Seth Rollins brings up Roman Reigns' WWE suspension in brutal promo before Royal Rumble
WWE Superstar Seth Rollins left no stone unturned in his attempt to get under Roman Reigns' skin during their meeting on SmackDown this week.
The blue brand's final show before Royal Rumble saw the Universal Champion engage in a war of words with The Architect in the main event. Rollins brought up a lot of things from their past, including when Reigns was suspended for violating WWE's Wellness Policy.
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#SmackDown @WWERomanReigns @WWERollins https://t.co/gtzRvhXbVI
In 2016, Seth Rollins returned from a long hiatus due to injury and ended Roman Reigns' title reign. Soon after that, it was confirmed that the latter had failed WWE's internal drug testing program and was handed a 30-day suspension.
Rollins brought up the incident while recounting the multiple ways in which Reigns has humiliated his family.
"I am not living in the past, I am living for tomorrow, but the past is a good place to start. If we take a little stroll back in time, we remember the big moments like the most famous Money in the Bank cash-in of all time when I stole your first WrestleMania moment right from underneath you. Or when I came back from a devastating knee injury in my first match back, brought shame to your Bloodline by pinning your shoulders right here to this mat and sent you packing for your 30-day vacay," said Rollins.
While WWE has officially acknowledged Roman Reigns' suspension in the past, it was surprising to see Rollins bring it up in a promo. But then, very few superstars play the role of a villain as well as The Architect, who said a lot more to provoke Reigns.
However, the mention of The Shield and Rollins' betrayal finally broke the tribal Chief and set the right tone for their upcoming match.
Why is Seth Rollins challenging Roman Reigns at WWE Royal Rumble 2022?
Seth Rollins was heavily involved in the WWE Championship picture when the title was still resting on Big E's shoulders. His shot at gold was hijacked on multiple occasions.
Multiple developments eventually to a Fatal Five-Way match at Day 1. Brock Lesnar finally won the title by pinning Big E, and Bobby Lashley emerged as his next title contender.
Is @WWERollins inside @WWERomanReigns' head?
#SmackDown #RoyalRumble #UniversalTitle https://t.co/34T3GIMMWw
Meanwhile, Roman Reigns was left with no credible challengers on SmackDown. He was confident about beating anyone on the blue brand until Adam Pearce pulled off a shocking move by bringing Rollins from RAW as the Tribal Chiefs' next opponent.
Both superstars have built up to their upcoming match at Royal Rumble in the last month. While their segments have been quite eventful, tonight, we indeed saw The Architect push the boundaries of his heel run.