Photo for Headline Surfer / Roman Reigns, shown in the middle of this pic of the former WWE wrestling stable, The Shield, is skipping his Wrestlemania match with Universal champion Goldberg at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando scheduled April 4-5 live on the WWE Network. The WWE will now have the difficult task of finding a replacement for Reigns, the dominant top contender for the title with most of of the other WWE superstars already booked for the show. The Shield, formed back in 2012, consisted of Reigns, Dean Ambrose (left) and Seth Rollins (right). The trio disbanded last year when Ambrose left the WWE for AEW as 'Jon Moxley' and has since become the AEW champion. And Rollins, assigned to WWE's Monday Night Raw on USA Network, switched from a face to a villian with the added moniker, 'The Messiah,' while Reins remained a fan favorite on WWE's Friday Night Smackdown on Fox.
Posted: 2020-03-27 - 00:10:16
By HENRY FREDERICK / Headline Surfer
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Roman Reigns is skipping WrestleMania at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando due to concerns over coronavirus pandemic and his own 'immunocompromised' health.
Reigns' decision to withdraw from his match with Universal champion Goldberg was first reported by Pro Wrestling Sheet's Ryan Satin late Thursday night and since picked up by ESPN, Bleacher Report, and TMZ Sports.
A replacement for Reigns has not yet been announced by the WWE. Widespread speculation in the wrestling blogs has "The Monster Among Men" Braun Strowman as Reigns' replacement to battle Goldberg for the Universal title. Other possibilities are Daniel Bryan, Shinsuke Nakamura and Triple H.
Satin's report for Pro Wrestling Sheet stated in part: Sources with knowledge of the situation tell us Reigns expressed to WWE that he didn’t feel comfortable doing anymore of the Performance Center shows during the coronavirus pandemic because he’s immunocompromised from his battle with leukemia and didn’t want to risk his health.
Reigns, 34, has battled with health concerns over the years related to leukemia, which he was first diagnosed with at age 22. Two years ago, Reigns took time off from the WWE with a return of the leukemia, but vowed to come back. And Reigns did just that last year and was as much on top of his game as he had ever been.
Reigns, 34, has battled with health concerns over the years related to leukemia, which he was first diagnosed with at age 22. Two years ago, Reigns took time off from the WWE with a return of the leukemia, but vowed to come back. And Reigns did just that last year and was as much on top of his game as he had ever been.
Wrestlemania 36 is scheduled for April 4-5 live on the WWE Network and on pay-per-view from the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, but without an audience.
Photo for Headline Surfer / Among the matches announced for Wrestlemania is WWE Raw Women's champion "The Man' Becky Lynch, who is being challed for the belt by Shayna Baszler.
Announced matches for Wrestlemania 36:
From the Raw brand:
• Drew McIntyre vs. WWE Champion Brock Lesnar;
• Shayna Baszler vs. RAW Women's Champion Becky Lynch;
• Charlotte Flair Flair vs. NXT Women's Champion Rhea Ripley;
• Angel Garza and WWE United States Champion Andrade vs. RAW Tag Team Champions The Street Profits;
• AJ Styles vs. The Undertaker in a Boneyard Match;
• Randy Orton vs. WWE Hall of Famer Edge in a Last Man Standing match;
•.Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins;
• Bobby Lashley vs. Aleister Black.
From the Smackdown Brand:
• Replacement wrestler as yet unannounced for Roman Reigns vs. Universal Champion Goldberg;
• SmackDown Women's Champion Bayley vs. Lacey Evans vs. Tamina Snuka vs. Naomi vs. Sasha Banks;
• The New Day or The Usos vs. SmackDown Tag Team Champions John Morrison and The Miz;
• John Cena vs. "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt;
• Elias vs. King Baron Corbin.
The men's and women's battle royal matches have been scrapped. Three more matches are expected to be added from the Smackdown during tonight's pre-taped airing on Fox.
Wrestling ReWind Top 10 Men's Rankings
1. WWE Champion Brock Lesner; 2. AEW champ Jon Moxley; 3. WWE Universal champ Goldberg; 4. Roman Reigns (WWE Smackdown); 5. 'The Messiah' Seth Rollins (WWE Raw); 6. Drew McInntyre (WWE Raw); 7. Chris Jericho (AEW Dyamite); 8. 'The Fiend' Bray Wyatt (WWE Smackdown); 9. Braun Strowman (WWE Smackdown); 10. Kenny Omega (AEW Dynamite).
Wrestling ReWind Top 10 Women's Rankings
1. WWE Raw champion Becky Lynch; 2. Asuka (WWE Raw); 3. Charlotte Flair (WWE Smackdown); 4. WWE Smackdown champion Bayley; 5. WWE NXT champion Rhea Ripley; 6. Shayna Baszler (NXT); 7. Sasha Banks (WWE Raw); 8. AEW champion Nyla Rose; 9. Alexa Bliss (WWE Raw); 10.Naomi (WWE Smackdown).
Henry Frederick is publisher of Headline Surfer, the award-winning 24/7 internet news outlet launched 12 years ago that serves greater Daytona Beach, Sanford & Orlando, Florida via HeadlineSurfer.com. Frederick has amassed more than a hundred journalism industry awards in print & online -- more than all other members of the working press combined in Central Florida since the mid-1990s. He earned his Master of Arts in New Media Journalism with academic honors from Full Sail University in 2019. Having witnessed the execution of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Florida's death chamber and other high profile cases, Frederick has appeared on national crime documentary programs on Discovery ID and Reelz for his investigative reporting and cops & courts breaking news stories.