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Roman Reigns went from hated dictator to beloved Original Tribal Chief without lifting a finger. He ruled over WWE for more than four years as Universal Champion and two-plus years as the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion.
Some fans rooted for him as a heel because frontrunners always follow the current champion. At the time, The Bloodline eviscerated any star's chance of winning the title.
Austin Theory's Money in the Bank case was rendered useless since WWE didn't want Reigns to lose the title. Despite the past four years, The Head of the Table emerged as a face following his hiatus after WrestleMania 40.
The fans treat him like a conquering hero, but nothing has changed in his character. The next five facets of Roman Reigns' face run don't make sense.
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#5. A return to how things were
One huge outlier with Roman Reigns as a face is his desire for things to go back to how they were before WrestleMania 40. That meant he was on top, had the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship, and had minions willing to die at his feet.
He did whatever he wanted to whomever he wanted and needed to be acknowledged every time he appeared. That doesn't sound like someone who's learned from their past mistakes and is growing as a person.
Roman Reigns simply wants things to go back to how they were, which is a nostalgic outlook for people who think things were better in a different period. That can be true in some instances, but life before WrestleMania 40 wasn't good for the rest of WWE.
#4. Roman Reigns' part-time status
One huge knock against stars like Brock Lesnar and Logan Paul is their well-known part-time WWE status. They show up briefly for a few weeks to build programs for bigger premium live events.
It may not bother some people, but when one of those stars holds a title, it becomes a huge problem. While The Beast was being phased out, Reigns became the most prominent part-timer.
He held both of WWE's major titles hostage, something Seth Rollins routinely called him out for. That action forced the creation of the World Heavyweight Title.
Lesnar and Paul are both chastised for showing up when they want. Roman Reigns does the exact same thing but isn't held to the same standard, even as a face.
#3. Do possessions mean more than family?
One of Roman's promos after returning revolved around his desire to regain everything he lost. He wanted "his" Wiseman - which Paul Heyman was - and the Ula Fala necklace, which signifies leadership of The Bloodline.
He did say that Solo Sikoa hurt Jimmy Uso, but except for the build to WarGames, he hasn't appeared on SmackDown to help his cousin. Solo's group continued to batter Jimmy after losing WarGames and Tribal Combat.
Roman Reigns also wants all the gold back. It makes sense for someone to yearn for what they once had, but that leaves the person stuck in neutral.
If Reigns is supposed to be a valiant face now, shouldn't he act and handle things differently? Jimmy and Jey wanted to strike out on their own but still helped Roman when he needed it.
#2. Solo Sikoa was the greater of two evils
Whether fans love the group or are tired of them, The Bloodline is positioned as the faction that runs SmackDown (or whichever brand they're tied to). This was the case under Roman Reigns for four years and again under Sikoa for much of 2024.
The rest of the roster, including LA Knight, Kevin Owens, the Street Profits, DIY, the Motor City Machine Guns, Drew McIntyre, and Seth Rollins all suffered due to actions from one of the Bloodlines.
Solo Sikoa was simply the bigger threat at the time since Roman immediately took time off after losing at WrestleMania 40. Adulation for Reigns makes more sense if he had been a fighting champion or appeared regularly, but he didn't.
That absence made fans yearn for him while Solo did all the heavy lifting each week. He didn't change anything - Solo did.
#1. Roman Reigns never apologized for his treatment of Sami or Jey
The Head of the Table never outright apologized for how he abused Jey Uso or Sami Zayn during their time in The Bloodline. His actions will be justified because of his Tribal Chief status. A big sign of a face turn is a star owning up to past errors.
Reigns manipulated Zayn into turning on his best friend, Kevin Owens, before making him watch a brutal assault on his friend. When Roman left and randomly came back, fans and commentators painted him as a hero despite not changing.
The sides reconciled but Roman still made Sami and Jey "re-earn" his trust. Simply saying "I'm sorry for how I treated you" would have shown the change associated with a face turn. Instead, Jey agreed to join up by saying "If we do this, things have to be different." Jimmy said the same thing a few times.
Jey must have learned this from Roman since he was treated as a hero after breaking away from The Bloodline. Others, like McIntyre, had a tough time moving past it because Jey never apologized to him face to face. Apologies mean more if they are personal rather than blanket statements. Roman didn't do either.
