WWE Criticized for Poor Booking of Roman Reigns’ SummerSlam Return

During Roman Reigns’ absence after WrestleMania 40, Solo Sikoa took on the leadership role within The Bloodline. Things obviously changed as Reigns returned during the event, and it appears his return has been criticized by a former WWE personality.

Roman Reigns made an unexpected return at SummerSlam, targeting Solo Sikoa rather than Cody Rhodes. Reigns delivered a Superman punch and a fierce spear to Sikoa before exiting backstage, helping Rhodes retain his championship against Solo Sikoa.

While speaking to Chris Van Vliet, Jonathan Coachman criticized WWE for their approach to Roman Reigns’ return at SummerSlam, questioning the logic of announcing his appearance only for it to be a run-in. He pointed out that after a four-month absence, fans were left waiting through the match, looking toward the entrance for Reigns to make a significant comeback. Instead, he arrived in a run-in with no words, simply hitting Solo and leaving.

Coachman argued that if WWE wanted Reigns’ return to be a surprise run-in, they shouldn’t have announced it in the first place. By issuing a press release about his return, WWE set expectations for a major moment that wasn’t fully delivered, which, to Coachman, felt like an attempt to ensure viewers tuned in.

“There’s no time for us to forget. We don’t see Roman Reigns for four months, and then this is what happens. Why in the world would you announce that your biggest star is coming back, only to make it a run-in? Think about that for a second. They announced Roman Reigns was returning at SummerSlam. The entire match, what was the crowd doing? They were looking at the entrance, waiting for Roman Reigns to come out. And when he did, he didn’t say a word; he just did a run-in.

If you’re going to do a run-in as a surprise, why announce it? They 100% put out a press release stating that Roman Reigns would return at SummerSlam, and he did—just to do a run-in. If you’re going to make it that way, then just bring him out properly. But he came out, hit Solo, and that was it. To me, that was a direct result of, ‘We’ve got to do something to make sure people watch.’”

It’s been a long time since Roman Reigns’ return and most recently, Roman Reigns and The Usos teamed up to face off against Solo Sikoa, Jacob Fatu and Tonga Loa at WWE Crown Jewel Premium Live Event. Sikoa would ultimately pin Reigns for the win and now fans are waiting to see how WWE will book their feud as we head towards the Survivor Series Premium Live Event. Regardless, there might be many fans who will agree with what Jonathan Coachman had to say about Roman Reigns’ SummerSlam return and it’s not hard to see why.

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