WWE Rumors: Original Plans For Roman Reigns At ‘Hell In A Cell’ Shared By ‘Wrestling Observer’
According to the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE had a completely different plan for Roman Reigns at last month’s Hell in a Cell pay-per-view. Instead of an “I Quit” Match against Jey Uso inside the event’s eponymous steel cage, “The Big Dog” was reportedly booked at first to take part in a Fatal Four-Way contest against three other superstars.
As cited by Ringside News, it wasn’t specified who the fourth person in the match was supposed to be. However, the Wrestling Observer wrote that Reigns was supposed to defend his Universal Championship against the title’s last two holders — “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman — at Hell in a Cell. Since those plans were ultimately scrapped, that reportedly explained why Reigns’ rivalry with Wyatt was quietly de-emphasized before the latter was moved to Monday Night Raw in last month’s draft.
In addition, the publication noted that the new rumors backed up its original report on the reason why Alexa Bliss was mysteriously staring Reigns down during a segment where she was possessed by Wyatt’s Fiend alter-ego.
According to a tweet from Ringside News‘ Steve Carrier that was shared in late September, this was in order to tease a potential Reigns vs. Fiend title feud, given how unlikely it was that Uso would win the Universal Championship from his cousin at that month’s Clash of Champions pay-per-view. Wyatt and Bliss have since been established as on-screen allies, with the latter becoming a regular on the former’s Firefly Fun House segments and the duo currently feuding against Randy Orton on Raw, per Sportskeeda.
Meanwhile, Strowman was also drafted to the red brand and is now in a rivalry with fellow super-heavyweight Keith Lee, as noted by Wrestling Inc.
Due to the positive reception toward Reigns and Uso’s rivalry, the real-life relatives were booked for a rematch at Hell in a Cell instead of WWE having the defending champ put the belt on the line against three other men. Reigns would again emerge victorious, forcing Uso to say “I quit” after he viciously attacked his twin brother, Jimmy, toward the end of the match.
With Wyatt and Strowman focusing on their respective new feuds, Reigns has continued his storyline with The Usos, with Jey turning to the dark side and aligning with his cousin on the October 30 edition of Friday Night SmackDown. As reported by The Inquisitr, Jimmy Uso is expected to join forces with the duo when he returns from injury, thus establishing them as a villainous stable with a new look and ring theme.
