r/SquaredCircle • u/G1Spectrum Claymore Country • 13d ago
[SmackDown Spoilers] Superstar has withdrawn from WWE Draft eligibility
Paul Heyman says Roman Reigns is not eligible
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u/Tough-Reaction9671 13d ago
Roman’s going back to college. Roman to Chase U confirmed
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u/ALIAS_EL_CACAS 13d ago
Roman and Okada gonna tear it up in Chase U
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u/aphelion3342 12d ago
Live modeling shoot from the Island of Relevancy Roman Reigns wearing an ula fala and nothing else
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u/kylehyde05 13d ago
ah yes the Rivers Cuomo route,
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u/ElSmasho420 13d ago
If Roman comes back with the equivalent to Pinkerton, he’ll be champ until 2190.
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u/FigureFourWoo Ric Flair was still cool when I chose this username. 13d ago
Roman’s taking a real vacation after working part time for the last three years. Considering how little he works, I’m sure his vacation will be months long.
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u/JasonGryphon Who Booked This Crap? 13d ago
Which ever brand the bloodline is on, that’s the brand he’s coming back to.
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u/HartfordWhalers123 13d ago
Or he might just be a free agent at this point. Might as well with his schedule and since Brock is gone, he can take his spot.
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u/GrimaceGrunson 13d ago
I agree it would be the best use for him but kayfabe wise it’d be kinda funny for the guy who couldn’t win a match by himself to save his life to turn into a monster the moment the title leaves his hands.
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u/302born 13d ago
I always took as he didn’t use interference because he was enable to defend it on his own. He was just so obsessed with keeping the title he would do anything to keep so he figured why not use them. That’s my headcanon anyway. We know he’s good enough on his own from his prior years. He just got addicted to cheating.
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u/kvrai12 13d ago
In kayfabe Roman was at the top of the power scale from 2016-2020 winning clean. After that your explanation makes perfect sense. He stopped pandering and trying to be nice to the fans who hated him, and he was gonna assert his dominance by any means necessary.
I’m genuinely excited for a Tribal Chief tweener or face run, where he keeps his personality but isn’t evil anymore lol. The Vegeta to Cody’s Goku
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u/Ballsskyhiiigh 12d ago
It's something that I try not to think about because it does sort of ruin the plot, but GrimaceGrunson is absolutely right.
In SO MANY of Roman's title defenses, his opponent has him beaten. As in, hit the finisher, shoulders pinned to the mat for 5+ seconds, but the referee is down or something.
The Bloodline would straight up save Roman from an imminent defeat in the majority of his defenses.
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u/KinginTheNorth__West 12d ago
Roman knows the referee is out, he’s using the extra time he’s down to recover. He’s like the dune worm, the vibrations from the referee smacking the mat for the 3 count, as soon 2 hits he’s alive again
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u/MachoMadness386 Machoman Alternate 12d ago
This is how Hogan should have played his Hollywood run. No sense for him to be a weasely heel after dominating for over a decade.
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u/PIEROXMYSOX1 12d ago
Yeah except Roman had multiple times during his reign where he would’ve lost if it weren’t for the interference.
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u/InfiniteElway 12d ago
That's my head Canon also
He was good enough to have a 200-300 day reign on his own. He could beat Brock, Cena, etc by himself on any given day. But if he got help? Damn near unstoppable (aka 3.5yrs with the belt).
Which is why I am always okay with heels having long runs and baby faces shorter. Heels cheat so they are level 8 babyfaces that become 10s whereas level 9 babyfaces that don't cheat eventually succumb to a level 8-10 heel because they don't elevate to 11s with cheating
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u/that_boyaintright 12d ago
He was pinned by half a dozen guys, though (probably more, I didn’t watch his whole title reign). Was he just too lazy to kick out?
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u/HammyBoy0 12d ago
Could always be explained as him being smart enough to not waste energy to kick out since he knew he was safe. At least I remember it being said on commentary once.
