37-year-old WWE Superstar's actions could force Roman Reigns to miss SmackDown tonight? What fans must know 

Roman Reigns could miss this week's episode of WWE SmackDown after everything Jey Uso did last week, but is he the real reason behind The Tribal Chief's absence?

The Usos hoped to reconcile with Reigns on the blue brand last week, but Reigns betrayed them at the last minute. He hit Jey Uso with a low blow and then forced him to watch as Reigns and Solo Sikoa brutally assaulted Jimmy Uso at ringside.

Later in the night, Jey challenged Roman Reigns to a title match much to the approval of the WWE Universe. The latter didn't respond, and fans hoped to hear from The Tribal Chief on SmackDown this week.

However, that might not happen, as Reigns is not scheduled to appear on the blue brand this week. As per the schedule shared by WWE earlier this year, the Tribal Chief is booked for next week's show. That being said, this is the only show that Reigns will miss this month.

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How will WWE use Jey Uso to explain Roman Reigns' absence from SmackDown?

Before Jey Uso openly demanded a match against Roman Reigns, he unleashed a vicious attack on The Tribal Chief and Solo Sikoa. Reigns quickly escaped, but Sikoa fell victim to a furious Jey beatdown.

The former Right Hand Man was the first superstar to pin Reigns on the main roster, and he repeated this feat as he was the first person to keep the Tribal Chief's shoulders down in over three years. Interestingly, Reigns has also never defeated Jey Uso cleanly. Thus, he was visibly uncomfortable at the prospect of facing his cousin in a singles bout.

WWE could use this as an excuse to add more credibility to the threat Jey Uso poses to Reigns' title reign. The latter can be shown as needing some time off to craft a good plan to get back Jey for his past actions.

In Reigns' absence, we might see Jey square off against Solo Sikoa and use the bout to send a message to The Tribal Chief. It will be interesting to see if Reigns makes his presence known via Paul Heyman on SmackDown tonight.

If the two cousins collide, who do you think will win at SummerSlam? Give your thoughts in the comments below!