Adam Pearce is feeling grateful.
Posting to his Twitter account, the WWE Official had this to say to all of those who were hoping to see him compete at the Royal Rumble.
A note of #gratitude to those that supported the idea of seeing me face Roman Reigns at Royal Rumble. Wrestling fans have amazed me for 25+ years and now is no different. That said, some things just aren’t meant to be, and “not medically cleared” is a status I wish on no one. --
— Adam Pearce (@ScrapDaddyAP) January 18, 2021
On January 8, 2021, Adam Pearce won the opportunity to challenge Roman Reigns for his Universal Championship at the Royal Rumble after the Tribal Chief and his cousin, Jey Uso, beat-down Shinsuke Nakamura near the end of SmackDown's #1 Contender Gauntlet Match. Reigns took issue with the fact that Pearce booked the match in the first place, insisting that he is smart enough to pick his own opponents. As a result, he and Paul Heyman decided to make an example of Pearce by having him entered into the contest and forcefully making him the winner. For Reigns, it's all about cementing his place at The Head of the Table.
One week later, on January 15, Pearce and Reigns took part in a contract signing. Throughout the night, Paul Heyman got Pearce to sign off on a No-Disqualification match, knowing full well that he benefits in no way. The Universal Champion, however, refused and demanded his Special Council make the change from a No-DQ to a Last Man Standing match.
During the main event segment, both men signed the contract, but before leaving the ring, Pearce told Reigns, "I've been waiting all night for you to do that." With the Champion looking perplexed, Pearce stood at the top of the ramp and reminded his opponent that all WWE contracts use the same wording and that every card is "subject to change." As a WWE Official, he can declare himself unfit and name a suitable replacement, which is exactly what he did, bringing out Kevin Owens.
Roman Reigns had been feuding with Kevin Owens, defeating him at both TLC and on the Christmas Day episode of SmackDown, but seemingly removed him from the equation after throwing him off of the ThunderDome stage and through a table on New Year's Day.
KO signed the contract, officially taking Pearce's place in the Universal Title match.
Kevin Owens is scheduled to address Roman Reigns on the January 22 episode of Friday Night SmackDown.
