WWE was under surge with Roman Reigns ruling the kingdom with an iron fist for nearly 4 years. However, his 1,316 days reign as the Undisputed WWE champion came to its conclusion when he was dethroned by The American Nightmare Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania XL.
Since that historic night, The Head of the Table has taken a leave of absence. Moreover, his Wiseman Paul Heyman announced that Reigns had voluntarily withdrawn himself from the WWE Draft 2024 that began on SmackDown last week citing his extended hiatus.
With a bombshell announcement that kicked off the first night of the WWE Draft this year, here are 3 reasons why Roman Reigns took that decision:
1. Remain exclusive to ‘his’ brand
Ever since Roman Reigns donned the gimmick of the Tribal Chief, he has remained a prime fixture for Friday Night SmackDown. For the majority of his run, Roman has appeared on SmackDown barring a few appearances on RAW. Considering it as the brand he put on the map in the modern era, Roman Reigns chose to exclude himself from the Draft to remain there only.
2. WWE wants to identify RAW with a different top star
Much like Roman Reigns has been the top dog on SmackDown, certain WWE superstars have been pushing to become the face of RAW. With their previous top star Cody Rhodes also now on SmackDown, they would have made a creative decision to keep Roman away from RAW to let that spot be taken by another star. This would open the possibility of making another counterpart to Roman Reigns and done right so with his withdrawing storyline.
3. Return to Reclaim his Empire
As mentioned, SmackDown has been the Roman Reigns show for nearly 4 years. However, since his WrestleMania loss, it has been taken over by Cody Rhodes. So the Tribal Chief must have wanted to take his empire back from the man who took the reins from him, resuming their heated feud and thus leading to excuse himself from the draft to stay on SmackDown.
