WWE legend Rikishi pays tribute to Roman Reigns' father

WWE Hall of Famer Rikishi has paid tribute to Roman Reigns' father, Sika Anoa'i, today on social media. The wrestling veteran passed away at the age of 79 last month on June 25.

Sika Anoa'i was a part of the legendary Wild Samoans tag team with his brother Afa. They appeared following Roman Reigns' victory over Jey Uso at Hell in a Cell 2020 to celebrate with The Tribal Chief. Rikishi is the father to Solo Sikoa and The Usos in real life, and took to his Instagram today to honor Sika Anoa'i. He paid tribute to his legendary uncle and shared a photo as seen in his post below.

"#AnoaiStrong 🙏🏾 rest easy uncle Seek (RipSika) We here Chief Ifopo Jahrus Anoa’i," he wrote.

Roman Reigns has not appeared on WWE television since he was defeated by Cody Rhodes in the main event of Night Two of WrestleMania XL. The crowd has been chanting "We want Roman!" during his hiatus from the company.

Solo Sikoa, meanwhile, has established his own version of The Bloodline while Reigns has been away and the faction brutally attacked Paul Heyman this past Friday night on SmackDown.

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WWE Hall of Famer claims Roman Reigns needs to return to SmackDown as a babyface

Wrestling veteran Teddy Long recently claimed that Roman Reigns should return to the company as a fan favorite.

Speaking on Sportskeeda Wrestling's The Wrestling Time Machine podcast, Long stated that The Head of the Table needed to return to the promotion as a babyface. However, he added that the only way that could work was if he got rid of Paul Heyman as his manager.

"I like the idea, though, Mac, I think Roman, he needs to come back as a babyface. That can't be just one [appearance]. He has to get a little bit of a run out of it [...] The only way that really will become believable, and work, is you have to drop [Paul] Heyman," said Long. [8:29 onwards]

You can check out the video below for Long's comments:

Solo Sikoa recently claimed that Roman Reigns would never be returning to WWE during a backstage segment with Paul Heyman on the blue brand. Only time will tell when the 39-year-old finally makes his return to WWE SmackDown.