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Over the past month on SmackDown Live, there have been fewer stories with more coverage than the attacks on Roman Reigns. Several weeks ago, Reigns was crushed under some scaffolding backstage, and on a recent episode of Monday Night RAW, the Big Dog was involved in a deliberate automobile incident.
On this week's show, Daniel Bryan and Erick Rowan claimed that they knew who the mystery assailant was, after 'clearing' their own names with an attack on Buddy Murphy. Despite Reigns wanting answers, the former SmackDown Tag Team Champions said they would reveal the truth in seven days, much to the annoyance of the Big Dog.
Here are five reasons why Daniel Bryan didn't reveal Roman Reigns' attacker on this week's WWE SmackDown Live.
#5 Because it won't be revealed next week either
On this week's edition of SmackDown Live, Daniel Bryan promised that he will reveal Roman Reigns' attacker in just seven days. This is an awfully friendly gesture by someone who has been one of WWE's best heels over the past year, and Bryan's actions have made many fans suspicious, and rightly so.
Though he claims to have the answers, there's no proof that Bryan knows who it is, and I for one wouldn't put it past the former World Champion to withhold the information on next week's show. Perhaps Bryan will demand favors from the Big Dog before he reveals the truth, though we're not sure how long this could last. Though Bryan has claimed that he will reveal the truth next week, he's a heel, and heels lie, meaning Roman may once again not have any answers on next week's show.
#4 To get fans to tune in next week
It's no secret that the WWE have been in something of a rating slump in 2019. Not only at home, but the company has been struggling to sell tickets for house shows, TV tapings and even Pay Per Views. This week's edition of SmackDown Live was sadly no different, as the company once again moved fans and used tarps to give the illusion of a packed arena in Toronto.
On this week's show, the company said clearly that Roman Reigns' attacker will be revealed on next week's show, with Daniel Bryan being the one to reveal the truth. This storyline has been going on for several weeks now, and has been one of the biggest, and most discussed stories of the year so far. Obviously, WWE want to have as many fans tuning in as possible when they reveal the truth, and announcing the reveal a week in advance can't exactly hurt the chances of people tuning in to the blue brand to find out who is responsible for the attacks on the Big Dog.
#3 Because the attacker isn't on the roster yet
There's an old saying that you only get one chance to make a good first impression and on the WWE's main roster, there are fewer better first impressions to be made, than going after Roman Reigns. Just look at the match between the former Universal Champion and Buddy Murphy on this week's show as proof. In an exciting 15-minute match, Reigns made Murphy look like an absolute star in his first match since being moved to SmackDown as part of the Superstar Shakeup. Though Murphy didn't win, it's hard to say he came out of the excellent match looking like a loser.
Having an NXT Superstar be responsible for attacking Roman could be a great start for anyone in the developmental brand. Of course, that would mean they'd have to wrap things up in NXT first. With the developmental brand being filmed in advance, this could be a great chance for a Superstar from the yellow brand to wrap things up on NXT, before making their big debut next week on SmackDown Live, at the expense of the Big Dog.
#2 They're still not sure who it is
This may seem strange, but there is a genuine possibility that the company still doesn't know who they have planned to be Roman Reigns' attacker. After all, it seems all the major suspects have been cleared, as Samoa Joe proved he wasn't the man behind the wheel when Reigns was run down on RAW, and Rowan and Daniel Bryan were able to admit Buddy Murphy lied about their involvement, though through some not-so-legal means.
As bad as it sounds, there is the chance that the company are stalling, as they try and put an answer together on who ran down the Big Dog. Out of all the major suspects so far, Murphy is the only one who hasn't been cleared, though we're not sure if he is ready to feud with the former Universal Champion.
If the WWE really doesn't have an answer to the mystery, they've got a week to find one, as the company would receive major backlash if they stalled the secret of who has been attacking the former Universal Champion being revealed once again.
#1 They're planning a major swerve
We all know that WWE love their swerves, and it seems that the company could have a huge one planned for Roman Reigns next week. After all, this whodunnit mystery isn't too different than when 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin was run down in late 1999, and though the Rattlesnake took nearly a year to return to the ring, it seems the Big Dog may get answers next week.
If this is the case though, the question is, what kind of swerve could the company be planning? Perhaps, much like when Austin was run down by Rikishi, on the orders of Triple H, this wasn't a one-man job, and maybe Murphy, Bryan, Rowan and Joe all worked together to try and take the Big Dog out. This would certainly be an interesting story, and could see Roman have to take on four opponents at once to finally get some justice.
Whatever the company has planned, a huge swerve next week could be what the company needs to save this angle, which hasn't gone down well with many members of the WWE Universe.
