Why Roman Reigns Missed RAW

In three hours of RAW, Roman Reigns didn't make a single appearance—but that's because he wasn't there.

WWE gave The Big Dog the week off, so not only was he home for RAW, but he won't be at this weekend's Live Events, either. However, he'll be back for next week's episode of RAW in Houston, TX.

While we don't have it in front of us, we'll assume that Reigns keeps one of the more demanding schedules in all of wrestling. He may not be Universal Champion, nor universally liked, but Reigns is WWE's top guy. The responsibility of such a gig mean Reigns main events several shows a week while also maintaining a mind-numbing amount of public appearances.

In December, Reigns joined Corey Graves on the WWE Network show, Straight to the Source and said based on the stakes of his position, he's the best performer in the world.

"Every day of the week. This is the top of the mountain here. Point blank - period," asserted Reigns. "You know I'm the best performer in the ring in the world right now. You can go to my matches and my pay-per-views over the last three years and you can say I'm an idiot or you can be like 'man, he's got a point', you know what I mean?"

Future WWE Hall of Famer echoed that sentiment in an interview with Sports Illustrated.

"I mean, obviously there becomes a point where you want to steer people in the right direction. And, for whatever reason, it's the 'cool' thing to boo Roman Reigns just as it was the 'cool' thing to boo John Cena, as it was the 'cool' thing to boo The Rock. But guess what; those guys are so good, that if you are a wrestling fan, Roman Reigns might be the best wrestler in the company. I'm telling you that because if people are interested in what you are doing, whether they're booing or whether they're cheering, they're still going to pay money to see you," said Jericho.

Despite how many legends endorse Reigns, he'll b destined to split crowds for the rest of his career. That's not a bad thing eithter—John Cena polarized audiences all the way to becoming the biggest name in WWE history.

When Reigns returns next week, he'll resume his skirmish with Jinder Mahal. their set for a match at Money in the Bank on June 17, and likely will extend their rivalry into July's Extreme Rules show. However, once SummerSlam arrives, Reigns may be ready to pursue the Universal championship once again.