Dave Meltzer discussed a potential production error that may have revealed WWE’s plans for Roman Reigns’ return ahead of schedule. Speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Meltzer revealed details of a syndicated TV listing for SmackDown that appeared to be for a future broadcast. The mistake has led to widespread speculation that the “Original Tribal Chief” will be back on television much sooner than fans expected.
The leak occurred when a show description sent to TV guide outlets included specific plot points that have not yet taken place. “Roman Reigns is going to be, who should be back pretty soon. I saw… okay, so on the… what’s it called—this little scroll. Scroll for SmackDown,” Meltzer said. “Because it said, ‘How Maxxine Dupri tries to recover from her loss to Becky Lynch’ and ‘Roman Reigns returns.’” The mention of Maxxine Dupri’s recovery refers to her recent loss of the Women’s Intercontinental Championship to Becky Lynch on the January 5 episode of Raw.
Meltzer believes the error was a straightforward internal distribution slip-up. “It could be the week after, but that’s the thing that WWE sent to the TV Guide people… they sent it for SmackDown. So somebody just screwed up,” he said. This type of mistake is rare for WWE, which typically maintains tight control over program descriptions to protect major surprises and storyline developments.
The exact timing of the return remains a point of uncertainty despite the leak. While the listing was for an upcoming SmackDown, the current advertised lineup for Raw does not yet feature Reigns. “Yeah, so it could be the week after,” Meltzer noted.
If you use any portion of the information from this article please credit Wrestling Observer Radio with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription. You can subscribe to the Wrestling Observer at f4wonline.com.
