WWE Rumors: Major Title Change Reportedly Expected At ‘Payback’
In the aftermath of Roman Reigns’ surprise return on Sunday night at SummerSlam, it appears that WWE will be going back to its previous plan of giving him a run with the Universal Championship. According to a new report, there’s a possibility “The Big Dog” might be winning the title as soon as this weekend at the upcoming Payback pay-per-view.
Citing sources familiar with the situation, WrestlingNews.co‘s Paul Davis wrote on Sunday night that Reigns’ return — which marked his first appearance since he went on hiatus in March — was kept a secret from most of his co-workers. This came one day after WWE released new merchandise to promote the former world champion’s comeback after a five-month absence.
Regarding WWE’s future plans for Reigns, Davis wrote that the company wants him to have more of an “edge” — a character change that was reportedly evident when he attacked the new Universal Champion, “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt, and Braun Strowman after their title match at SummerSlam. As noted, this was the original plan for the second-generation superstar when he was supposed to defeat Goldberg for the championship at WrestleMania 36.
However, Davis also pointed out that Wyatt’s second go-round with the belt might be extremely short-lived, as his sources suggested that WWE might have Reigns win the title at Payback, which is scheduled to take place on Sunday, August 30. He added that it’s still unclear if the company will book Wyatt vs. Reigns or if Strowman will be added to the mix to make it a Triple Threat Match.
As previously reported by The Inquisitr, Reigns has not competed in the ring since he took time off shortly before WrestleMania 36. While it was initially believed that the 35-year-old was mostly concerned that his past bouts with leukemia would make him more susceptible to coronavirus infection, he clarified that his immune system is “good” and that he primarily went on hiatus so he could spend more time with his family, which now includes a set of newborn twins.
During Reigns’ extended hiatus, his name was hardly mentioned on television as he continued to miss Friday Night SmackDown tapings. But with WWE moving from its Performance Center to the much larger Amway Center, rumors began to swirl regarding the possibility that the likes of Reigns and Brock Lesnar would return to action, as the latter building allows for more social distancing and a potentially safer setting for the company’s talents.
At the moment, Reigns is a one-time Universal Champion, having held the belt for two months before relinquishing it in October 2018 due to his second battle with leukemia, as noted by CBS Sports.
