For the past two weeks, the WWE Universe has wondered about the condition of Roman Reigns. After a post-match assault at Clash in Paris that saw him stretchered out of the arena, the former World Champion has been completely off the grid.
That silence was broken this weekend, as Reigns was seen publicly for the first time since the attack. He was in Australia attending a birthday party for Street Fighter director Kitao Sakurai. This confirms Reigns is in the country for his role as Akuma in the upcoming film, which is the reason for his current hiatus from WWE programming.
Reigns isn’t the only WWE name involved with the project. Current World Champion Cody Rhodes, who plays Guile in the film, also had his schedule impacted by the production, forcing him to miss the Clash in Paris event.
While Reigns is away, Rhodes has already returned to WWE television. During this week’s SmackDown, he entered the ring to save Randy Orton from an attack by Drew McIntyre, immediately reinserting himself into a feud. The confrontation has led to a title match being set for Wrestlepalooza next Saturday, where Rhodes will defend his championship against McIntyre.
The storyline that wrote Reigns off television was definitive. Following his match in Paris on August 31, he was ambushed by Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed of The Vision. The attack, which included multiple spears and Tsunami splashes, ended with WWE announcing on-air that Reigns had suffered “multiple fractured ribs” and would be out of action indefinitely.