WWE had been building towards a one-on-one match between Ridde and Roman Reigns at the Money In The Bank premium live even, but it sounds like those plans have changed. The angle would have seen Riddle seeking to avenge his injured tag team partner, Randy Orton, who hasn’t been seen on television since RK-Bro lost a tag-team title unification match against The Usos. The former UFC fighter has been teaming with Shinsuke Nakamura for the time being, continuing the feud with The Bloodline.
Plans had supposedly been in place for him to fight Reigns at Money In The Bank on July 2, but that appears to have shifted. Perhaps that has something to do with WWE needing to move the event to a smaller arena. It doesn’t sound like the company has much interest in using the Tribal Cheif unless the show is particularly large.
On the June 2 edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer reported that Riddle and Nakamura vs The Usos aren’t likely to happen at Hell In A Cell, indicating that the match will probably be happening at Money In The Bank instead. He stated that “Roman Reigns vs Riddle is probably off [Money In The Bank], but they can always change their mind. They could change everything tomorrow. Meltzer also communicated that “Roman Reigns is not necessarily off that show,” but as of now, the plan is for Riddle and Namakura to wrestle The Usos instead of a singles match between Reigns and Riddle.
That’s a bit of a letdown for fans of Riddle to be certain. He seems ready for life beyond RK-Bro and hasn’t felt out of place without a future Hall of Famer in Randy Orton by his side. Sticking Nakamura with him and continuing the tag-team feud was probably an early indication that he wouldn’t be receiving any kind of noteworthy singles push at this time. It’s not the end of the world for Riddle, as he’s been one of the most prominent characters on both Monday Night Raw and Friday Night SmackDown since WrestleMania 38.
Perhaps the biggest question coming along with this news is what WWE’s plans are for Roman Reigns. The last time he had a televised singles match was against Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania. He didn’t have a singles match at WrestleMania Backlash and isn’t on the card for this weekend’s Hell In A Cell show either. If he’s not on the Money In The Bank card, then that will mark three consecutive WWE premium live events without the undisputed champion defending the title. A match against Orton is in the plans for SummerSlam, but that too could change.
If any portion of the quotes from this article are used, please credit Wrestling Observer Radio with a h/t to RottenTomatoes.top for the transcription
