Roman Reigns No Longer Scheduled For Upcoming WWE Premium Live Event
Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns is reportedly unlikely to suit up until the July 30 SummerSlam premium live event.
We noted earlier how Reigns is no longer advertised for the July 2 Money in the Bank, the venue of which was recently changed from the 65,000-seater Allegiant Stadium to the 17,000-seater MGM Grand Garden.
In an update from Sports Illustrated's Justin Barrasso, Reigns is no longer scheduled to work Money in the Bank, where he was previously rumored to wrestle Riddle. The report added that WWE altered plans for Reigns once the MITB event was moved from a bigger stadium to a smaller venue. It would appear from the report that WWE would rather have The Tribal Chief ready for the two summer stadium shows – the July 30 SummerSlam in Nashville, TN, and the September 3 Clash at the Castle in Cardiff, Wales.
Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer later confirmed the SI report.
Meltzer had previously reported that Reigns vs. Riddle was planned for MITB, but that was before the venue change and prior to Reigns being pulled from promotional material for the Las Vegas event. The same report also noted that Randy Orton and Drew McIntyre were in line to face Reigns this summer, at SummerSlam and Clash at the Castle, respectively. While McIntyre has already issued a challenge to Reigns for a match in Cardiff, Orton was written off WWE TV following an attack from The Bloodline last month.
Riddle, meanwhile, has been calling out Reigns repeatedly since Orton's injury and issued a challenge for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship earlier this week. Riddle also plans on visiting "SmackDown" this Friday to hunt down Reigns.
"This Friday, I'm gonna show up to SmackDown and eventually I'm gonna find the Tribal Chief. I'm gonna get my match. I'm gonna do what stallions do and take that championship away, bro," Riddle told Raw Talk on Monday.
It seems Riddle will have to keep looking since Roman Reigns, as per the WWE website, is not advertised for any live events or TV tapings until the July 22 "SmackDown" in Boston, and the July 25 "Raw" at Madison Square Garden. Reigns was last seen in action during a May 22 live event in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.