Roman Reigns won’t be a part of this year’s WrestleMania 36 after withdrawing himself from the event over coronavirus concerns. The former Universal Champion was scheduled to face Goldberg for the title in the show’s biggest marquee match, but after a Friday Night SmackDown superstar reportedly showed up to the Performance Center displaying signs of illness, Reigns chose not to risk his health.
However, according to Wrestling Observer Radio ‘s Dave Meltzer, Reigns might not continue wrestling for too long after this pandemic is over. As quoted by Sportskeeda , the journalist believes that he shouldn’t be a WWE superstar for too much longer, as he must start looking at life beyond wrestling.
The superstar’s fight against leukemia has weakened his immune system, which has reportedly raised some concerns among WWE management about his long-term future as well.
Meltzer also noted that the “The Big Dog” may not be able to return to television until the COVID-19 virus is fully under control, as the risk is too high for him while he’s still susceptible to catching it.
“The other thing that was brought up to me actually yesterday by someone was that you realize for both of those guys (Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan), certainly for Roman Reigns, that he probably, and I’m sure this isn’t going to happen, but realistically, he probably shouldn’t be doing this for a long time.
“This is not about WrestleMania , this is about long after WrestleMania . We have until this thing is way under control, and I’m not talking about where we’re going to restaurants again, but way under control or there is a vaccine, hopefully, that soon.”
Things just got REAL between #UniversalChampion @Goldberg and @WWERomanReigns on #SmackDown ! pic.twitter.com/nWbmnCvFHK
— WWE (@WWE) March 21, 2020
While Meltzer’s suggestion might seem purely speculative, there is some merit to it. As The Inquisitr previously reported, Reigns has already stated that he plans on hanging up his boots in the next few years to pursue other ventures. While it remains to be seen if the coronavirus pandemic will influence his plans, he appears set on retiring at a young age.
If what Meltzer has learned is true, it might be a while until “The Big Dog” returns to Friday Night SmackDown . If that’s the case, the decision will be a huge blow to the company’s plans, given that Reigns is arguably the most popular superstar there at the moment.
However, at the time of this writing, the company’s main focus is being able to continue putting on shows in the current climate, which is becoming increasingly more difficult by the week.
