Roman Reigns Returns to WWE Programming During TLC 2014

Roman Reigns' ascent to the top of WWE was momentarily halted due to injury in September, but the powerhouse returned to action in explosive fashion Sunday night during the Tables, Ladders & Chairs PPV.

WWE snapped a picture of Reigns surrounded by excited fans:

Reigns came back as the Big Show prepared to hit John Cena with a chokeslam, which would've gifted a win to Seth Rollins in a tables match. However, Reigns intervened, hitting Show with a Superman Punch and Spear. He then hit Rollins with a Superman Punch, which allowed Cena to quickly put Rollins through a table and win the match.

The 29-year-old former Shield member is viewed by many as the future of the company, but he suffered the first setback of his young career just prior to Night of Champions. Reigns was slated to face former partner Rollins; however, the match never happened, as Reigns was forced to undergo emergency hernia surgery, according to Zach Linder and Brian Pellegatto of WWE.com.

Following the procedure, WWE physician Dr. Chris Amann provided an update regarding Reigns' timetable for a return.

"Most of the time, the recovery time for something like this in terms of returning to physical activity is between four and six weeks," Amann said. "This was a pretty significant hernia, so it will probably be closer to six weeks."

WWE attempted to keep Reigns' name fresh in the minds of fans during his absence. He was featured in a couple of interview segments via satellite on Raw, and The Juggernaut made his feelings and intentions clear during the lead-up to his comeback.

About five weeks after undergoing surgery, Reigns offered a positive report regarding his progress, per WWE Universe on Twitter:

That wasn't Reigns' only message, though, as he also placed a massive target on Mr. Money in the Bank's back, according to WWE's official Twitter account:

Reigns is far from the only one who has an issue with Rollins, as Dean Ambrose, John Cena and even Randy Orton have expressed a great deal of disdain for The Authority's pet project. Reigns' vendetta against The Shield's architect is personal for several reasons, however.

For starters, Rollins willingly betrayed his brothers in order to side with Triple H and The Authority. Reigns never got proper revenge because the hernia prevented him from taking on Rollins at Night of Champions.

In addition to that, Rollins has been heralded as the future of WWE from a storyline perspective. With that said, most WWE fans are seemingly of the mind that Reigns is the one who is being groomed to become WWE World Heavyweight champion in the near future.

Whether or not that proves to be true, there is no question that Reigns' return comes at an opportune time. With observers growing tired of Cena's dominance near the top of the card and Daniel Bryan currently on the injured list, WWE desperately needs a fresh Superstar like Reigns in the picture.

As popular as he was prior to getting injured, it can be argued that the time away was beneficial. It prevented the WWE Universe from feeling like Reigns was being shoved down their throats, and it also made for a great moment when he ultimately came back.

The major challenge for WWE and the creative team moving forward is ensuring that the crowd continues to react favorably to Reigns. If they are able to do that, then the sky is the limit for the master of the Superman Punch.

With WrestleMania season very much on the horizon, the excitement within WWE is mounting. The return of a Superstar of Reigns' caliber only serves to intensify it.

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