Roman Reigns Suspended 30 Days by the WWE

Roman Reigns, aka Joe Anoa’i, has been suspended 30 days for violating the WWE’s Talent Wellness policy. WWE announced the suspension Tuesday afternoon, giving no details as to the nature of the offense, only saying it’s his “first violation,” though the program typically issues suspensions for steroid use.

Reigns lost the WWE World Heavyweight Championship on Sunday night’s Money In The Bank special, losing to former SHIELD teammate Seth Rollins (himself returning from a months-long injury) by a clean pinfall. Rollins, in turn, lost the title just moments later to the third previous member of the SHIELD, Dean Ambrose, who cashed in the Money in the Bank contract he’d won just an hour or so earlier. During Monday Night RAW, Rollins and Reigns fought for the right to the number one contender spot, but fought to a draw. It was then announced that all three of these former teammates would fight each other in a Triple Threat match at the next Pay Per View, Battleground, five weeks from this past Sunday.

Does this mean Reigns is out of that match, the dominant storyline at the WWE right now? Not necessarily. His suspension is for 30 days, and the PPV is on July 24, which is 33 days from now. In the past, Randy Orton served a suspension that lifted just days before a PPV event, and wound up participating in it. However, with the WWE under much more public eye, especially when it comes to suspensions and firings of late, it would seem highly unlikely that match will happen.

Reigns addressed the suspension on twitter, apologizing to “family, friends, and fans.”

The Talent Wellness Program most frequently tests for, and suspends for, substance abuse, including anabolic steroids. As far as suspendable offenses, that is the most likely one here, though again, WWE did not specify. However, their Talent Wellness FAQ lays out all the clues needed to put the pieces together.

“What are the penalties for a positive test?

WWE has a three strike system. The first strike is a 30 day suspension without pay. The second strike is a 60 day suspension without pay. The third strike is termination of WWE Talent’s contract. The policy states that a WWE Talent who tests positive and receives a strike is subject to follow up testing.”

So, in 30 days, Reigns will have follow up testing, and any future violations will be larger.

As for Reigns’ immediate future, he will not be present for the live draft in mid-July, which will split the full WWE stable in two, with half the superstars operating on RAW and the other half on Smackdown, which goes live on Tuesday nights with that show. Seth Rollins is scheduled to appear on this week’s Smackdown, taping tonight and airing Thursday night, but it’s unclear whether this suspension will be directly addressed on air.