Roman Reigns reportedly suffered a ruptured eardrum during the WarGames match at WWE Survivor Series, and he's apparently still dealing with that injury. The Tribal Chief was allegedly heated following the main event of the show. Somewhere during the match, Kevin Owens caught him with a blow of some sort that led to the eardrum issue. Reigns and Owens supposedly got into an argument backstage following the WarGames match, with Roman feeling that the spot was unplanned and unnecessary. It's unclear if the two still have heat, but nothing got to the point where it'd change booking plans for either man.
In the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer gave the following update about Reigns' injury: "Both Reigns and [Drew] McIntyre are out of action for right now due to suffering ruptured eardrums at Survivor Series. It's a short-term thing and both should be back soon. Reigns is not on any of the post-Christmas shows, not even MSG." Missing the Madison Square Garden show is noteworthy, as WWE generally tries to build up that annual event with marquee names for the New York crowd.
The Bloodline Has Enough Steam To Get By Without Roman Reigns
WWE has done an excellent job building Roman Reigns up to feel like a significant attraction on SmackDown and Raw. The shows have a different vibe when he's involved, but he isn't on air every week. As such, his needing to miss a few weeks to deal with this eardrum issue shouldn't derail any of the ongoing storylines with The Bloodline. If anything, it creates some exciting opportunities for Triple H and his writing team.
All seems well between Sami Zayn and The Usos, but something seems off with Solo Sikoa now. He hasn't been acting very Ucey since Survivor Series. WWE has booked The Bloodline saga to be a slow-burn story, and Reigns being off television for a few weeks will create intrigue. There will undoubtedly be some on-screen issues in the coming weeks, however, and audiences will be left to wonder how, exactly, Reigns will react once he's able to return. Fans could also be treated to a bit more on-mic time for Paul Heyman. As far as consolation prizes go, that's a good one.
As for Reigns, reports have indicated that WWE isn't planning to have him wrestle at Elimination Chamber on February 18. It is improbable that he will remain off television until then, but there's no pressing need for him to rush his recovery. The Bloodline has plenty of steam for the time being, and WWE will need Roman Reigns feeling 100 percent as the company ramps up for WrestleMania season. Based on Meltzer's report, there's no reason to believe Reigns won't be back and able to compete physically soon.
Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter