Roman Reigns is being put on trial. The Undisputed WWE Universal Champion suffered his first pinfall loss in over three years this past weekend at WWE Money in the Bank when Jey Uso got a 1-2-3 over the previously-unbeatable Tribal Chief. This gave The Usos the victory over Reigns and Sikoa in what was being dubbed as “The Bloodline Civil War,” but that clash may prove to be just the first battle. Recent reports have indicated that Jey’s win at WWE Money in the Bank was done to set up the younger Uso challenging Reigns at WWE SummerSlam. While that remains to be confirmed, WWE may set that familial championship contest in motion tonight on WWE SmackDown.
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As already announced, The Usos are set to hold “Tribal Court” at Madison Square Garden tonight, this time putting Reigns in the hot seat. This resurrects the critically acclaimed segment from earlier this year when Reigns and The Bloodline put former member Sami Zayn on trial, which ultimately proved to be a crack in the dominant faction that would eventually expand to the point of splitting up the group entirely. It was during the trial of Sami Zayn that Jey Uso showed loyalty to the former Honorary Uce, giving fans their first glimpse at Jey returning to the rebellious version of himself that challenged Reigns for the WWE Universal Championship twice during Fall 2020.
Fresh off their WWE Money in the Bank victory, it’s likely that this Tribal Court will mostly serve as The Usos’ celebration. Reigns will hardly willingly stand trial, but expect him to eventually interrupt Jey and Jimmy’s gloating.
Despite his hot-headed tendencies, Jey has always been a fairly timid member of The Bloodline. Even after his win at the O2 Arena, he may still feel some instinctual hesitations to go against his cousin. That’s when Zayn can appear, giving Jey that final boost he needs to officially lay down the WWE SummerSlam challenge.
As for who stands tall, that’s anyone’s guess. It’s early in the WWE SummerSlam build, so WWE’s typically reverse psychology of the eventual premium live event victor looking weak on the go-home show is not applicable here. The Usos could continue their momentum with a flurry of super kicks, Reigns could get one back, or Solo Sikoa could further tease his silent uncertainty about his future within the Anoa’i family.
WWE SmackDown goes down at 8 PM ET on FOX.
