Roman Reigns Is Back!
After a three-month hiatus, the Bloodline's former Tribal Chief made his grand return at Summerslam 2024, just in time to cost the Bloodline's current Tribal Chief the title.
Fans Are Thrilled To See Roman Reigns Back In The Ring... But What Does The Future Hold For Him (And The Bloodline?)
Roman Reigns- the Bloodline's Former Tribal Chief and former Undisputed Universal Champion-has been working a part-time WWE schedule since 2022. In 2023, he only wrestled 11 matches, 9 of which were to defend his title.
In April 2024, Reigns lost his title of Undisputed Universal Champion to Cody Rhodes at Wrestlemania 40. This loss led to Reigns taking a hiatus from WWE. As time passed, fans began to fear that this hiatus would become permanent. In a late June episode of Smackdown, Solo Sikoa- the Bloodline's current Tribal Chief- boldly stated that Reigns is "not coming back." In early July, fans speculated that Reigns would make his grand return at Money in the Bank, but they walked out of Money in the Bank without a glimpse of the former Undisputed Universal Champion.
In the week leading up to SummerSlam 2024, fans were given a glimmer of hope that they would get a Roman Reigns return. This glimmer came in the form of Solo Sikoa taking Reigns' name during a promo, telling Reigns "'You have a problem with me, you know where to find me. So you can end up like Randy Orton, Kevin Owens, and Cody Rhodes. And acknowledge me!'" and boldly proclaiming "In one weekend, the Bloodline will handle family business.'"
This glimmer of hope ended up being more than just a glimmer.
One of the most anticipated matches of SummerSlam 2024 was between Solo Sikoa and Cody Rhodes for the title of Undisputed Universal Champion. According to Bleacher Report, the match began as "a relatively simple exchange," with Sikoa and Rhodes entering the ring alone and moving at "a slower pace than expected."
At the start of the match, Sikoa dominated Rhodes with a Spinning Solo and two running headbutts. When the American Nightmare fought back with a Cross Rhodes, Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa entered the ring to defend their Tribal Chief. Kevin Owens and Randy Orton rushed to Rhodes' defense, quickly removing Loa and Tonga from the ring as they "fought to the backstage area."
Rhodes' attempts to fight back against Sikoa were sabotaged by Jacob Fatu, who put the American Nightmare through the announce table and "delivered a devastating frog splash" onto him through the announce table. After Sikoa hit him with another frog splash, Rhodes kicked out.
Just when it seemed like Sikoa had defeated Rhodes and brought the Undisputed Universal Champion title back to the Bloodline, Roman Reigns' music started playing. The Bloodline's former Tribal Chief walked calmly into the ring, took out Sikoa with a Superman Punch and a Spear, and "gave a subtle nod to Rhodes" before leaving the ring. With Sikoa now incapacitated, Rhodes hit him with one final Cross Rhodes, officially defeating Sikoa, winning his second Bloodline Rules Championship, and retaining his title as the Undisputed Universal Champion. According to WWE, "Reigns, who was halfway up the entranceway, locked eyes with the victorious Rhodes as SummerSlam concluded."
While fans are thrilled that Roman Reigns is officially back in action, they are curious about what his return means for the current WWE storylines and (of course) for the Bloodline.
According to Bleacher Report, Reigns has secured his role as a babyface by helping Rhodes defeat Sikoa and retain his title. In professional wrestling, a "babyface" is a "good guy" or "hero", similar to the protagonist in a book or movie. Reigns has not filled the role of "babyface" in four years, but even during that "run", he was never fully accepted into the role. By helping Rhodes defeat Sikoa, Reigns has indisputably proven himself to be a "babyface." He has also returned to a fanbase ready to "appreciate and acknowledge him in a way he has never been previously." Bleacher Report questions how Reigns will respond to this role while "[keeping] the edge that made him one of the most engaging and interesting stars in WWE over the last four years."
During the post-show press conference, Cody Rhodes expressed his gratitude towards Roman Reigns and acknowledged that he wouldn't have been able to retain his title if it hadn't been for Reigns' intervention. Rhodes said "'Without a doubt, that probably would have gone a different way. I probably would not be sitting here with the Northstar of the industry had it not been for Roman Reigns.'” Rhodes went on to clarify "'I know I’m not his friend. He didn’t do that for me. He did that because of what’s happening with The Bloodline and Solo.'”
As for Solo Sikoa, Cageside Seats reports that, when Reigns appeared, Sikoa "looked as if he'd seen a ghost." Sikoa "seemed like an afterthought to Reigns, who kept his gaze fixed on Rhodes." Given that Sikoa demanded that Reigns "acknowledge me" on Smackdown, Reigns ignoring Sikoa could, according to Cageside Seats' speculation, "set the stage for the next chapter in the Bloodline Civil War, with Sikoa gaining revenge by ruining Reigns’ rematch with Rhodes, should that happen first."
Though there is no way of predicting how everything will unfold with Solo Sikoa, the Bloodline, and the Cody Rhodes rematch, one thing is for certain: Roman Reigns has once again shaken the wrestling world to its core with a perfectly-timed, perfectly executed comeback.
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