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Roman Reigns is considered one of the top stars in pro wrestling today. Reigns' record-setting World Title reign that lasted 1,316 days etched his name into the history books and established his legacy.
2021-2023 was ruled by The Original Tribal Chief, witnessing the rise and dominance of The Roman Empire. Reigns put on incredible wrestling matches, elevated other members of The Bloodline (Sami Zayn included), and produced cinematic storylines.
However, 2024 was not that kind to The OTC. Owing to the following four reasons, Roman Reigns may be WWE's biggest flop in the last 12 months.
#4. Roman Reigns' last successful title defense wasn't great
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Roman Reigns' last successful title defense came at Royal Rumble 2024, where he defeated LA Knight, Randy Orton, and AJ Styles. While the match was far from bad, it didn't set the world on fire and wasn't among Reigns' best outings in the squared circle.
Among the four competitors, Reigns was the least protected, as Knight, Orton, and Styles hit big moves on The OTC. Solo Sikoa's interference was expected and felt unnecessary, as it proved indecisive. Furthermore, Reigns failed to live up to his promise of stacking and pinning all three men.
WWE could have booked a train wreck and re-affirmed Reigns' dominance heading into WrestleMania XL. Considering the talent on display and the significance of the match being The OTC's final title defense, the Fatal Four-Way at the Rumble was underwhelming.
#3. Reigns was overshadowed by The Rock during The Road to WrestleMania XL
The Road to WrestleMania XL gave fans little reason to complain as it was packed with star power and top-tier storytelling. The Rock's heel turn and transformation into The Final Boss elevated Cody Rhodes' storyline with The Bloodline, but it took the spotlight away from Roman Reigns.
The initial story was about Rhodes trying to finish his story by dethroning Reigns. However, his brewing angle with The Final Boss took precedence as most of the segments revolved around Rocky's beef with The American Nightmare.
The lack of physicality didn't help as Reigns relied on Sikoa and The Rock (the infamous beatdown in the parking lot). Fortunately, the story had already been built with Rhodes' loss to The Tribal Chief at WrestleMania 39.
#2. The OG Bloodline reunion was rushed
After the fall of his empire at WrestleMania XL, Roman Reigns returned as a babyface to attack Solo Sikoa, who had taken over as Tribal Chief and made adjustments to The Bloodline.
Since Sikoa had taken out Jimmy Uso and Paul Heyman, Reigns had to fight The New Bloodline alone, often suffering beatdowns due to the number's game disadvantage. However, the tide shifted when 'Big Jim' returned at Bad Blood.
Jimmy was a valuable ally to Reigns, but they were outnumbered four-to-two by The New Bloodline. 'Main Event' Jey Uso and Sami Zayn, estranged members of The OG Bloodline, had differences with The OTC, who had manipulated and bullied them during the peak of his title run.
Considering his brother's betrayal and subsequent antics, Jey was rather quick to forgive 'Big Jim' and reunite The Usos. The former IC Champion laid down his conditions for a reunion but his inclusion was rushed as WWE had to prepare for Survivor Series.
Sami Zayn's inclusion was also expected, but again it was rushed. However, Zayn didn't have reason to betray Sikoa. His motivations for reuniting with Reigns were ambiguous, especially after The OTC refused to apologize to Jey.
With less than two months between Bad Blood and Survivor Series: WarGames, there was never enough time to build tension and then lay the foundation for a reunion. Hence, the storytelling elements were compromised in this scenario.
#1. Roman Reigns' only singles match in 2024 was marred by interference
The main event of WrestleMania XL: Night Two holds a special place in fans' hearts for the closing sequence featured WWE's 'Endgame' moment and Cody Rhodes finishing his story in an emotional finale.
John Cena, The Undertaker, The Rock, The Usos, Solo Sikoa, and Seth Rollins in Shield gear were involved in an epic finale that fans will remember for a long time. The overbooking enhanced the entertainment value, but it undermined the in-ring action between Reigns and Rhodes.
In hindsight, this was The OTC's only singles bout of 2024. The loss and overbooking which overshadowed him undermined his performance.
