Jacob Fatu’s rise, potential swerve - 5 reasons why Solo Sikoa has taken prolonged absence from WWE

Many WWE names returned or debuted at the Royal Rumble. Alexa Bliss, Trish Stratus, and Nikki Bella were among the prominent stars who popped up in Indianapolis.

One full-time name that's dominated programming was Solo Sikoa. After running roughshod on RAW and SmackDown, he hasn't been seen since the SmackDown after he lost his Tribal Combat match against Roman Reigns.

Why did The Tribal Heir miss one of the biggest PLEs of the year? Solo Sikoa may not have returned at the Royal Rumble for the next five reasons.

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#5. His planned absence extended past WWE Royal Rumble

After so much time dominating time on SmackDown, missing the Rumble could have been part of the plan for Sikoa's time off. Roman spends more time off programming due to current plans for him and the rest of the roster.

Since Solo was heavily featured throughout 2024, his planned hiatus could have prevented him from missing the Rumble. This allowed other stars to get some TV time in his absence.

Fans started to root for Reigns simply because he was gone, and someone else filled the void. WWE may be hoping for the same with Sikoa.

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#4. Highlighting the newest threat

One reason Solo Sikoa may not have returned at the Royal Rumble was so that it could have allowed Jacob Fatu more of a spotlight during the event.

Without Sikoa leading the new Bloodline, Fatu stands out even more than he already did. His unhinged nature grows more and more prominent with each passing week.

The longer Solo stays out, the more The Samoan Werewolf can get over as a menace and legitimate threat. WWE may have to tweak that a bit since the crowd chanted for him after he brutalized Braun Strowman.

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#3. Selling the severity of losing Tribal Combat

Solo may have also not returned at the Royal Rumble to continue the sell job of losing the Tribal Combat to Roman Reigns. He could’ve retreated to gather his thoughts after losing such a high-profile match.

Sikoa took his best shot after challenging his cousin and still lost. He had no words and simply walked off through the crowd instead of addressing the situation.

The Tribal Chief ceremony was supposed to take place before the Royal Rumble, but the plan was changed. Whenever it does happen, Solo Sikoa can still show up and finally acknowledge Roman.

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#2. Spacing the multiple returns around the Royal Rumble

Another reason they could’ve saved his return is because they didn’t want to overshadow AJ Styles and other big names like Joe Hendry that popped up during the match.

There can only be so many returns without one overshadowing the other. It's likely the reason why Charlotte Flair‘s return was announced weeks before the Royal Rumble.

Her spot was anticipated so as not to take all the focus away from Alexa Bliss, Nikki Bella, Trish Stratus, and other surprise entrants.

Some returns need to be saved for the episodes of WWE RAW and SmackDown after big PLEs. Solo could return on RAW or SmackDown and congratulate or reconcile with Jey Uso.

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#1. He's planning in secret and will return with the Rock

When will The Final Boss inject himself back into the Bloodline drama? (Image credit: WWE.com)

Sometimes, time off is not only used for self-reflection. Roman Reigns is gone more than he is present, but does he plot and plan every time he's away from WWE? Since he took a shot at The Tribal Chief and lost, Solo can go several ways emotionally.

He can accept defeat and acknowledge his cousin, which is what he said he would do if he lost. Or Solo can continue to run over the roster to force another massive stipulation match with Reigns.

By losing to his already-over cousin, Solo lost much of his credibility. Coming back with The Rock by his side after months of plotting and planning would be another huge wrinkle in the neverending Bloodline drama.

It would make sense of whatever Rocky did on RAW on Netflix since he completely changed his tune from 2024.