What is a ruptured eardrum? Roman Reigns' potential injury at WWE Survivor Series 2022 explained

WWE SmackDown Superstar Roman Reigns
WWE SmackDown Superstar Roman Reigns

Roman Reigns and the rest of The Bloodline were in action this Saturday at WWE Survivor Series. Although the team secured the victory, the aftermath of the WarGames Match wasn't looking too good for them.

The Brawling Brutes teamed up with Kevin Owens and Drew McIntyre in hopes of taking down The Bloodline but to no avail. Owens and Reigns faced off during the match, and the former slapped the latter. Multiple reports then circulated that the slap was too stiff, which resulted in a possible injury to Roman Reigns' eardrum.

According to the Mayo Clinic, a ruptured eardrum (also known as a perforated eardrum) is a hole or tear in the thin tissue that separates the ear canal from the eardrum. This injury can cause hearing loss in worse cases and make the eardrum vulnerable to infections. The wound heals within a few weeks without treatment but sometimes requires a patch or surgery.

After the match, there were reports of a possible backstage confrontation between the two WWE stars. Dave Meltzer suggested that a backstage altercation between the two superstars did occur. However, there was no confirmation regarding the eardrum injury. However, he added that the situation calmed down soon after.

"Regarding the report on what happened backstage with Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens. The story is accurate in the sense Reigns got upset after being popped, and had noticeable bruising under his left eye. There was talk of a possible broken eardrum but that was not confirmed to us (...) What is confirmed is that it came from a slap by Owens, Reigns was upset, but 20 minutes later it had all blown over so there is no lingering issue regarding it," noted Meltzer.

Roman Reigns' reported backstage altercation may have changed major plans for Royal Rumble 2023

Some reports stated that the backstage altercation between The Tribal Chief and The Prizefighter was already resolved. However, it looks like this may have affected a possible feud in the future.

It was reported that there were plans for Owens to supposedly face the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion for next year's Royal Rumble. Considering the recent development, it looks like Reigns will now face Sheamus instead if the planned match doesn't occur.

The extent of Roman Reigns' possible injury is currently unknown. For now, fans will likely have to wait a bit longer to see the feud between The Tribal Chief and Kevin Owens.