Folks, the “Tribal Chief” Roman Reigns has returned to the WWE Universe.
Yes, Cody Rhodes wrestled a huge match against Solo Sikoa, yes, the new Bloodline showed up to help uneven the odds only for some of the “American Nightmare's” pals, Kevin Owens and Randy Orton – plus an assist from Arn Anderson – to assist, and yes, it looked dicey there for a moment, but when Rhodes really needed some help, and the 50,000-some fans in Cleveland Browns Stadium looked to the entrance ramp for someone, anyone to provide the assist, they were greeted with a new rendition of Reigns' theme song, with signaled the arrival of the “Head of the Table” from the island of relevancy.
With the match down to just Sikoa and Rhodes after Jacob Fatu seemingly injured his knee on a splash, the “Street Champ” looked like he had The Champ's number, but that all changed when Reigns arrived as he marched into the ring, hit a Superman Punch and then a Spear on his former enforcer and then allowed his WrestleMania 40 foe to secure the 1-2-3 for the victory via a single CrossRhodes.
The crowd went wild, the commentary team did as well, and social media quickly followed suit, with virtually no one disappointed to see the original “Tribal Chief” recapture his former moniker from the silly shenanigans of Solo's Bloodline in about as definitive a way as fans could imagine.
What does this mean for the future? Are Rhodes and Reigns good now, so much so that they could work together in a WarGames team this November? Or will the latter remain firmly focused on The Bloodline, with an eventual rematch with Rhodes a possibility down the line? While only time will tell, it's safe to say fans are going to enjoy every step of the journey moving forward, as when it comes to Reigns on WWE television, be that RAW or SmackDown, when his Bloodline is featured, calls of cinema will almost immediately follow.
Cody Rhodes hopes to become friends with Roman Reigns in the future
Speaking about his relationship with Reigns ahead of SummerSlam in an appearance on The Pivot Podcast, Rhodes let it be known that he hadn't really talked to the “Tribal Chief” since securing the win in South Philadelphia but didn't hold any ill will towards his opponent despite their vicious battles in the past. If Reigns was down, which Rhodes didn't necessarily know was on the table, he would like to sit, talk, and maybe even watch their match back as friends.
“I think Roman Reigns and I are great opponents. I don't dislike Roman, and I think he doesn't dislike me, but when we see ourselves on the poster together, we get it. I'm supposed to beat you; you're supposed to beat me, you're supposed to be the benchmark, I want to be the benchmark,” Rhodes told The Pivot Podcast via WrestleTalk.
“I'd love to sit with Roman at one point. We've never had that, to sit and talk. Even if we were to watch something back, if WWE organized it where we watch WrestleMania. Just because our families have been linked for so long, it's kind of fate that put us together. I'm not a big believer in anything but there's that element of destiny and fate with him and I going against each other.”
In the heat of the moment, it's hard for competitors to really remove themselves from that war mindset to look at their efforts objectively, especially in the same room as a deep-seated rival. With the gift of time, however, even the most vicious sporting rivals can share a table, share some drinks, and reminisce about the good old days when they were doing their best work in certified duels.
Will that day eventually come when Rhodes and Reigns can do the same? Yes, it might not happen next week, next month, or even next year, but at some point down the line, when the duo are old and gray, they will probably be featured in a WWE Rivals documentary or something similar, with all the important players in their shared story adding color commentary on the situation. For now, however, both men have a shared enemy in Sikoa's Bloodline, which might just create a regular “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” situation, the likes of which could help to define the Blue Brand for the rest of the years and onto the Road to WrestleMania in 2025, where the first-ever Reigns-Sikoa singles match could earn its international stage.
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