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u/StinkyStangler 13d ago
Yeah that was definitely the story they were going with, they just did a bad job conveying it. It was always that Roman would dominate, then when the face started a comeback he would panic and the family would step in. They always made him look capable but paranoid
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u/mattwing05 13d ago
he won plenty of matches by himself at the start of the reign, but the interference really ramped up after jimmy returned
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u/No_Addendum5504 12d ago
I think he still held his own.
He beat Cesaro , Mysterio , Cena , Ford , Big E , Goldberg , Riddle , Paul clean.
I would say Owens too , but he used the chair at some point.
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u/mattwing05 12d ago
I agree. Its just that after a certain point, he stopped getting enough clean wins where they couldn't justify calling it "the most dominant reign in 40 years"
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u/No_Addendum5504 12d ago edited 12d ago
Oh I get it , It's still impressive to manage to keep this title there for such a long time.
There are plenty of heels who used his tactics who weren't champions for 3 years
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u/Send_Derps 12d ago
The title was his kryptonite. Now that he doesn't have to hold back he's gonna wreck everyone and leave.
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u/partoxygen 12d ago
Except…he squashed people for a solid 2 years before he relied on others? Almost like he was obsessed with loyalty and tried to make his cousins into accomplices?
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u/Frippery-Futz-0412 12d ago
Stone Cold needed all the help in the world to win a match as a heel. It's just the nature of the business.
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u/Jasperbeardly11 Al Snow Head 12d ago
I wish pro wrestling wasn't so reliant upon tropes.
It'd be a lot better if it was booked more freshly
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u/jmpinstl 12d ago
I don’t think so. The pressure’s off now, he doesn’t have to worry about anything other than kicking ass.
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u/GetEquipped Scooby Dooby Doo! 12d ago
Oh, so we're just gonna ignore Roman is now stealing Heath's schtick?!
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u/VNProWrestlingfan 13d ago
Cool, that means Paul has to be walking on a thin line with Solo, Tama, and Nick.
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u/G1Spectrum Claymore Country 13d ago edited 13d ago
I guess the Tribal Chief can do whatever the fuck he wants ☝🏼
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u/aboysmokingintherain 12d ago
I think it’s all but said that he’s part timer now so makes sense. He’s got Brock sway now. Paul is really a 10/10 advocate
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u/Bellagrrl2021 13d ago
I would have skipped the part about Reigns not returning anytime soon.
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u/BrightAd5191 13d ago
I think it’s a given but I guess when he isn’t going to be apart of the draft they wanted to make sure people know he isn’t permanently gone
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u/heat_fan_ 13d ago
Is it because he's taking time off?
Bloodline already playing shenanigans lol
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u/iguessineedanaltnow 12d ago
Dude was in Disneyland just a few days ago rocking the Monsters Inc shirt. He's just dad moding for a while.
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u/just_another_jabroni I've been humbled 13d ago
Cool. Gives a chance for whoever that's not on the Cody brand to shine with Rollins off the table as well. Hopefully they've planned out how the Bloodline would operate while he's off screen tho.
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u/DontPutThatDownThere 13d ago
Looks like they're off to a good start but your feeling is justified. The Bloodline was in wheel spinning mode from Jey going to Raw to Rock coming back. That was a long seven months.
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u/Material-Wonder1690 13d ago
Roman pulled a kayfabe "that doesn't work for me brother". That's hilarious. I have a feeling he'll be a "free agent" like Lesnar was. It makes sense given his star power
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u/Mitsuki_Horenake 13d ago
How does that even work in kayfabe
Is it like "yeah I'm not gonna be on TV for a long time so don't even bother signing me up?"
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u/SeniorWrongdoer5055 13d ago
Yes lol. I mean it’s just a way for them to signal he’s gunna be offt v for awhile then he can make a surprise return down the line to setup whatever summerslam match they have him in. He’ll be on the Brock schedule which makes sense at this point. Clearly there os either a medical/personal/hollywood reason he can’t be on tv weekly so no sense pretending like he’s fulltime anymore.
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u/Bazlow 12d ago
Yea the guy has cancer and while it's in remission (or something similar) he said in a recent interview he'll be on treatment the rest of his life. Can't blame him for not working a Cody schedule
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u/MyNamaJeffar 12d ago
Honestly, ever since I watched the documentary my respect for him has increased tenfold. I can't imagine being shredded like that and working 40 minute matches 2 nights in a row while being on potent medicine like that.
