Why wasn't Roman Reigns on WWE SmackDown? Exploring potential reason 

WWE SmackDown was an emotional affair this week. Following the news of the tragic passings of Bray Wyatt and Terry Funk, the blue brand's show became a tribute program to honor both the former world champions.

Numerous wrestlers and personalities were in attendance to honor the legends, specifically their co-worker and friend, Bray Wyatt. Even some stars who have been absent or are currently injured, such as Braun Strowman and Dakota Kai, appeared.

There were some WWE stars who didn't make the show, however. While Seth Rollins revealed he was choosing to stay home with his daughter in honor of Bray, Alexa Bliss couldn't make it due to travel issues. Another star who was absent is the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns.

Some have been curious as to why Reigns didn't attend the special program. There are likely many plausible reasons for this. First and foremost, The Tribal Chief is a part-time performer and wasn't scheduled to attend the show to begin with.

He, like Seth, is a family man, and he likely wanted to grieve while being with his loved ones too. There's also the outside chance that he didn't want to break kayfabe by mourning in public, although that is unlikely.

Above all else, tribute shows are typically optional. Humans grieve in their own unique way, and not everybody feels comfortable attending a public event, especially so soon after a tragedy occurs. Reigns was certainly under no obligation to appear. Instead, Roman likely reached out to the family privately, while he tries to handle the tragic loss in his own way.

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Former WWE Superstar Erick Rowan attended SmackDown

As noted, a wealth of superstars and personalities attended Friday Night SmackDown in Kentucky, to honor both Bray Wyatt and Terry Funk. One name that some were surprised to see, albeit pleasantly, was Erick Rowan.

Rowan is a former SmackDown Tag Team Champion in WWE. He was part of The Wyatt Family on NXT and the main roster, alongside Bray and Luke Harper, aka Brodie Lee. Braun Strowman joined the faction a little bit later.

With Bray's passing, that makes two of the original three members of the faction now gone. It is quite sad that Erick attended All Elite Wrestling's tribute show dedicated towards Brodie Lee, and Bray Wyatt's tribute show all within just a few years.

While Rowan was released from the company in the past, evidently neither held resentment towards the other. Instead, they focused on honoring a member of the WWE family, which was the best course of action.

We here at Sportskeeda wish Erick Rowan and all of Bray's family and friends the best in this tragic time.