The Bloodline Timeline, Part 5: Trial by Combat

With the Bloodline Saga reaching a huge climax soon, it’s time to start chronicling what it all looked like to us. To do that here, Tanya of the Suplexes and Shea Butter Podcast has once again lent us her talents. You can find her at @TheWitchMilitia on Twitter. Check out Part 1 here, Part 2 here, Part 3 here, and Part 4 here.

WrestleMania 39 saw the Bloodline headline both nights. By topping the card on each night of the biggest show of the year, the group reached the pinnacle in sports entertainment as Roman had envisioned. But all did not end well as Jimmy and Jey would suffer their first defeat in almost a year on night one. In the aftermath of the Usos losing the Undisputed Tag Team Championships, the Tribal Chief began to treat the Usos differently, using Heyman to keep them from his locker room and the privileges rolling with him came with, all while keeping Solo by his side. To remain in Roman’s good graces, the Usos dedicated their rematch for the titles a few weeks later to Roman.  They lost.

At the WWE Backlash show, the Usos and Solo would team up to take on Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens, and a returning Matt Riddle. During the match, Solo basically “showed his hand” when he nearly gave Jey a Samoan spike based on miscommunication.

Despite this, the Bloodline won. The hope for the Usos was this would be enough to escape the Tribal Chief’s wrath for losing at WrestleMania. 

They were wrong. Roman Reigns dressed down his cousins in the middle of the ring in front of everyone. He was especially brutal towards Jimmy, even pushing him by the face, which made Jimmy become confrontational. Jey calmed Jimmy down and apologized but Roman was not satisfied. He informed the Usos that he and Solo would be going after the titles at Night of Champions (NOC) and dedicate the match to the Wild Samoans. This was a direct slap in the face to the Usos, who had held the Tribal Chief down and solidified the group’s dominance with those very same titles.

At NOC, the tension in the Bloodline came to a head after the Usos accidentally double super kicked Solo, making Reigns become irate about their presence. He began to browbeat Jey in the ring and push him by the face. Having had it with Roman’s toxic behavior, Jimmy finally struck back, super kicking him in the face. Jey tried to reel him in to which Jimmy yelled, “I’m doing what you should’ve done a long time ago!” and kicked Roman in the face once more.

The following week, Jimmy confronted Roman about his attitude, even pushing him in his face to show him how the treatment feels. He poured out his heart to Roman. He and Jey even seemed to convince Solo to stand on their side in the issue. All the Usos wanted was for Roman to treat them with respect and they would fall right back in line and the Bloodline could continue to dominate. After a convincing hug to Jimmy, Roman refused and even had Solo spike Jimmy to signal his removal from the group.

With Jimmy out, the focus turned to what Jey would do. Roman was sure that Jey would fall in line, even if it did not seem like a given. The week before he was to make his decision, Jey clearly stated that if he is IN the Bloodline, Heyman would be out. Jey has always seen Heyman as the reason for Roman’s change in character. When the time to decide finally came, Roman and Heyman attempted to convince Jey that all the treatment done to him in the past three years was part of his “grooming” to be the next Tribal Chief, a position only Jimmy objected to.

Jey confronted Jimmy about this and Jimmy stated that he was only looking out for his brother, Jey seemed like he was upset by this, declaring that he had always tried to keep up with the more popular Jimmy growing up. He declared that he was now Main Event Jey Uso because of Roman Reigns. But, if Jimmy is out of the Bloodline, then so is he, and kicked Roman full in the face while he was laughing. Jey had learned to use family trauma to his advantage, just as Roman had shown him.

So the battle lines were drawn. Money in the Bank would become about the Bloodline Civil War as the Usos went up against Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa. Not to take away from the power of the latter team, but they really did not stand a chance against a seasoned tag team that spent their entire careers together. Whatever was thrown at them that night, the Usos survived together. Near the end of the match, Roman and Solo figured they had the match won after a Spear/Samoan Spike combo, leading to a double pin. But the Usos kicked out.

Roman seemed distraught at the Usos surviving and did not know what to do. This was when Solo began to see weakness in his Tribal Chief and it took his usual cool demeanor to rally them back into the match. But it was not enough. Solo missed putting Jimmy through the announcers table, taking himself out. And the Usos went on the defeat Roman as a TEAM, with Jey getting the pin.

The next week, the Usos called Tribal Court for Roman as the Tribal Chief. It was implied that the Elders were not pleased with Roman and clips of the many, many horrible things he has subjected his family to were shown. Roman then declared that that was not him. He was forced to bend his morals to become Tribal Chief. I believe in this moment, he was telling the absolute truth. The overachiever who was expected to carry the family on his back broke to that pressure and decided to play a dirty game in a dirty world. In Roman’s mind, all of his behavior is justified.

Roman told Jey that he could have the position of Tribal Chief. It was now too much for him. He even crowned Jey with the ceremonial lei and kneeled before him, crying. But this was only a ruse and he lowblowed Jey while down on his knees. A brawl broke out between all members of the Bloodline. There was a moment when Solo had the Chief’s lei and paused when Roman asked for it. I think Solo senses the weakness in Roman now and the idea of him usurping Reigns for the spot is very appealing. However, he has chosen his side in the conflict and intends to see it through.

Roman and Solo injured Jimmy with Jey watching. Jimmy had to be taken to a local medical facility and Jey was right by his side. Later that night, he returned to exact revenge for the attack and also declared that the issues he has with Roman now have to be settled in a trial by combat. 

In the contract signing, Jey expressed that he HAS to do this because Jimmy is in the hospital. He has no choice. Roman was being his usual condescending self, calling Jey a solider and a pawn. Jey having the crowd behind him irritated him as well as he signed the contract for the match. Jey stated they did not need a contract because it was Tribal Combat, which the Elders agreed to it. Anything goes, except no interference from any blood relatives.

One thing about the Tribal Chief is that he sticks to the Samoan traditions. He takes them seriously. He even did not allow Solo to attack Jey in the aftermath. Not only will the WWE Universal Championship be on the line but also the position of Tribal Chief. After three long years, Jey is in a position to finally end this once and for all.

The Bloodline story never truly ends but will Roman’s reign (pun intended) come to its conclusion by the man he brainwashed with the family traditions in order to stay on top???

No matter what happens at Summerslam, I have ONE MORE article in me to deal with the aftermath of Tribal Combat.