Roman Reigns, the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion, has been the world’s most decorated wallflower for a
large portion of the build to WrestleMania XL, with his cousin The Rock speaking the majority of The Tribal Chief’s
words. That may all change on Friday, though, when Reigns, who will commemorate 1,300 days as champion, square
off against Cody Rhodes, his opponent for WrestleMania, on SmackDown.
Reigns has felt as absent as ever, even though he made more appearances leading up to WWE’s super spectacular,
which featured a startling scene in which Reigns insisted that The Rock recognize him as his Tribal Chief. As WWE
Hall of Famer Bully Ray pointed out weeks ago, the Undisputed Champ has appeared submissive to the Hollywood
megastar except from that one interaction with Rock.
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“If I were Roman, I would be the one speaking, with Rock following closely behind. I win. The Head of the Table is
me. Bully Ray remarked, “Rocky’s coming in and just taking over.”
The Rock has released a series of excellent promos since taking over. Even if there were moments when the subject
matter seemed dubious, he finally succeeds in inciting conflict and a desire to see that dispute resolved in the ring.
The Rock made a menacing promo last Friday in the hours leading up to SmackDown. He called out Rhodes for
sobbing on Raw and vowed to beat him brutally in front of his mother, to whom Rock plans to give his weight belt
once he has stripped Cody of his hide. The ferocious diatribe raised expectations that Rhodes would either take a
thrashing or administer one that Momma Rock might not have been able to.
Even though that was a fantastic promo, Roman Reigns should have been the one to do it.
To be honest, there might be a benefit to Reigns’ quiet. First off, by being silent, Reigns avoids coming across as
sophomoric like Seth Rollins, who is now kicking himself for dubbing The Rock “Diarrhea,” or soft like Rhodes, who
wailed like a baby. It could also be argued that by letting Rock handle all the heavy lifting, Reigns seems more in
control than ever. From the standpoint of a rival in kayfabe, Reigns may be expecting that Rhodes will be distracted
by The Rock’s taunting, leaving him more open to defeat.
Reigns’ recent slide to the rear, though, might be a warning that the most dominant title run in over 40 years is set to
end.
It used to be normal to see less of a wrestler on television when they were finishing up their career in a territory or
company. Formerly a mainstay of a company’s schedule, a retiring wrestler frequently experienced less TV time. The
Rock has started referring to himself as The Final Boss, but there have been no stories indicating that Reigns would
be taking a long break from WWE, one that doesn’t involve his hold on the company’s championship.
While many speculate about what a reign as champion might entail for Cody Rhodes, it’s possible that the obstacles
WWE management faced by “Stone Cold” Steve Austin may also be faced by Rhodes. In this case, Rhodes may find
himself in awkward positions as the champion due to The Rock, a member of the board of directors for WWE’s
parent corporation. This might lead to The American Nightmare facing off against a series of opponents, all
members of the Bloodline, until Rhodes confronts The Rock, also known as The Final Boss.
A singles match with Rhodes seems more attractive than either of the two main events for WrestleMania’s first and
second nights, based on the promos that Rock has been cutting. If Rhodes succeeds in his quest to win the
Undisputed Universal Championship at WrestleMania, WWE may decide to move forward with a one-on-one match
between the two, even though they will have the chance to face off in a tag match at the Showcase of the Immortals
that also stars Rollins and Reigns.
But then again, maybe this Friday when Reigns faces Cody Rhodes alone, he won’t have The Rock with him and will
really have something meaningful to say. Should he fail to do so, it might indicate that The Tribal Chief is about to
say, “Goodbye, for now.”
