4 theories on why WWE blocked Roman Reigns' Raw return
Roman Reigns has been one of the most prominent WWE Superstars on SmackDown Live since he was drafted to the brand in the 2019 Superstar Shake-Up, so it came as a surprise when he tweeted on Saturday that he plans to appear on the May 6 episode of Monday Night Raw.
The four-time WrestleMania main-eventer wrote on Twitter:
“I’m back on #SDLive, but I still have some business on #Raw. I’ll see y’all Monday. #ProtectTheYard”
Within 38 minutes, WWE fired back by announcing that he will not be granted permission to show up on a brand that he is not currently assigned to:
"WWE officials have learned of Roman Reigns' desire to appear on Monday Night Raw, but as of now, and due to his obligations as a Smackdown Live Superstar, he will not be appearing on Monday Night Raw."
Given that Monday’s SmackDown-exclusive live event in Corbin, Kentucky has been postponed, there is still a strong possibility that “The Big Dog” will appear on Raw. But, as far as WWE’s storyline goes, he is being prevented from doing so by the company’s decision-makers.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at four theories on why WWE has blocked Reigns’ return to Raw.
#4 Continue the storyline with the McMahons
Roman Reigns made an immediate impression as a member of the SmackDown Live roster by taking out Vince McMahon, as well as Elias, with a Superman Punch on the second night of the Superstar Shake-Up.
Since then, Shane McMahon has tried to exact revenge for what Reigns did to his father by forming an alliance on SmackDown Live with Elias, who will go one-on-one with “The Big Dog” at the Money In The Bank pay-per-view on May 19.
Shane is also likely to appear on Monday’s episode of Raw to continue his storyline with The Miz ahead of their Steel Cage match at MITB, so it is possible that Reigns was referring to the former SmackDown Commissioner when he mentioned that he has “business” to attend to on Raw.
If that is the case, then perhaps the kayfabe reasoning behind WWE’s stance against Reigns could be down to Shane, who wants to avoid another confrontation with the former Shield member on Monday’s episode.