Why did WWE change the rules of Roman Reigns' SummerSlam match during it? Examining potential reason 

Roman Reigns retained the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship and his status as The Tribal Chief against Jey Uso at SummerSlam. He did so after a hellacious struggle that involved many deciding factors, including interference from Solo Sikoa and Jimmy Uso.

However, it was believed in the build to Tribal Combat that the match wouldn't feature interference from any family member. WWE themselves stated that would be the case before things suddenly changed. It definitely helped Reigns, but was it the original plan?

There's a chance WWE was forced to call an audible due to the alleged injury Roman Reigns suffered mid-match. He was caught on the edge of the barricade following a dive from Jey Uso, which may have hampered his ability to function in full flow.

Jimmy Uso's betrayal was likely always the plan, with him breaking the rules of Tribal Combat. However, Solo Sikoa may have gotten involved only to cover for The Tribal Chief as he looked to fight off the pain.

While it isn't known for sure what WWE was going for, this seems a logical explanation for the instant change of rules to the main event of SummerSlam 2023. It's unlike the company's booking of The Bloodline to feature several inconsistencies in its primary angle.

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What could Roman Reigns do on WWE SmackDown this week?

Despite his injury, The Tribal Chief is set to be on SmackDown this Friday. WWE has confirmed a 'Hail to the Chief' segment on the show, where Jimmy Uso is expected to acknowledge Roman Reigns and explain his shocking betrayal of Jey.

As a result, Reigns may bring Jimmy back into The Bloodline. WWE can go in multiple different directions from this point, including an exciting six-man tag team match where Jey Uso gets help from a couple of top babyfaces.

Meanwhile, Roman Reigns will likely go on hiatus for a couple of months. He isn't advertised for either the Payback or Fastlane premium live events, which means his next title defense might come at Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia.