SHOCKING: Roman Reigns to depart WWE after main talks with TKO collapse?

Roman Reigns is an important asset for WWE, but he might not be as important for TKO.

At WrestleMania 42, The OTC dethroned CM Punk for the World Heavyweight Championship. As the new champion, Reigns revealed that fans would see a lot more of him this summer, but now, plans seem to have changed. Keeping recent developments in mind, Roman Reigns can be on his way out of WWE.

TKO is making the decisions to release WWE Superstars

A massive storm took over the WWE Universe when the news of Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods being released from the company surfaced. Ahead of that, several superstars were released from their contracts, and TKO was the one making the calls.

Furthermore, reports have suggested that TKO has asked the Stamford-based promotion to cut millions from wages and salaries. This means WWE will either have to re-negotiate contracts with the remaining roster or release superstars who do not agree to a pay cut.

Roman Reigns has been removed from the June shows

As mentioned above, OTC1 had announced that fans would see more of him this summer. He was living up to his word and appearing on the flagship show regularly to build his match against Jacob Fatu at Backlash.

The company had advertised him for all of June’s RAWs, but now the graphic has changed, and the World Heavyweight Champion is no longer advertised for any of the shows in June, leading to Night of Champions on June 27th, 2026. He is still advertised for the remaining shows in May 2026.

Given that TKO asked WWE to cut costs, it is possible that Roman Reigns was approached with a new pay structure. He may have rejected it, leading to him being removed from the June shows after the collapsed talks with TKO and WWE.

Jacob Fatu can win the title at Backlash 2026

WWE already has a match set up for Roman Reigns at Backlash 2026. He will place the World Heavyweight Championship on the line at the premium live event.

At Backlash, The Samoan Werewolf can dethrone The OTC, freeing him of any champion duties. This will ensure that Reigns can leave the company without WWE having to come up with a different angle to take the World Heavyweight Championship off The OTC.