Roman Reigns is coming back soonbut not for the reason many fans expected.
According to Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter on January 16, 2026, Reigns is currently scheduled to return at the Royal Rumble, but he wont be re-entering the main WWE title picture right away.
The update finally puts some clarity on Reigns status after weeks of speculationsome of which was fueled by WWE themselves. On January 12, Meltzer had reported on Wrestling Observer Radio that WWE may have accidentally spoiled Reigns return in a syndicated TV listing due to a production error.
The listing, sent to various outlets like TV Guide, reportedly included two lines not meant for SmackDown: one referencing Maxxine Dupris story post-Becky Lynch and the other directly stating Roman Reigns returns.
At the time, there was confusion over when exactly Reigns would reappear. The mistake didnt seem like a calculated teaseit looked more like WWE sent out a RAW description under the SmackDown label, blowing the cover on a closely-guarded secret.
Now, with Meltzer confirming Reigns return at the Rumble, its apparent that fans wont have to decode TV listings much longer. Whats more intriguing, though, is WWE keeping him out of the title scene, at least for nowa major shift considering Reigns dominance since 2020.
Roman Reigns is coming back at the Royal Rumble, but not to reclaim his spot at the topat least not right away. With his next match planned for Saudi Arabia, the question now isnt just when he returns, but why the Tribal Chief is being kept out of the title picture.
Do you think WWE is making the right call by keeping Reigns out of the title huntfor now? Or should he walk right back into the main event scene? Drop your thoughts below and join the conversation.
