When the WWE suspended Roman Reigns for violating their wellness policy, many people on social media thought that would mean the end of his push. Reigns has been pushed hard in the WWE since the breakup of The Shield, and fans turned on Roman because they wanted other people in the spotlight. One of those people, Dean Ambrose, won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at WWE Money in the Bank on Sunday.
If fans think this means the end of Roman Reigns’ WWE push, news that recently broke after his suspension will quell that fire. 411mania reported that the WWE knew that Roman Reigns failed his drug test before the WWE Money in the Bank event. That is probably what led to his loss. However, the WWE allowed Roman to appear on WWE Monday Night Raw the next night, and they set up a triple threat match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at WWE Battleground .
The WWE then waited until Tuesday to report that Roman Reigns was suspended following a wellness violation . This means the WWE knew they were going to suspend Reigns before they set up the big triple threat match at WWE Battleground . There are also rumors that the WWE will have Roman film an angle that explains his absence over the next month.
The fact is that Roman Reigns was suspended for 30 days, effective as of June 21. The WWE brand split draft takes place on July 19, so Reigns will be unable to attend that event on the first live WWE SmackDown on Tuesday nights. However, WWE Battleground is on July 24, which is three days after Reigns ends his suspension.
Did ESPN Mention @WWERomanReigns ‘ Suspension On Sportscenter’s “Outside The Ropes” Segment? https://t.co/hPXDcBOK4F
— WrestlingINC.com (@WrestlingInc) June 22, 2016
That means the WWE allowed the title to change hands to Dean Ambrose, and then had Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins battle in a match that resulted in the triple threat match for next month before they announced Roman’s suspension. Then, the WWE was lucky enough to have the suspension end before the WWE Battleground event, meaning that Reigns’ absence will only be in the lead-in for a big match that needs no real promotion.
The Shield was the most dominant faction to hit the WWE in years, comprised of the technically perfect Seth Rollins, the unstable Dean Ambrose, and the powerhouse Roman Reigns. Fans loved all three men as they ran roughshod through the WWE, destroying everyone, including the faction of Evolution. Finally, they broke up when Seth Rollins turned on his partners and beat them down with chairs.
Roman reigns suspended for 30 days and completely owns it. https://t.co/79uBlxZwSl
— The Coach (@TheCoachrules) June 22, 2016
Seth Rollins ended up winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship first out of the group. It was his reward for turning on his brothers. Both Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose became fan favorites, but soon the fans turned on Reigns when they realized the WWE was pushing him over Internet darling, Daniel Bryan. Even when Bryan retired, fans refused to support Roman on live television, although he still gets big pops at live shows.
Most fans expected there to eventually be a triple threat match with the former members of The Shield, but that seemed like a WrestleMania match. Instead, it looks like the match will happen at WWE Battleground , a minor pay-per-view. However, it makes sense because this match can sell the first pay-per-view after the WWE brand split while an event like SummerSlam sells itself.
Thanks to the timing of the Roman Reigns suspension, and the dubious fact that the WWE waited until after both WWE Money in the Bank and WWE Monday Night Raw to announce it, Roman Reigns gets into the main event at WWE Battleground and will lose no traction when it comes to his place at the top of the WWE.
[Image via WWE]