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WWE Rumors on Roman Reigns' Schedule, Tag Titles Plan; MVP to Drop Lashley Diss Song
May 10, 2022
Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.
Roman Reigns Set For Limited Summer Schedule
Reigns caused a stir Saturday night with his comments about a potential WWE departure following a live event in Trenton, New Jersey. The longtime universal champion, who recently unified the WWE's top titles with a victory over Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 38, explained he wasn't sure whether he'd make another wrestling stop in the city.
"I've been here many times, you know what I'm saying? I've been here a couple of times in the past 10 years. And I'm starting to work into a new phase in my career, and I honestly don't know if I'll be back here again," Reigns said. "If that's the case, I just wanna say thank you for all these years of support."
Now, more details are starting to emerge about Reigns' immediate future.
Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio reported (via H Jenkins of Ringside News) that Reigns has been removed from all house shows from mid-June through Labor Day in early September. He's still scheduled to take part in the pay-per-views, but there will also be a stretch where he won't appear on the weekly Raw or SmackDown broadcasts:
"I'm trying to get more information on this, but he was removed from all shows, his last show is June 19th until after Labor Day. I don't know what the situation is, but he is scheduled for the two pay-per-view shows. I don't know what that is, whether he's doing a movie, but it is, obviously we already know his schedule going forward after June is going to be cut back anyway, but there will be a period where he won't even be on television, because he's been removed from all the advertisement."
Although details remain scarce, the immediate thought is Reigns could be following in the footsteps of his cousin Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and other WWE legends like Dave Bautista and John Cena by using his success inside the squared circle to make the jump to Hollywood.
It's worth noting the 36-year-old Florida native was away from WWE from October 2018 through February 2019 after he was diagnosed with cancer for a second time. There's been no word of any type of health setback at this time.
Reigns is in the midst of a dominant run as the company's top star. He's held the universal title since August 2020, a span of more than 600 days, and he's main-evented WrestleMania each of the last two years.
While it sounds like he's not stepping away from WWE completely, at least for now, seeing him transition to a part-time role would still create a major void atop the card.
Cody Rhodes has received a significant push since his recent return from All Elite Wrestling and could be a contender to take over the headline role, while the strong women's division would figure to take on an even bigger part in the main-event scene.
WWE Tag Team Title Unification Plans Axed
RK-Bro (Randy Orton and Riddle) were scheduled to face off with The Usos, Jimmy and Jey, the unify the tag team championships at WrestleMania Backlash on Sunday night. Instead, it was changed to a six-man tag match with the inclusion of Drew McIntyre and Reigns, who's part of The Bloodline faction with The Usos.
Meltzer reported (via Matthew Wilkinson of Wrestling Inc.) there are still plans for the two tag teams to face off in a "major match," but the unification angle is no longer in the works.
WWE was seemingly headed toward an end to the Raw-SmackDown brand split coming out of WrestleMania after Reigns unified the top belts, but that momentum has been halted.
Along with keeping the tag titles separate, it was also reported last week the WWE draft remains on the schedule for August or September, suggesting the brands will maintain unique rosters.
Meanwhile, it makes sense to keep both RK-Bro and The Usos in championship positions.
Orton has found his most stable storyline in a while as part of the highly entertaining team with Riddle, showcasing a softer, more humorous side of the “Legend Killer.” They've become fan favorites and help carry the load on Raw.
The Usos will likely be asked to handle an even bigger role maintaining the dominance of The Bloodline while Reigns is away, so it wouldn't be a surprise if their title run extends through the summer.
MVP Teases Diss Track on Bobby Lashley
After two years working alongside Lashley as part of the Hurt Business, MVP switched allegiances last month to become the manager of Omos. He helped his new client win at WrestleMania Backlash on Sunday by hitting Lashley with a cane in the finishing sequence.
MVP posted a message on Instagram following Raw on Monday saying a diss track about Lashley is coming soon. He hinted the name will be "Fall Mighty."
The former WWE United States champion has been releasing music since 2011, most recently working with Smoke DZA and 80 Empire on "Legalize It," a song about cannabis released on April 20 (4/20).
While WWE has struggled to help Omos gain any steam as a singles wrestler since his break with AJ Styles, connecting him with MVP should provide a boost. The Miami native will handle much of the mic work and try to garner some heat for the 7'3" competitor.
A diss track against Lashley will be a unique addition as the feud between the former WWE champion and Omos appear poised to continue heading toward Hell in a Cell in June.
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