Roman Reigns has an ultimate part-time schedule at this point. Any match for the Tribal Chief is a rare occasion, as Undisputed Universal Champion, he doesn’t warm up for a match on a regular basis, and that has caused him to miss some big events. It appears that he won’t be making a very important trip for WWE in May.
Backlash is set to be the inaugural WWE premium live event hosted in France at the LDLC Arena in Lyon-Decines on Saturday, May 4th. The preceding night, WWE will broadcast SmackDown from the LDLC Arena, marking the first airing of SmackDown in France.
Roman Reigns doesn’t appear to be making that trip to France with the rest of the SmackDown roster, because he’s not currently advertised for the show.
Roman Reigns Missing From WWE Backlash Poster
The official poster for WWE Backlash France has been released, featuring a lineup of wrestling talent including World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins, Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley, Becky Lynch, Cody Rhodes, and other WWE Superstars.
Notably, Roman Reigns is missing from the poster, sparking speculation about his potential absence from the event. It’s unclear how WWE will write things for Backlash without Roman Reigns, but they’ve arranged plenty of premium live events without The Tribal Chief already.
? The official Backlash France poster has been released ? pic.twitter.com/77l2xpJo3q
— Wrestle Features (@WrestleFeatures) December 14, 2023
The 2024 Backlash event promises to be a memorable night with a star-studded lineup. That being said, it’s unknown whether Roman Reigns will be a part of the event.
The fact that Roman Reigns is missing from the WWE Backlash poster, which will go down in May, and WrestleMania is in April, must spark attention. It certainly flipped a switch in my brain..
WWE’s current plan for Roman Reigns at WrestleMania (Exclusive)
Roman Reigns is going to wrestle at WrestleMania, and that main event match has not changed since early September, when I was told that they decided on his match. In fact, Roman Reigns’ WrestleMania 40 match was in place long before that, and The Rock was never a part of the creative conversation this time around.
Roman Reigns adding house shows dates to his schedule was also a bit of a surprise when it was announced. Many within the company thought Roman Reigns wouldn’t wrestle again in 2023 after his Undisputed Universal Title defense against LA Knight in Saudi Arabia at WWE Crown Jewel.
Although WWE has Roman Reigns’ WrestleMania match figured out, that doesn’t mean things can’t change. CM Punk’s return to the company will cause a creative shift within the company’s creative direction for, at least one, WrestleMania match. I was told in September that WWE already had their Men’s Royal Rumble match winner figured out as well, and I was able to confirm this week that the winner has not changed. However, at this point, nothing is “locked in.”
I was told by a tenured source within WWE that, “Even Roman’s main event can change if circumstances dictate. Will they dictate? Most likely not. But until it’s locked in, it’s not locked in.”
Roman Reigns will be on the road to WrestleMania, and he will make his return to television this week for SmackDown. What happens next will only add to the tremendous Bloodline saga that has already unfolded.