The One Tribal Chief is back. In the late stages of Cody Rhodes’s WWE Championship defense against Solo Sikoa at WWE SummerSlam, the WWE WrestleMania 40 remix of “Head of the Table” echoed throughout Cleveland Browns Stadium. Emerging from the stage was Roman Reigns, making his first televised appearance since losing the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship to Rhodes this past April. Reigns made a methodical walk down the entranceway as commentary questioned who he was coming for: Rhodes, his longtime rival, or Sikoa, the man who seized his Tribal Chief status during his absence. Picking up speed as he neared the ring, Reigns slid under the ropes and immediately struck Sikoa with a Superman Punch before setting him up for a spear.
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After laying Sikoa out, Reigns stared down Rhodes before giving him a slight nod and retreating to the back.
Roman Reigns Returns to WWE SmackDown
The next chapter of Roman Reigns’s career begins this Friday.
As revealed by WWE.com, Reigns is currently advertised for the August 9th edition of WWE SmackDown. This will mark Reigns’s first appearance on WWE television since the April 1st edition of WWE Monday Night Raw. There is no word whether Reigns will have a speaking segment or if he will simply show face on the broadcast.
Reigns is now listed as a babyface on WWE’s internal roster, the first time he has operated as a good guy since March 2020. He is expected to feud with Solo Sikoa and The New Bloodline for the foreseeable future, with the ultimate angle anticipated to be a match against Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
“This year is going to close out big. I’m excited for all of it. The future is bright,” WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque teased at the WWE SummerSlam post-show press conference. “Everybody’s having a blast right now, including me, which is the best part of it, and we’re all just charging ahead. So if what I believe to be true coming is true, you ain’t seen nothing yet.”
WWE SmackDown goes down this Friday, August 9th.
WWE SummerSlam Results
- WWE Women’s World Championship: Liv Morgan (c) def. Rhea Ripley
- WWE Intercontinental Championship: Bron Breakker def. Sami Zayn (c)
- WWE United States Championship: LA Knight def. Logan Paul (c)
- WWE Women’s Championship: Nia Jax def. Bayley (c)
- Drew McIntyre def. CM Punk
- WWE World Heavyweight Championship: Gunther def. Damian Priest (c)
- WWE Championship: Cody Rhodes (c) def. Solo Sikoa
