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What’s the story?
For those wondering why Raw hasn’t yet retaliated after SmackDown’s invasion of the show last week, CagesideSeats.com is suggesting it could have something to do with Roman Reigns' situation.
The site has reported that “another reason WWE is holding off on Raw retaliating against SmackDown is that they’re hoping Roman Reigns will be healthy enough to lead the charge on the PPV go home.”
In case you didn’t know…
Roman Reigns has been off WWE television for over a fortnight now, after it was announced on Oct 20 that he was one of three performers to have been diagnosed with a viral infection.
No word was provided as to when exactly Reigns was expected to be healthy enough to make his return, though it was later announced at the start of this week that he hasn’t yet been medically cleared and looks set to miss the upcoming European tour.
The current estimate for Reigns’ return is at the Nov 13 showing of Raw in Atlanta.
Going in depth
On top of the aforementioned Reigns situation, there are a couple of other factors that seem to explain why the rumoured retaliation hasn’t taken place yet.
For one, it would seemingly have been too obvious to have pulled the trigger on the angle the very next night following SmackDown’s attack. Plus, carrying it out this week is pretty much out of the question as the Raw crew is currently flying out to Europe for that forthcoming tour, which runs from Nov 1 through to Nov 12.
That means that all things considered, it’s looking like the week of the Nov 13 go-home show will be the only remaining opportunity to shoot the expected Raw retaliation.
What's next?
Expect some verbal back-and-forth in the intervening weeks between now and Nov 13, as Reigns’ illness plus the clash of schedules presented by the European tour put paid to any hopes of a face-to-face, inter-brand confrontation.
Author’s take
On the one hand, saving the angle for the go-home show will arguably make matters a little too predictable. But then again, it stands to reason that you’d want a top star like Reigns involved in such a high-profile segment pertaining to the imminent PPV.
Long story short; it may not be ideal, but it’s starting to look like the only viable solution, given the current circumstances.
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