WWE May Have Accidentally Spoiled Roman Reigns’ Return With TV Listing Error

Roman Reigns’ comeback might not be a surprise anymore — and not because WWE wanted it that way.

Dave Meltzer suggested on Wrestling Observer Radio that WWE may have accidentally spoiled Reigns’ return through a simple but costly production mistake involving a syndicated TV listing. What was supposed to stay under wraps may have been revealed early due to the wrong show description being sent out.

During a discussion about WrestleMania direction and top stars, the issue came up when it was noticed that a SmackDown listing circulating to TV guide outlets contained details that didn’t belong there — including a direct reference to Roman Reigns returning.

The mistake appears to have happened when WWE allegedly sent a RAW description to be used as a SmackDown listing. That listing included two key lines: a segment about Maxxine Dupri following her loss to Becky Lynch, and another line that outright said Roman Reigns would be returning. The reaction to seeing that listing made the situation pretty clear.

“I saw... okay, so on the... what's it called—this little scroll. Scroll for SmackDown… Because it said, ‘How Maxxine Dupri tries to recover from her loss to Becky Lynch’ and ‘Roman Reigns returns.’”

Once that detail was spotted, the immediate assumption was that something went wrong behind the scenes rather than this being an intentional tease.

“That’s the thing that WWE sent to the TV Guide people… they sent it for SmackDown. So somebody just screwed up.”

The confusion now is over timing. The current RAW lineup does not include Reigns, which suggests the listing could be for the following week rather than the immediate upcoming show. That uncertainty is only adding to the speculation, but the bigger issue is that the surprise element appears to be gone.

“Yeah, so it could be the week after.”

The key takeaway isn’t just that Roman Reigns is expected back soon — it’s that WWE’s own internal distribution may have tipped their hand early. Listings like this are usually tightly controlled because they feed into cable guides, streaming schedules, and third-party program descriptions. A small slip like that can unravel an entire return plan.

If the listing is accurate, then Reigns’ return is no longer a mystery of “if,” only a question of “which week.” Instead of building suspense through teases and cliffhangers, fans are now dissecting schedules and lineups, trying to pinpoint the exact date WWE tried to keep secret.

If nothing else, it confirms one thing: Roman Reigns is coming back sooner rather than later — even if WWE didn’t mean to tell anyone yet.

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