Roman Reigns Makes Imperious Return as Legend’s Path Gets Revealed

Roman Reigns Makes Imperious Return as Legend’s Path Gets Revealed

On April 7, 2024, Roman Reigns’ incredible 1,316-day reign as the WWE Universal Champion came to an end at WrestleMania XL in Philadelphia. In a long-anticipated turn, the colossal heel was finally defeated by the surging Cody Rhodes, who holds the title to this day.

Since then, Reigns has taken a well-earned break from the spotlight and the square circle. The once seemingly unbeatable Original Tribal Chief had put in an incredible stint to remain atop the wrestling world, but now, he’s made his long-awaited return at SummerSlam, with his new path seemingly revealed.

Reigns returns with a new foe ahead of him

Reigns has been making all kinds of shock decisions since his surprise comeback. At SummerSlam, his return was expected to set him straight back on a course with Cody Rhodes to gun for his old title again. Instead, he turned his ire to Solo Sikoa.

Less than a week later, on the August 9 edition of SmackDown, it was Solo Sikoa who had to suffer his wrath once more. Reigns entered right at the end of the show to kick off a brawl with him. Even with Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa stepping in to oust Reigns, the former Universal Champion sent them all flying.

Reigns has officially returned, and now, there’s talk that his path is to run straight into Jacob Fatu. As detailed by Dave Meltzer on an episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, Fatu’s being kept off-screen so that he doesn’t collide with Reigns, and so, he builds up his appeal as a Reigns foe.

According to the source, for now, it’ll be all about Reigns against Sikoa, and then it’ll ramp up to a rumble with Fatu down the line. Fatu has recently been spotted in a medical boot, so the delay in having him lock up with Reigns may, in part, be due to injury. Still, the road looks to be leading to the Original Tribal Chief battling the Samoan Werewolf.

Reigns’ return is great for the WWE

While Roman Reigns was once somewhat maligned by wrestling fans as being gifted his sharp rise to prominence, his heel turn and time atop the pyramid went over rather well. As the menace of the WWE, other comeback stories and upset victories could take hold and have a real impact.

Reigns is a legend now and one of the most recognizable and marketable stars of the WWE. It’s why he continues to make headlines and is even drawn in alongside the likes of John Cena, Charlotte Flair, and Bianca Belair as a star of WWE products like WWE: Clash of the Wilds.

The hit slot game at the Hippodrome online casino – which sits alongside WWE Legends and its selection of Attitude Era superstars – has four different in-theme free-spins modes and a progressive prize in the Ladder Match feature. Still, it’s the stars of the show who invite the clicks, and Reigns is certainly a big draw.

Beyond merchandising, Reigns’ impact on the WWE’s most important metric remains huge. The total viewers for WWE Friday Night SmackDown on August 9 climbed to 2.269 million, only beaten on the prime time telecasts rankings by the Olympics, Jesse Watters Primetime, Hannity, and Gutfeld!

While impressive on the day, what’s notable is the uptick Reigns inspired. On Fox, the average viewership marked a 4.1 percent increase on the week prior. It was also the largest total audience recorded for the WWE since July 19. When compared year-on-year, an 8.2 percent increase can be seen.

So, with the help of Reigns, the WWE is in a good place, and he looks to have an exciting collision course in the works.