Who attacked Roman Reigns? 4 WWE stars who used a forklift as a weapon

One of the most peculiar WWE storyline developments in recent memory took place on July 30 when SmackDown Live ended with a pile of scaffold and metal falling upon Roman Reigns in the backstage area.

The four-time WrestleMania main-eventer, who was set to make an announcement about SummerSlam, narrowly avoided the carnage and refused to receive medical attention following the incident.

With speculation mounting about which Superstar could have been responsible for the attack, WWE has revealed in an update on its website that an unknown forklift driver failed to properly secure lighting grids to the vehicle.

“It has now been determined that the incident in question was specifically caused by a forklift driver error. At this point, the identity of the forklift driver has not been determined.”

There had been rumors that Buddy Murphy could have been behind the attack, as he was shown in the background as Reigns walked away. However, following WWE’s update, many fans on social media have pointed out that Daniel Bryan is one of the few Superstars on the roster who has prior experience with using a forklift.

So, is Bryan really the culprit? Or is somebody else to blame? Let’s count down four Superstars who have previously used a forklift on WWE television.

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#4 Baron Corbin

Four weeks before Dean Ambrose defeated Baron Corbin on the WrestleMania 33 kickoff show, “The Lunatic Fringe” was enticed backstage by his rival on an episode of SmackDown Live.

What he did not realise, however, was that Corbin was waiting around a corner to sneak attack the Intercontinental Champion with a steel pipe.

“The Lone Wolf” then placed Ambrose beneath a forklift and proceeded to lower the steel forks of the vehicle across his neck and torso.

Fast forward to 2019 and Corbin has been out of the WWE spotlight recently after he failed to win the Universal Championship from Seth Rollins at three PPVs in a row.

Reigns vs. Corbin is a feud with lots of unfinished business, especially considering the former Raw GM’s comments about his rival’s leukemia, but it would be a somewhat underwhelming reveal if it turned out that he attacked “The Big Dog”.

#3 Brock Lesnar

Before Brock Lesnar returned to WWE in 2012 and began to use the F-5 and German suplex as his go-to moves, he showed off a wide array of offence during his initial run with the company between 2002 and 2004.

The main event of Judgment Day 2003 saw “The Next Big Thing” put the WWE Championship on the line against The Big Show in a stretcher match, which required the winner to wheel or carry their opponent across a yellow line on a stretcher on the stage area.

Towards the end of the 15-minute encounter, Lesnar drove a forklift down to ringside and jumped from the top of the vehicle to knock Show down to the mat with a cross-body.

Then, after hitting an F-5, he dragged his opponent’s body onto the stretcher on the forklift and raised him over 12ft off the ground.

Lesnar then reversed the vehicle behind the yellow line to retain his title in unique fashion.

#2 Steve Austin

The main event of Survivor Series 2000 saw Steve Austin face Triple H in a No Disqualification match, with the build-up to the encounter revolving around Rikishi running over “The Texas Rattlesnake” at the previous year’s event.

As was often the case in the Attitude Era, the action took place all over the arena, allowing The Radicalz to join forces with Triple H to attack Austin in the backstage area.

The plan worked, at least initially, before “The Game” was left all alone in a car in the parking lot after he sent Chris Benoit to look for his opponent. HHH thought he was safe and that he had escaped from Austin, only to realise that the six-time WWE Champion was sat right behind him in a forklift.

Austin then lifted Triple H’s car 30ft into the air before sending it roof-first into the ground, causing the match to end in a no contest.

#1 Daniel Bryan

Following his WrestleMania 30 triumph against Randy Orton and Batista, Daniel Bryan defended his WWE World Heavyweight Championship against Kane in the main event of Extreme Rules 2014.

The two men began to brawl backstage midway through the match, leading Bryan to place Kane on a forklift and drive him back to the ringside area.

“The Leader of the Yes Movement” then dropped his former tag team partner into the middle of the ring before leaping off the top of the vehicle to connect with an incredible diving headbutt. In the end, Bryan hit his trademark running knee to retain his title.

Now, looking at the Roman Reigns incident, it is entirely possible that the unknown Superstar behind this week's forklift attack could well have been Bryan.

After all, both men are without an opponent for SummerSlam, as things stand, and they are advertised to face each other in multiple matches in September.