Roman Reigns is currently one of the most dominant champions in WWE. However, his journey to becoming one was not easy. At one point in his career, he lost the world title and was suspended.
On June 19, 2016, Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins battled for the WWE Championship at the Money in the Bank event. The latter eventually emerged victorious, ending the former champion's reign at only 77 days. Two days later, on June 21, the Stamford-based promotion announced that The Tribal Chief was suspended for violating its wellness policy.
It was later reported that Roman Reigns used Adderall to recover from fatigue and pain. The substance is also commonly used to treat ADHD. Weeks after the suspension, The Wrap reported that he was supposed to retain the title against Rollins. However, the company wanted to keep the belt in play during Reigns' suspension, leading to The Visionary's victory.
What happened to Roman Reigns after losing the WWE Championship and being suspended?
As mentioned, Seth Rollins was crowned WWE Champion at the 2016 Money in the Bank event. However, his night was spoiled by another former Shield member.
Jon Moxley (fka Dean Ambrose) won the Money in the Bank contract earlier that night. After the main event match, the former WWE Superstar cashed in his contract on The Visionary. As a result, MITB marked the night all three members of The Shield held the WWE Championship.
The iconic trio kicked off the June 20, 2016, episode of WWE RAW. Rollins and Reigns issued a challenge for the championship, and they were booked in a triple threat match, alongside Ambrose, for the Battleground event.
The suspension announcement was posted a day after the RAW episode mentioned above. The WWE star apologized to his fans and loved ones for violating the company's Wellness Policy and stated he had no excuse.
"I apologize to my family, friends and fans for my mistake in violating WWE’s wellness policy. No excuses. I own it," Roman Reigns tweeted.The Head of the Table was not removed for the triple threat match scheduled for Battleground. But he was absent for the build-up. He made his return during the event and failed to dethrone Dean Ambrose.
Roman Reigns is amid a dominant run as the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion
The Tribal Chief won the Universal Championship in August 2020 at the Payback event. He has not dropped the title since. The show also marked the beginning of Reigns' legendary run in the company.
Reigns later won the WWE Championship after defeating Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 38. Triple H recently awarded him a new undisputed world title belt on an episode of SmackDown.
It remains to be seen who will be able to dethrone Roman Reigns in the future.
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