Roman Reigns is still just a month removed from his 30-day suspension due to violating the WWE Wellness Policy and he has been demoted to the midcard. However, the latest rumors imply that his punishment might be over and he is on the good side of management once again.
Many fans were surprised when Reigns lost the WWE World Heavyweight championship to Seth Rollins cleanly at Money in the Bank. It was revealed two days later that he failed a drug test resulting in a 30-day suspension on June 21.
When Reigns returned at Battleground, he got pinned cleanly again and this time by WWE champion Dean Ambrose. It was a clear sign that The Big Dog has some backstage heat but there are some people that did not believe it.
However, Reigns lost cleanly again the next night on Monday Night Raw and it was against Finn Balor. He then started a feud with Rusev, who is the United States champion. It became clear that the WWE is punishing Reigns for his failed drug test but he might be getting on track already.
According to The Inquisitr, the backstage heat on Reigns might be subsiding since he was featured in the main event of Raw for the second straight week. Last week, he speared Rusev after his win over Cesaro in the main event.
In this week's edition of Raw, Reigns defeated Rusev in a non-title match to end the show. The fact that the U.S. title feud gets the main event spot on the last Raw before SummerSlam rather than the Seth Rollins-Finn Balor is a little fishy.
The WWE just made it look like that the United States title is more important than the WWE Universal Championship. The report also noted that Reigns is the favorite to win the U.S. championship at SummerSlam and defeat Rusev.
On the other hand, the WWE still has problems in booking Reigns, ABC News reported. It is mentioned that The Guy gets booed despite being pitched against heels such as Rollins and Rusev. However, it is pointed out that Rusev can get Reigns over.
The Bulgarian Brute is one of the best heels in the main roster and fans will likely cheer an American rather than someone who likes Vladimir Putin on television. Nevertheless, there is still a tiny possibility that Rusev could retain the U.S. title at SummerSlam since he lost on television, something that falls into the "lose on TV, win on PPV" theory.
Check out the video below for the Reigns vs. Rusev non-title in this week's Raw.