Details continue to emerge about Roman Reigns' new contract with WWE, the latest signifying that he might be on television more than initially thought. The Tribal Chief and his Bloodline stable have been at the heart of both Monday Night Raw and Friday Night SmackDown since WrestleMania 38 when Reigns defeated Brock Lesnar to unify the WWE Championship and Universal Championship. He's still being listed as a double champion, and no physical unification has taken place, and he's been the heart and soul of WWE's storytelling for months now.
Not only does Reigns hold both major heavyweight titles in the men's division, but the Usos are also set to unify the tag team championships in a bout with RK-Bro this week. This possibly sets WWE's The Bloodline up to hold all of the gold outside of the Intercontinental Championship and the United States Championship. As such, Reigns caused a major stir online when he told a house show crowd in Trenton, New Jersey, that he was starting a new phase of his life last week. This led to speculation about his future with the WWE - with many assuming he was taking a run at Hollywood stardom like The Rock - but it turned out that he had simply signed a contract that would allow him to work fewer house shows.
This, too, caused speculation about Reigns getting the Brock Lesnar treatment. That is to say, not showing up on television unless a major premium live event is on the horizon. Wrestling Observer Live's Andrew Zarian is reporting that he's heard that this isn't the case, however. “This is not like a Lesnar deal," Zarian has been told. "He’s still full-time. He’s just not gonna' do smaller house shows, and he may take time off every now and then.”
Last week, there were legitimate concerns that Reigns would be appearing less frequently on WWE programming. He didn't defend his unified title at the WrestleMania Backlash event, and reports indicate that he won't be fighting for either belt on the Hell In A Cell card either. That poured gasoline on the part-time Roman Reigns fire, but there seems to have been a lot more smoke than actual flames.
Reigns not performing in a reduced role is good news for both WWE and fans. A ton of time, effort, and energy has been poured into giving The Tribal Chief a larger-than-life feel. The parallels between his spot on the card and Lesnar's are clear. So concerns about Reigns rarely appearing as a way to boost the importance of his on-screen time weren't misplaced but, ultimately, seem to have been unfounded. Assuming Zarian's report is on the money, WWE audiences don't need to worry about a part-time champion anytime soon.
Sources: Wrestling Observer Live