Roman Reigns is in a weird spot in the WWE Universe.

After spending almost half a decade as a champion under his current “Tribal Chief” gimmick, Reigns finds himself a challenger heading into the 2025 Royal Rumble, and as a result, he's working the promotional circuit to help get extra eyes on the program.

How does it feel for Reigns to be chasing championships heading into the first major PLE of the year? SHAK Wrestling asked Reigns that question, and his answer was a simple one: WWE wouldn't be where it is today without the “OTC,” so frankly, you're welcome.

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“They're still affected by us. We wrap in layers, just the way we've done for ourselves and what we did with Sami, for Sami, and how Sami helped us. Drew's moral code is based on the abuse that I put him through, and the knowledge that I dropped on him. I literally saw a promo we did years ago and I was telling him, ‘You're going to thank me one day.' That was the truth. That is the beauty of this. We're very creative in what we do, but we don't go so far outside of the realm of the real world and trying to keep that continuity and authenticity to where people can relate to it. There is no question, all those guys, Seth was running with us in April, and we weaved him in throughout that whole process. Cody is a great champion, he beat me, so he's gotta be, right? But he was never more relevant than when he was in my circle and on my island. That continues to shine through,” Reigns declared via Fightful.

“That's the beauty of this. Even when they feel like they're done with us or we're done with them, we're still able to push everybody and make everybody better. It's a competition. There are no sabotages, no bullsh*t behind-the-scenes type stuff. The cream rises to the top, and if you're better than me, go out there and show me. You can get as much time as you want, go out there and hold that time and show you're a commodity to this product. That's what we continue to do. Anybody who orbits me and the Bloodline, it's proven.”

Is Reigns on the money? Has he more or less made all of the top acts in the WWE Universe, elevating their games and making their storylines all the more compelling for fans of the sport? You bet, from Rhodes, to Zayn, McIntyre, and even CM Punk, who wasn't mentioned by name in Reigns' comments but probably should following the events of the Elimination Chamber, the “Tribal Chief” has been the Rosetta Stone of WWE television, with every major storyline worth remembering having some connection to his Bloodline. And at the Royal Rumble, that will all come to a head, be it through a win at the show's namesake event or another interaction that sets up something juicier for the next three months of television.