WWE Rumors on Roman Reigns’ Return, Potential Roster Cuts, Vince McMahon and Triple H

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Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.

Reigns’ Next Title Defense Reportedly Scheduled for Crown Jewel

Undisputed WWE universal champion Roman Reigns has not had a match since SummerSlam last month, and he reportedly isn’t scheduled to have his next title defense for quite some time.

According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Felix Upton of Ringside News), the expectation is that The Tribal Chief will not have his next televised match until Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia on Nov. 4.

Most recently, Reigns faced cousin Jey Uso in a Tribal Combat in the main event of SummerSlam, and he retained the title thanks to interference from Jey’s twin brother, Jimmy Uso.

Reigns recently surpassed three years and the 1,100-day mark as world champion, but over the past year in particular, his title defenses have been few and far between.

The Head of the Table is presented as an attraction who typically only competes at the biggest events, whereas WWE world heavyweight champion Seth Rollins is on essentially every premium live event.

WWE’s next PLE is Fastlane on Oct. 7, and there has been no indication that Reigns will wrestle on the show or even appear on it.

If not, then Crown Jewel is a logical spot for his next title defense since Reigns is typically always featured at the events in Saudi Arabia.

After Crown Jewel, WWE’s next premium live event is one of the company’s tentpole spectacles in Survivor Series on Nov. 25.

At last year’s Survivor Series, Reigns competed as part of The Bloodline in WarGames. If WarGames returns, it is possible Roman will wrestle without defending his title at Survivor Series.

Reigns’ opponent for Crown Jewel isn’t yet known, but it will be a huge deal regardless of who steps up just as all of his title defenses tend to be.

WWE Talent Cuts Reportedly Expected After Merger

Following the official merger of WWE and UFC into TKO Group Holdings this week, talent releases are reportedly expected within WWE.

According to Haus of Wrestling’s Nick Hausman, a source in WWE said “major cuts” of main roster and NXT talent are expected, although it wasn’t yet known when the moves would potentially be made.

Per Hausman, WWE president Nick Khan issued a memo to WWE employees Thursday asking them to work remotely on Friday amid “workforce reductions.”

Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp reported that there were many WWE releases on Friday among executives and those who work in marketing, digital and other areas, but none among the talent roster.

PWInsider.com (h/t Upton) reported that talent cuts were not expected to be made Friday, but it wasn’t specified if they would be made at a later date or not at all.

Layoffs and firings are typical when mergers occur in the business world, oftentimes in the interest of eliminating redundant positions.

Since WWE isn’t gaining any new wrestlers in the merger with UFC, it stands to reason that there could be far fewer cuts in that department than there have been on the executive side.

WWE Talent Reportedly Want Triple H Calling Creative Shots

WWE talent reportedly wanted Triple H to be the main creative decision-maker over Vince McMahon once the merger with UFC took place this week.

According to Meltzer (h/t Upton), anonymous talent said they hoped McMahon would have no involvement with creative after the merger and were told Triple H would be in charge, but McMahon reportedly made changes to Raw remotely on Monday.

In the summer of 2022, McMahon stepped down from his roles as WWE chairman and CEO, and Triple H subsequently took over as head of creative.

McMahon returned as chairman in January of this year to facilitate the sale of WWE, and numerous reports have indicated that he has contributed creatively since then.

While McMahon has reportedly rarely been backstage for Raw, SmackDown and premium live events, and Triple H has been the point man in those scenarios, McMahon has reportedly made changes remotely.

Meltzer (h/t Hausman) reported that McMahon recently returned from a medical leave of absence after undergoing spinal surgery, and he was present when the WWE merger was finalized.

McMahon is now the executive chairman of TKO Group Holdings, and it seems likely that he will continue to be heavily involved on the wrestling side moving forward.

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