Roman Reigns is coming again quickly—however not for the explanation many followers anticipated.
In line with Dave Meltzer within the Wrestling Observer Publication on January 16, 2026, Reigns is presently scheduled to return on the Royal Rumble, however he received’t be re-entering the primary WWE title image instantly.
“We have been informed that Reigns would be the odd man out of the WWE title image. He’s scheduled to return on the Rumble and one would anticipate his route to be clearer there. Reigns’ first match again was confirmed to us as being deliberate for Saudi Arabia.”
The replace lastly places some readability on Reigns’ standing after weeks of hypothesis—a few of which was fueled by WWE themselves. On January 12, Meltzer had reported on Wrestling Observer Radio that WWE could have unintentionally spoiled Reigns’ return in a syndicated TV itemizing resulting from a manufacturing error.
The itemizing, despatched to numerous shops like TV Information, reportedly included two strains not meant for SmackDown: one referencing Maxxine Dupri’s story post-Becky Lynch and the opposite straight stating “Roman Reigns returns.”
“That’s the factor that WWE despatched to the TV Information folks… they despatched it for SmackDown. So any person simply screwed up.”
On the time, there was confusion over when precisely Reigns would reappear. The error didn’t appear to be a calculated tease—it appeared extra like WWE despatched out a RAW description beneath the SmackDown label, blowing the duvet on a closely-guarded secret.
Now, with Meltzer confirming Reigns’ return on the Rumble, it’s obvious that followers received’t need to decode TV listings for much longer. What’s extra intriguing, although, is WWE maintaining him out of the title scene, not less than for now—a serious shift contemplating Reigns’ dominance since 2020.
Roman Reigns is coming again on the Royal Rumble, however to not reclaim his spot on the prime—not less than not instantly. Along with his subsequent match deliberate for Saudi Arabia, the query now isn’t simply when he returns, however why the Tribal Chief is being saved out of the title image.
Do you assume WWE is making the fitting name by maintaining Reigns out of the title hunt—for now? Or ought to he stroll proper again into the primary occasion scene? Drop your ideas beneath and be part of the dialog.