After the split of The Shield in June, WWE pushed Roman Reigns as one of their top faces. He battled The Authority over the summer months but unfortunately, the night before Night of Champions in September, Reigns was pulled from the card in order to undergo emergency surgery to repair an incarcerated hernia. He has not wrestled since, but has been featured on WWE programming, being interviewed via satellite. Originally, it was estimated that he would be back in action just after Christmas, but it is now more likely that he will hold off another few weeks and have his return at the Royal Rumble. WWE have actually advertised Reigns to be at a number of live events in December but it is unclear whether he will compete in the ring. He is all set to appear at the December 20th live event at The Denny Sanford PREMIER Center in Sioux Falls. Reigns is being tipped by many to be the man who will beat Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania XXX1 and lead WWE into the future. This injury, and how it reacts when he eventually returns, has cast major doubt over those plans.
