Roman Reigns successfully defended his Undisputed WWE Universal Championship against Jey Uso at SummerSlam 2023 but he may done some mischief to himself in the process. Wrestling fans have been left intrigued about the possibility of the top title in the company being left ‘vacant.’ According to popular belief, Roman’s waist has been injured.
While there is no official announcement on the matter from WWE, a source told Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Roman Reigns got injured during the SummerSlam main event. It definitely isn’t kayfabe. As per Meltzer, the Tribal Chief “worked the match hurt” and “he got hurt early in the match.” There were no changes in the scripted finish, though.
Despite the suppositions on Roman Reigns being injured, the champ was part of the August 11 edition of SmackDown. He even got physical during the ‘Hail The Tribal Chief’ segment, getting Superkicked by Jey Uso midway through his ‘Acknowledge Me!’ phrase, while Jimmy Uso, Paul Heyman, and Solo Sikoa stood in the background.
Is Roman Reigns injured? Reports and footage from the supposed unfortunate SummerSlam spot claim that he indeed is hurt. However, there have been no changes to his schedule according to Fightful. He is expected to participate in Payback this September.
“There aren’t plans for him to miss his internally scheduled appearances. That is always subject to change.”
Rumors of The Tribal Chief going on a hiatus in the summer. WWE can form a storyline reason that gives him an extended break to recover from his injury. It is unlikely that Roman Reigns will vacate the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship due to his injury as the ending to such a historic reign won’t be fitting. He may get a more-relaxed schedule instead.
Interestingly, Roman Reigns is not advertised for the August 18 edition of WWE SmackDown. The Bloodline Civil War story has shifted focus to the differences between Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso, thereby giving Reigns time off from television. The Needle Mover must be in prime shape to be part of Payback 2023 - the Premium Live Event a few days after All Elite Wrestling's much-anticipated AEW: All In event in London.
For those fans who missed the ‘reason’ for Jimmy Uso’s betrayal of Jey Uso, he justified his actions at SummerSlam by telling Jey that he didn’t want his twin to become the next Tribal Chief. The reason is that Jey might have been corrupted by the power he wielded over his Samoan cousins. Time will tell how the storyline progresses and how Roman Reigns play his part despite being injured.
Supposed SummerSlam spot where Roman Reigns got injured
Wrestling may be scripted but it doesn’t rule out the possibility of injuries. The move executions could get botched or a superstar may take a nasty bump. In the most severe cases of injuries, the referee makes an X sign from their hands and stops the match.
While Roman Reigns’ supposed injury didn’t look serious, it did look painful. Wrestling fans on Twitter assumed a particular high-flying spot that could have led to The Tribal Chief’s injury.
Jey Uso Clotheslined Roman out of the ring and followed it by launching himself on his opponent from between the ropes. Reigns was still selling the Clothesline such that he didn’t shield himself from the Dive. Jey landed headfirst on Reigns’ ribs, who looked visibly discomforted.
Since winning the Universal Championship at WWE Payback 2020, Roman Reigns has defended his title over 30 times. He has held the gold for 1077 days as of writing. The Head of Table conquered his biggest rival, Brock Lesnar, at WrestleMania 38 to win the WWE Championship and become the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion.
Who can defeat Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship?
Given that SummerSlam wasn’t the time for a historic title change, the general belief in the wrestling community is that Roman Reigns will lose his Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at WrestleMania 40. It will be none other than his former rival, Cody Rhodes, to bring an end to his story.
According to the latest reports, Roman Reigns versus Cody Rhodes is the “obvious direction” for the WrestleMania main event in Philadelphia. Other matches are subject to change. Rhodes ‘cleanly’ defeated Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam 2023 and it seems his next big opponent on RAW will be The Judgment Day.
It is unknown how WWE plans to organize Reigns vs. Rhodes for WM40. Fans speculate that Cody will win the Royal Rumble to get a title shot but it will be better if the winner chooses to challenge the World Heavyweight Champion instead, giving the new world title credibility.
On another interesting note, Roman Reigns is rumored to surpass Hulk Hogan’s title record of 1474 days. The Tribal Chief will achieve the feat on September 2024. Although protecting his title reign anymore seems a long shot due to the increasing frustrations of fans, WWE may try to push its PG-era poster boy on the ‘top 3 WWE Champions’ list.
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