Roman Reigns is set to team up with Solo Sikoa at WWE Night Of Champions 2023 against Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. On the 1000th day of his legendary title reign, The Tribal Chief and his enforcer will look to return the Undisputed tag team championships to The Bloodline. This comes after The Usos failed to reclaim the titles from the Canadian duo after their huge loss at WrestleMania 39.
It's unorthodox to see a singles world champion, challenge for the tag titles, but The Head Of The Table has never been orthodox. In his bid to re-assert The Bloodline's dominance, Reigns has forced WWE to break a few of the regulations recently established by the 2023 draft.
Here are three ways Roman Reigns' current feud has made the company violate recently-set rules
#3. Roman Reigns' current feud has taken SmackDown Superstar Paul Heyman to WWE RAW
Paul Heyman was drafted to SmackDown on Night One of the 2023 WWE Draft together with Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa at #1. Per draft rules, this meant that The Wise Man was meant to have no business appearing on any other brand until the next draft or Superstar shake-up. Yet, barely two weeks after the draft, he was on the red brand, doing The Tribal Chief's bidding.
Heyman was seen on the Monday night show striking a mysterious deal with Imperium. Later on, the Gunther-led trio was seen antagonizing Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn, who are Reigns and Sikoa's Night Of Champions opponents. It definitely looks like a smart move for The Bloodline, though we can't help but notice that in his service to Reigns, Heyman has broken WWE draft rules!
#2. Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa's feud with Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn has forced the RAW-exclusive tag team champions to be booked for SmackDown
After The Bloodline's blockbuster revelations on SmackDown, WWE announced that Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn would appear on the blue brand a week later. The Undisputed tag team champions, who were recently drafted to RAW, will confront Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa to set up their clash in Jeddah.
This will bend the rules of the draft, but it's certainly understandable since Zayn and Owens are double champions. By virtue of holding the undisputed title, they have not only dominion over RAW's tag division but also SmackDown's. Let's hope that the championships are split soon so that each brand can have champions that focus on one show and don't run the risk of being spread too thin.
Otherwise, more violations of draft rules will continue to occur, eventually diluting its significance.
#1. Roman Reigns broke WWE's recently-established rules by challenging for titles on a different brand
Let's trace the origin of WWE's latest equivalent to creating a multiversal rift in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The storyline goes that Roman Reigns, angry with The Usos' failure to reclaim the tag team titles in his honor, decided to "do it myself" (to quote Thanos). However, WWE's resident Mad Titan took it a step further, going beyond his own universe to take the fight to the heroes.
His decision to challenge for RAW-based titles while on SmackDown caused Heyman's rule-breaking foray to the red brand. It is also the reason why Owens and Zayn are set to make a Dr. Strange-esque return to SmackDown. Less than three weeks removed from the draft, it doesn't reflect well on the draft and how seriously WWE takes it.
It does, however, play into the "final boss" aura that Reigns has cultivated for himself over almost 1000 days. This is especially true with his own titles not on the line on a night when all titles, by tradition, should be defended.