Roman Reigns' WrestleMania 40 opponent after fresh twist on SmackDown - Reports
The fallout from SummerSlam has rocked the WWE Universe to its core as Jey Uso's apparent storyline exit has raised doubts about Roman Reigns' future. A new report has shed some light on WWE's direction for WrestleMania 40, where Roman Reigns is still expected to face Cody Rhodes.
WrestleMania 39 was initially seen as the show where Roman Reigns would finally drop the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship as Cody Rhodes was riding on a lot of momentum. The American Nightmare unfortunately lost and was since in a drawn-out battle with Brock Lesnar, which concluded at SummerSlam.
Roman successfully defended his championship against Jey Uso at the recent WWE PLE but got laid out by his cousin on SmackDown. Jey also walked out of the company and, as noted by a WWE legend, should spend a few months out before returning to set up a massive WrestleMania 40 showdown.
As for Reigns, while backstage changes can't be ruled out, Ringside News reports that the current plan is still for The Tribal Chief and Cody Rhodes to have a rematch in Philadelphia next year.
"Ringside News was told by a tenured member of the creative team that 'things can change, and that's something to note,' but Roman Reigns vs Cody Rhodes has always been the 'obvious direction' for WrestleMania 40. It was also noted that this has been the 'theory since before their match at WrestleMania 39.'"
What happened on the SmackDown after SummerSlam with Roman Reigns and his family?
Following the swerve during Roman Reigns' latest title defense, fans were eager for this week's SmackDown to witness the next chapter in The Bloodline saga.
The show-closing segment saw Jimmy Uso give an unconvincing explanation for his attack on Jey. Reigns supported Jimmy before his SummerSlam opponent, Jey Uso, came out for some answers.
The brothers argued over what transpired last Saturday, ending with Jimmy Uso leaving the ring as Roman continued to berate Jey. The former Tag Team Champion snapped and took Reigns and Solo Sikoa down with Superkicks. He briefly teased the idea of forgiving Jimmy before laying him out as well.
Before walking away through the crowd, Main Event Jey screamed to the cameras that he was "out of WWE," giving rise to speculation about his future.
Did you check out the unaired footage of Jey Uso before he allegedly quit WWE? Check it out right here.