Roman Reigns allegedly not coming back "has changed the trajectory of everything," says WWE veteran (Exclusive)

WWE delivered one of the best SmackDown episodes of the year, which was packed with several impactful moments. During the post-show review, Dutch Mantell reacted to Solo Sikoa saying Roman Reigns won't be returning to WWE.

The Tribal Chief has been absent since WrestleMania 39, and, in the meantime, Roman Reigns' faction has seemingly undergone a drastic transformation. With Solo Sikoa as the new self-proclaimed leader, the new-look Bloodline has added Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa, and, as of this week, Jacob Fatu to its ranks.

During a backstage exchange between Solo Sikoa and Paul Heyman on SmackDown, the star declared that Roman Reigns was not expected to be back.

The moment caught Dutch Mantell's attention as he commented on it during this week's edition of Sportskeeda Wrestling Smack Talk. The former WWE manager explained why it was a huge development in the Bloodline saga.

"Let me tell you something else that changed the course of a lot of things tonight. It was the interview with Heyman and Solo at the beginning, and Solo says I don't know if I should be telling you this, and I hate it's coming from me and he dropped it that Roman Reigns is not coming back. And I went, 'Well, that changes the trajectory of everything.'" [From 26:00 onwards]

Dutch Mantell added that WWE had successfully created a storyline that can end in various ways. According to him, WWE's creative flexibility has just increased with Sikoa's latest claim about Reigns' status, and it has set up an exciting future.

"Because it made an impact on me, and now they've got another [hook]. I mean, you can almost have a blind, deaf man book this thing now. They've got so many ways to go, they can almost reach in the box and pull it out and get it to fit." [26:41 - 27:30]

All eyes are now on Roman Reigns, who, despite Solo Sikoa's statement, is expected to return and continue one of the greatest wrestling angles ever.