Roman Reigns was one of the most notable omissions from the 2026 PWI 500, which was released Thursday. MJF landed at No. 1, followed by Cody Rhodes and CM Punk. Oba Femi and Gunther were among the others who made the top 10.
There is a simple explanation for the current World Heavyweight Champion’s absence, however, and it ties directly to the criteria Pro Wrestling Illustrated has established for the list.
The list’s evaluation period ran from August 1, 2025, to July 31, 2026. To be eligible, a wrestler must compete in at least 10 singles matches during that span. Wrestlers who fall short of that total can qualify with six singles matches spread across six different months.
Reigns fell short on both counts because of his limited WWE schedule. Cagematch credits him with eight matches over the entire evaluation period, including his tag team match at SummerSlam 2025 and the Men’s WarGames Match at Survivor Series.
His matches outside of team competition were also clustered in a few months. Reigns faced Bronson Reed in August and October, returned in the Men’s Royal Rumble Match in January, beat CM Punk at WrestleMania 42 in April and wrestled Jacob Fatu twice in May. As a result, he did not meet the magazine’s minimum activity requirement.
That shortfall does not keep Reigns out of PWI’s other rankings. In the weekly rankings through September 17, he ranks No. 2, behind only Sami Zayn.
Reigns has twice finished No. 1 in the PWI 500, most recently in 2022.