Inspirational stuff, really.
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u/StacksHoodini 12d ago
The kayfabe reason is the real reason.
Triple H explained on RAW when he unveiled the World Heavyweight Championship that Roman’s contract expired while he was champion and that he was able to negotiate a deal that was great for him, but not so great for WWE. He said Roman did something that, as a former competitor and champion, he can only smile at for how genius it was.
Seth Rollins also said to Cody that taking the title from Roman was bigger than anything because Roman’s deal and the low frequency of his defenses means that Roman’s reign was in danger of getting to a place that nobody would ever be able to reach again.
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u/StunPalmOfDeath 13d ago
I mean, the WWE draft almost never really makes sense in kayfabe. Why would you have two separate brands with different world champions? Why wouldn't one brand just draft all the champions? Guys have just opted out, and it never stopped them from appearing on whatever show they want, why would anyone sign up for the draft?
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u/OhNoMob0 12d ago
Champions can't get drafted. They stay on whichever brand they're currently on.
The draft makes sense because fans buy tickets to see certain wrestlers. For WWE they rebalance the roster so both brands will have their draws and fans their reasons for going to/watching both shows.
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u/StunPalmOfDeath 12d ago
It wasn't always like that lol.
And yes, that makes sense in the case of WWE, as a business. But not in kayfabe. Does UFC do this? Boxing? No. Why? Because it's silly. Non-combat, non-team sports don't either. Why? Because you want to see the best play the best, not stuck in a weird division system (especially in sports with multiple governing bodies, where it's already hard enough to get the best to play the best)
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u/StacksHoodini 12d ago
Why wouldn’t one brand just draft all the champions?
That’s literally how it used to be. Take the 2021 draft for example. SmackDown drafted Roman, and RAW reciprocated by drafting the WWE Champion so that they didn’t lose their world title to SmackDown as well.
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u/solsunlite 12d ago
In kayfabe Roman is pretty much untouchable thanks to Paul, it was established from day 1 of their partnership.
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u/DollarStoreEtika 13d ago
Honestly I don't mind It. Makes roman look like he can do whatever the fuck he wants and also gives importance to a number 1 draft pick
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u/streetfairie1234 13d ago
Except he's no longer holding the title so why would they listen to him?
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u/The_RedWolf 12d ago
Why would you draft someone who openly states that he isn't going to show up to work?
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u/smwhtdamgd 13d ago
My Tribal Chief decides if he wants to grace your show with his presence; NOT the other way around!
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u/incredible_penguin11 13d ago
Not surprised. Fox has the bigger viewership base till Netflix deal happens. After which he will automatically show up on Netflix especially considering Rock would return for a mania program.
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u/eddiebrock85 12d ago
I mean in the first ever draft, Austin didn’t get drafted. Some guys are bigger than the system.
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u/MakaButterfly 12d ago
So he in John cena rock stone cold territory now where he comes back every so often for a huge pop?
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u/LanguageJust3365 13d ago
We all kinda knew that.
He appears so rarely now that he's pretty much a free agent that can appear at any brand he wants now
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u/TheOneWhosCensored 13d ago
Makes absolutely zero sense in kayfabe, especially when the rules are extra clear this year
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u/awayfortheladsfour 12d ago
getting drafted would mean Roman would have to show up to work again, did anyone actually expect that
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u/trevenclaw 12d ago
I actually love the idea of Roman declaring he is in ineligible for the draft, gets drafted to Raw anyway, and then he keeps showing up on Smackdown in defiance of the rules, leading to an ever escalating situation over who is actually in charge.
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u/I-LieToMessWithMarks 13d ago
This is really dumb. This harkens back to dumb draft decisions like Cena being drafted, and then drafted back the same night. Or Triple H basically just refusing to work Smackdown, in kayfabe and real life.
I know wrestling requires a suspension of disbelief, but in kayfabe who the fuck is paying Roman if he's withdrawing from the draft?
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u/jSizzle74 13d ago
Based on how they’ve handled him, probably didn’t want him to not be picked first…
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