019 — a first-of-its-kind report that documented the promotion’s outreach activities from the previous year. Per Wrestling Inc., Reigns’ name was mentioned in the report’s opening letter, where McMahon discussed how the superstar had been “touring hospitals around the world” and visiting children as part of his partnership with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Breaking: Roman Reigns, who has had leukemia and is immunocompromised, will not compete at WrestleMania 36 against Goldberg due to coronavirus concerns, per @ryansatin pic.twitter.com/quev57mmr4

— B/R Wrestling (@BRWrestling) March 27, 2020

Considering that his leukemia, while currently in remission, had compromised his immune system and put him at greater risk of catching the novel coronavirus, Reigns’ choice to pull out of WrestleMania 36 was driven by valid concerns. However, his absence from television — as well as the alleged ban on mentioning his name on WWE programming — has not been accompanied by any storyline-based explanation, even with Braun Strowman replacing him in his WrestleMania 36 match against Goldberg and defeating the WWE Hall of Famer for the Universal Championship.

Despite the supposed whispers regarding Reigns having a strained relationship with WWE at the present, WrestlingNews.co previously wrote that the grappler has the support of many of his colleagues, who believe he made the right choice to back out of WrestleMania 36. It was also reported that Reigns will likely be away “for at least a few months,” and that at the time, it wasn’t clear how McMahon felt about his decision.