WWE News And Rumors: What Now For Roman Reigns After His ‘Payback’ Destruction By Braun Strowman?

WWE star Roman Reigns has been largely absent from the wrestling ring since he ended The Undertaker’s career at WrestleMania 33. That’s not to say that Reigns has been absent from WWE TV, as previously reported in the Inquisitr, Reigns suffered a beating at the hands of Braun Strowman, on Monday Night Raw a couple of weeks back. The “Monster Amongst Men” attacked Reigns during an interview, in a segment that saw Strowman overturn an ambulance with Reigns inside.

As a result of that assault, Reigns was reported to have suffered a separated shoulder and internal injuries. Those injuries kept Reigns off the WWE network for a few weeks, but Reigns showed remarkable powers of recovery when he returned to face Strowman at the WWE Payback PPV on Sunday night. It has been obvious for some time that the WWE are giving Strowman a major push.

Strowman’s antics, when he chased The Miz around the arena at the turn of the year, gave major clues that The Abominable Strowman had a huge role to play in the WWE’s 2017 programming. During the buildup to WrestleMania 33, Strowman got in on the act when The Undertaker appeared on Monday Night Raw to tell the “Big Dog” that the WWE was still “his yard.” When Reigns retired The Undertaker at WrestleMania 33, the WWE reconfirmed that the “Roman Empire” is here to stay.

Of course, after several Monday Night Raw segments were used to build bad blood between Reigns and Strowman, it was inevitable that the WWE network was setting up a PPV clash between the two. That clash arrived during WWE Payback 2017 on Sunday and whilst the match may have been predictable, the outcome was a surprise.

Roman Reigns Destroyed by Braun Strowman at WWE ‘Payback’ 2017

The WWE universe will not be surprised by ESPN’s assertion that the Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman match at Payback 2017 trod a familiar path. Reigns is the perpetual underdog who can recover from any adversity to come out on top.

“Time and time again during his WWE career, Roman Reigns has overcome the odds, no matter how high they were stacked against him.

“[When] a heavily bandaged Reigns laid in a crumpled heap in the corner of the ring, defeated by Braun Strowman, he showed an element of vulnerability and humanity that has so sorely been lacking from a man who currently stands as the most polarizing ‘good guy’ since peak John Cena.”

Reigns did show signs that he might recover to defeat Strowman, but The Monster Amongst Men dished out punishing attacks that led to Reigns being taken away in an ambulance for the second time in a matter of weeks. The Heavy report that last night’s Monday Night Raw saw Kurt Angle tell the WWE universe that “Reigns re-injured his ribs and suffered from numerous other internal injuries during his match against Braun Strowman” at Payback 2017.

That announcement doubtless means that Reigns will be absent from Monday Night Raw for some time.

What Does Roman Reigns Absence From ‘Monday Night Raw’ Mean?

We can assume that Reigns’ injuries mean that Monday Night Raw will be shorn of his talent for some time. What was more surprising was Angle’s announcement that Strowman also sustained an injury during the match at Payback. Strowman reportedly sustained a rotator-cuff injury that is likely to keep him off our screens for some time to come. It’s hard to see why the WWE would want to keep Strowman quiet during a major push, but there are a number of reasons why Reigns may be set for a lengthy break.

Reigns may need some time to come to terms with the death of his brother, former WWE star Rosey, who passed away with suspected heart failure a couple of weeks back. Fansided claims that putting Reigns on the backburner, for now, is part of the WWE’s plan to set up a clash between Reigns and Brock Lesnar for the WWE Universal Championship at WrestleMania 34. With that event almost 11 months away, it’s difficult to see how the WWE can keep them apart until then.

Reigns is hardly the WWE universe’s favorite son, but Lesnar needs to compete, and Reigns is certain to find himself in a title match well before WrestleMania 34. According to Fansided, it is strongly rumored that Lesnar will face Strowman for the universal title at the Great Balls of Fire PPV in July. A victory for Strowman at that event could set up a title match between Reigns and Strowman at SummerSlam in August, followed by Lesnar challenging again at Hell In A Cell at the end of October.

Reigns or Lesnar could hold the title through to the Royal Rumble in 2018, with a three-way feud keeping interest high through to WrestleMania 34. Of course, it could be the case that the WWE justs want to keep Reigns out of view to allow the hatred for the man who retired The Undertaker to die down.

[Featured Image by WWE]