Back at WrestleMania 40, we discovered that Roman Reigns was still battling leukemia. Indeed, the PLE in Philadelphia was the last time we saw ‘The Tribal Chief’ in WWE. Since then his ‘Enforcer’ Solo Sikoa has taken over The Bloodline, essentially building a new faction. As such, a return from the ‘Head of the Table’, leading to a confrontation seems imminent but there may be both professional and personal reasons as to why Reigns hasn’t returned yet.

After he lost his WWE Undisputed Championship at WrestleMania in April, Reigns went on a sabbatical. This has allowed Sikoa to run roughshod on SmackDown, first taking out Jimmy Uso and then Reigns’ Wiseman Paul Heyman. In the meantime, he has brought new members into the faction that are loyal to him. Thus there has been anticipation for Reigns to return to WWE, but so far there have been no updates. But why delay the return of arguably your biggest star in a generation?

A blend between Roman Reigns’ personal life and professional timing

Fans watching at WrestleMania were stunned when on the first night of WrestleMania 40 announcer Pat McAfee said that Reigns was still “battling leukemia as we speak.” Afterward, in the press conference, the former SHIELD member confirmed his health struggles and said that he was on “oral chemotherapy,”

Hence, one big reason behind Roman Reigns not appearing in WWE since WrestleMania 40, could be his long-term battle against leukemia. In October 2018, Reigns had to walk away from WWE to battle the disease. But he returned just four months later in February, to announce that he was in remission.

Even though Reigns didn’t wrestle regularly during his historic 1316-day title reign, being the company’s top champion while dealing with leukemia must have taken its toll. It is possible that he is staying away to recover well enough for his big return.

To add to his already-existing health problem, Reigns also lost his father recently. WWE Hall of Famer and one-half of ‘The Wild Samoans’ Sika Anoa’i passed away aged 79, on June 25. This personal setback could be yet another reason for Reigns’ continued absence from the ring.

In many circles, it was rumored that the former Undisputed WWE Champion would return at Money in The Bank, with Sikoa’s Bloodline in the main event. These rumors only grew stronger when Paul Heyman was taken out by Sikoa and his henchmen after he refused to acknowledge the former as his “Tribal Chief.” It was thought Reigns could return to avenge the assault on his “special counsel.”

However, it is possible that his father’s untimely demise might have led to WWE shelving plans, if any for a grand return of Roman Reigns.

Apart from this, there is a strong possibility that WWE is keeping Reigns off TV for storyline purposes. Sikoa introduced Tama Tonga to the faction on the post-WrestleMania XL episode of SmackDown, where he took out Jimmy Uso. Then at Backlash on May 4, Tanga Loa made his WWE debut helping Sikoa and Tonga to a win over Randy Orton and Kevin Owens.

More recently on June 21, Jacob Fatu arrived in explosive fashion on SmackDown to take out Orton, Owens, and current WWE Undisputed Champion Cody Rhodes. Sikoa, Tonga, and Fatu then competed against the trio at Money in The Bank on July 6, with Sikoa pinning Rhodes.

Thus, The Bloodline 2.0 is only just coming together and building momentum. Essentially, The Bloodline 2.0 is still under development. Reigns’ absence allows Sikoa to grow stronger and shed more spotlight on him and the new faction. WWE would want the rogue stable to become more menacing and even more ruthless before projecting Reigns as the savior.

Hence, while there is a clamor for Reigns to return, with SummerSlam touted as the possible PLE, where he shows up, if WWE decides to keep him away it will make sense.

So when can fans expect Roman Reigns to come back and confront The Bloodline 2.0?

Predicting Roman Reigns’ WWE return

We may get an indication of Reigns’ ending his WWE hiatus once Paul Heyman has returned to the Stamford-based company. After the brutal assault on Friday Night SmackDown on June 28, which saw him getting power bombed through the announcer’s table, Heyman’s return could align with Reigns.

As of now, there is no confirmation about when Paul Heyman may come back except for the NYC Fan Fest that will take place from 16-18 August. But for that event, Heyman is advertised, but Reigns isn’t. Still, Reigns showing up at SummerSlam won’t be a surprise.

But considering Sikoa pinned the current champion Rhodes at Money in The Bank, it is likely that we get the two of them in the main event of SummerSlam on August 4. If WWE wants to build Sikoa further, they could give him the title and add legitimacy to his claim of being the new ‘Tribal Chief.’

This also gives the new faction more legitimacy and can further allow Tonga, Loa, and Fatu to develop on their own since they haven’t wrestled much. As such, an apt time for Reigns to finally come back to WWE will be around Survivor Series. This will allow WWE to build towards a Bloodline vs Bloodline match under the more apt stipulation of War Games. It is possible that Reigns will be joined by Jimmy Uso, Jey Uso and another member if needed to take down the usurpers. From there we could also get to an eventual Sikoa vs Reigns match as well as we head into the new year.

So what do you think? Should WWE pull the trigger on a Reigns return or wait until after SummerSlam? Drop your views in the comments below.