Return of the Chief

With the Bloodline Saga having moved to its next phase, it’s time to start chronicling what has changed since WrestleMania. 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, Part 4 here,, Part 5 here, and Part 6 here.

Roman Reigns returns at Summerslam

This Saturday, the 2024 Summerslam event was held in the Cleveland Browns Stadium. The show had seven matches, six of which had a title on the line. The main event of the show, a Bloodline Rules match where the champion, Cody Rhodes, defended against the self proclaimed Tribal Chief, Solo Sikoa, had the added intrigue of a certain former undisputed WWE champion lingering over it for weeks. Solo constantly threw shade at Roman Reigns, daring the man to show up.

Ask and ye shall receive. After four months, Roman Reigns made his WWE return during the match. Seeing the crowd of over fifty thousand lose it at the mere sound of his music was an amazing feeling. A lot is spoken about “aura” these days in wrestling and Roman is the one who sparked the conversation. It just feels different when he is in the building.

Which is not to take away from the main event. Solo versus Cody told a story of someone who, although not yet ready for primetime, potentially could be ready for that spotlight eventually. Several times in the match, Solo had Cody’s moves well scouted. He also proved he has the physical conditioning to perform in main event spots. Solo may be a fraud Chief but he is actually a very capable wrestler.

Too bad that Mr. Sikoa, however, happens to be related to the Original Tribal Chief. He only appeared for under five minutes of the show but it certainly can be said that Reigns stole all the attention from the match with his return. He received “holy shit” chants for simply standing in the middle of the ring. It could be argued that it is not fair to compare Solo at this point in his career with someone who holds the record for most WrestleMania main events. It is a dubious position to be placed in so early in one’s career. I feel Solo did fine, all things considered.

The best part of Reigns return, for me, was his appearance was the cherry on top of an already awesome Summerslam sundae. From start to finish, the show was one of the best outings I have seen from the company. Contrast his 2024 Summerslam return to his 2020 Summerslam return after a mostly forgettable show and you will understand my point. No longer is all the weight placed on one person’s shoulders. It is truly a group effort and makes moments like these feel just that more special. 

Another aspect of Roman’s return to be mentioned is the supposed injury of Jacob Fatu. The Samoan Werewolf appeared to hurt his left leg in some way after delivering a splash to Cody through the announce table. There has been video since the event of him seen in a walking boot. As of my writing, nothing has been confirmed. I wonder if the injury may be a work so contact between Roman and Jacob could be avoided for now. There have been instances where it feels like there is something being foreshadowed with Roman and Jacob- a few times when the New Bloodline would be in the ring and Solo would mention Roman, the camera would zoom in on Jacob for no discernible reason. It could be nothing but I seriously doubt it.

As for questions from fans speculating whether Roman is a face or not now that he has technically helped super over babyface Cody Rhodes retain the title, my hope is that things are not as cut and dry as they appear. I have long stopped speculating about where the Bloodline story will go, with any current or former member, and just go wherever the story takes me. This is not an article for that.

I say this is absolutely no disrespect to any other wrestler: I am not truly passionate about men’s wrestling that does not involve Roman Reigns. So since he has become a part time performer, I have felt my passion for WWE die somewhat (there are other reasons that passion has died but that is not that article for that either). I enjoy watching when he is not around. I am invested when he is. 

And I am not the only one. Roman’s return instantly went viral on social media, with celebrities and other large media platforms posting about it. I know much is made about nepotism when it comes to this man and his family. But nepotism does not make Bleacher Report, USA Today, and CBS Sports report about your return. Nepotism does not make fifty thousand people scream “OOH-AAH” with you before your finisher. 

Anyone who has known me for a significant amount of time knows that I always saw this happening for Roman. When he won the 2015 Royal Rumble to massive backlash, I kept telling people that one day he would have the love and respect from fans in general, that he would be appreciated for the talent that he is. And would you look at how those tables turn? 

Not to sound smug (well, maybe a little), but I really was right. I saw past the delusional, out of touch booking and presentation of an archaic, overrated man. Not only that but I knew that allowing him to find his character as a heel was the best approach to getting where he needed to be with fans. These past four years on this journey watching my favorite wrestler has made being a wrestling fan since 1989 worth it. And, let me tell you, for a while I did not think that was possible.

For that and so much more, thank you Roman Reigns and I am looking forward to where this story takes us next.