Now that Roman Reigns made his return to WWE, he has saved SmackDown. The blue brand was floundering despite new WWE Champion Cody Rhode and the rise of the new Tribal Chief, Solo Sikoa.
At the 2024 SummerSlam event, Reigns cost Sikoa the match after months of the new Tribal Chief antagonizing the OG. It was a shocking moment, especially since he helped Rhodes retain the championship he lost to him.
On the August 9 episode of SmackDown, Reigns returned to WWE TV. He attacked Sikoa and his new Bloodline members, Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa. This was a much-needed change of pace for the WWE.
Sure, SmackDown does have talent. Their mid-card includes the newly-crowned United States Champion LA Knight, and the main event scene has Bayley, Tiffany Stratton, Nia Jax, Rhodes, and Kevin Owens. And yet, Reigns coming back trumps all.
Why Roman Reigns was missed
It all comes down to aura. The second Reigns' music hits, the crowd responds. Thousands of WWE fans lifted out of their seats and cheered when he came to beat down the new Bloodline on SmackDown.
While Reigns was pushed as a babyface early in his career, it never worked under Vince McMahon. This time around, Triple H is booking him. It is already off to a great start — Reigns is like Clint Eastwood's “Man with No Name,” showing up, beating people up, and not saying a word doing it.
In his two appearances, Reigns has not even muttered his iconic “Acknowledge Me” line. While it will come sooner or later, having a silent Reigns take out his former enforcer is great.
There are few in WWE's history with the same aura as Reigns. While he was the Undisputed WWE Champion, every match felt massive. Even filler matches where the outcome was obvious, like Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar for the umpteenth time or Reigns vs. Logan Paul, a glorified exhibition bout, were must-watch.
Since becoming the Tribal Chief in 2020, Reigns has become a special attraction. Yes, he has taken on a part-time, Brock Lesnar-like schedule, but the company gets a massive bump when he does come around.
And don't like you don't pop when Reigns' music hits. He has an undeniable effect on the WWE universe.
The new Tribal Chief
The other big reason why Roman Reigns' WWE return was much needed is Solo Sikoa. To his credit, Sikoa has risen to the occasion of filling in for Reigns as the power-hungry protege-turned-leader.
The rest of the new Bloodline, though, has been hit-and-miss. Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa are hard to take seriously — the latter's constant botches don't help. Jacob Fatu is undoubtedly the highlight of the new-age Bloodline. But that is purely for his in-ring work.
It was simply hard to take Sikoa seriously during his early days as the new Tribal Chief. Donning red satin shirts and black suit jackets made him look like he was cosplaying as the Weeknd, not leading the WWE's biggest heel faction on SmackDown.
When he faced Rhodes for the WWE Championship at SummerSlam, he didn't look out of place. His in-ring style is limiting, but he did a fairly good job at a Reigns-like match.
But ultimately, Sikoa is like the younger brother figure against Reigns. It is similar to how the Rock made Reigns feel when he came back to WWE earlier this year.
Cody Rhodes is a good WWE Champion, but he's not Roman Reigns
Since Cody Rhodes dethroned Roman Reigns as WWE Champion at WrestleMania XL, he has done an admirable job filling in as the top guy. However, upon Reigns returning, Rhodes suddenly feels like the No.2.
That is not all Rhodes' fault. He has had about four months without Reigns on SmackDown. That is hardly long enough to establish him as the new top guy (especially after Reigns held that title for over 1,300 days). His rivalry with AJ Styles was great for what it was, but Rhodes is too entrenched with the Bloodline.
That is a whole separate issue. Long story short, Rhodes does not have many viable challengers besides Reigns and the Rock. That leaves his inevitable third match with Reigns the next one that matters.
And it stinks for for him. Rhodes finishing the story at WrestleMania XL was historic. It was a deserved win for Rhodes. But Reigns immediately taking a hiatus after losing left such a void. And now that he is back, SmackDown and the WWE belong to Roman Reigns.
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