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Roman Reigns’ Triumph + The Future of The Bloodline
Published: Tuesday, January 14, 2025
by Matthew Nazario
During Monday Night RAW’s debut episode on Netflix on Jan. 6, Roman Reigns reclaimed his spot at the head of the table. By defeating his rebellious cousin Solo Sikoa in tribal combat, he won back the coveted “Ula Fala”, the ultimate symbol of chiefdom within the Samoan culture. With this, Reigns is now ushering in the resurrection of his “Roman” Empire, once again being the only tribal chief reigning supreme under the WWE umbrella.
It was a thrilling and fitting conclusion to this chapter, an almost five-year-running odyssey that is the story of Roman Reigns and the Bloodline. For the long-running fans of WWE’s product, as well as those tuning in for the very first time, the run-ins, action, and chaotic nature of this contest was an excellent preview of things to come, as WWE begins its time on Netflix.
Solo Sikoa, Reigns’ younger cousin and former enforcer, had run rough shot over the WWE ever since WrestleMania 40 in April, where he decided to take matters into his own hands after Reigns had lost his Undisputed WWE Universal Heavyweight Championship to Cody Rhodes.
Introducing his own version of The Bloodline with Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa and Jacob Fatu, he vowed to do things his way and only his way, for the betterment of the family. The heir to Roman Reigns throne was tired of feeling powerless and underappreciated, going from a quiet killer to a bombastic and outspoken rebel when assuming the position of Tribal Chief.
While many fans grew tiresome of Solo trying to fill in the big shoes of Reigns, in recent months, he has begun to grow into his own. Trying to be more himself, rather than someone he is not, has helped him transform slightly into a more entertaining character, which I feel deserves applause.
While some say imitation is the greatest form of flattery, Reigns certainly did not appreciate the way Solo handled business during his absence. With Roman’s reign ending at 1316 days (the fourth longest in WWE history), he took a hiatus until Summer Slam in August, where fans erupted at the sight of his much-anticipated return.
On this night, he cost Solo his golden opportunity to defeat Cody Rhodes for the WWE Championship. The vitriol that had built up for months all led up to their clash on that Monday Night.
The story this match presented was one of built-up anger, jealousy, and malice. On many occasions, it was Solo Sikoa who helped Roman Reigns out of many perilous situations, as well as helped him to retain his championship over the 1000+ day reign. Perhaps, most infamously, when he first arrived in WWE at Clash at the Castle in 2022.
On multiple occasions during this bout, Solo would trash talk and let out his frustrations on Reigns; he even went so far as to say he loved Roman, but he never loved him back, and that he was never fully appreciated for his contributions to the Bloodline.
It had all the usual bells and whistles we have been accustomed to seeing within Roman Reigns matches over the years, with the multiple run-ins by other superstars and members of both Bloodlines, the scary near-falls, and major set pieces. It even went as far as to involve the feud between current WWE Champion Cody Rhodes and Kevin Owens, who are scheduled to have a ladder match for the title at the Royal Rumble event in February.
Owens, who has had plenty bad blood with Reigns in the past, had attempted to cost Reigns the match before Rhodes ran in for the save, which was a great way of building on to their feud and perhaps exposing new fans to the rest of what is going on in the WWE.
It was also quite the full-circle moment for Roman Reigns. Many years ago, he was seen as the hero nobody wanted, who then turned into the villain everybody loved to hate. On Monday he was solidified as the hero the people needed, which is great progress for his character.
As for Solo Sikoa, his time serving as WWE’s Tribal Chief was certainly one with many mixed feelings amongst fans. In some cases, his enforcer Jacob Fatu outshined him quite a bit. Once Solo tried to be more like himself rather than replicating Roman Reigns, he was able to become a much more entertaining villain.
Now that he is out of power, could this lead to a change of heart? Will he become
more vengeful? Will his associates toss him to the side? These are all important things
fans should watch out for in the coming weeks.
When the match concluded, it was none other than Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson himself
who placed the Ula Fala necklace on Roman Reigns, crowning him the true Tribal Chief.
Could this be a tease towards the long-anticipated dream match between the two cousins in Roman Reigns and The Rock? With WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas right around the corner, and adding into account the fact that this match did not go through last year, it may be now or never to give fans the dream match of a lifetime.
Matthew Nazario can be reached at matthew.nazario@student.shu.edu.Posted in: sports,