Roman Reigns Set For Indefinite WWE Absence - Will Still Have Creative Influence

The Tribal Chief is set to be absent from WWE for an "indefinite period".

by Andrew Pollard
WWE WrestleMania XL Cody Rhodes Roman Reigns
WWE

Having not been seen on WWE programming since losing to Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania XL, don't be expecting Roman Reigns to be back on SmackDown or Raw any time soon.

Per the ever-reliable WrestleVotes on X, the Tribal Chief is set for an indefinite absence from WWE. Despite this, he will still have a "substantial" creative influence on how things continue to play out for the Bloodline.

Roman Reigns has been alluded to on WWE TV in the time since 'Mania, including Paul Heyman trying to do his usual "call Roman Reigns" schtick on last week's SmackDown. That didn't go well for the Wiseman, with Solo Sikoa stomping on Heyman's phone as the dynamics of the Bloodline undergo some notable changes.

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As for those changes, Solo went rogue on the most recent SmackDown, joining the debuting Tama Tonga in putting a beating on Jimmy Uso. That nicely left fans with plenty of questions; is Solo claiming the Tribal Chief title for himself? Did that attack take place under the instruction of Roman? Was the Rock maybe calling the shots? Is Solo forming his own Bloodline 2.0 to do battle with a Reigns-led Bloodline?

On top of these questions, WWE has also now reportedly signed Jacob Fatu. The son of the Tonga Kid - who is the twin brother of Rikishi - the Samoan Werewolf is one of the most entertaining, intimidating wrestlers in the game, and he's another who seems destined to become part of the Bloodline's ongoing story.

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Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.