3 Reasons Why Roman Reigns' Bloodline Storyline Has Lost Its Luster in WWE
For the past three years, Roman Reigns' Bloodline storyline has been the most captivating story in pro wrestling.
The ongoing saga surrounding The Tribal Chief and his family has been highly lucrative for WWE. That's why the successful angle has continued to be a fixture on SmackDown on Friday nights.
Still, it's hard to deny that the act has been gradually growing stale since WrestleMania 39. That isn't to say that fans aren't as invested anymore or that it isn't a proven draw, but even the most adamant viewers must admit the story has become a bit repetitive.
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At SummerSlam, Jimmy Uso turned on his twin brother and helped Reigns retain the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. Most of us didn't see this twist coming because the record-setting tag team has always been so close. After all, it has been well-established that Main Event Jey would never turn his back on his older sibling.
This has been such a consistent aspect of his character arc that no one would think Jimmy could betray him either. That's possibly why this new development didn't go over well with many fans.
The storyline has produced excellent cliffhangers this year. However, Jimmy's turn felt so uninspiring compared to Jey's triumph over Reigns at Money in the Bank or Sami Zayn's change of heart at Royal Rumble.
It didn't come off as another gripping chapter in the most-talked-about soap opera in the industry. Instead, this swerve seemed so contrived and redundant. The ending was frustrating, but not as it probably intended to be.
Yes, there's still more WWE can do with The Bloodline, but is it starting to overstay its welcome as the company stretches this story out as long as possible? Why is this all-time great storyline starting to lose its luster?
Roman Reigns Beat Everyone Who Mattered
The closing moments of The Biggest Party of the Summer were divisive, but most viewers would agree that Cody Rhodes still seems like he's next up.
The 2023 men's Royal Rumble winner took an unexpected detour into a trilogy of matches with Brock Lesnar following his loss at WrestleMania. There was even a random side quest to face Dominik Mysterio in July, but he remains incredibly popular.
In fact, the 38-year-old is still the hottest face on the roster. This begs the question: how long can WWE realistically keep Rhodes out of contention for the undisputed universal title?
This rather large elephant in the room made the finish of the main event of SummerSlam so exhausting. Last year, it was hard to imagine anyone could dethrone Reign because the company didn't build up any believable challengers.
This year, The Tribal Chief toppled the three best options in Zayn, Rhodes, and Uso in a similar fashion. There was a compelling reason for each of them to finally defeat him, but the Samoa star won with the help of The Bloodline every time.
It wasn't as heartbreaking when his cousin fell victim to the same fate because the audience has seen this scenario before. WWE didn't even bother to do something new. It was just another hooded family member and the inevitable conclusion.
Most viewers had faith that Zayn's loss would be worth it when The American Nightmare finished the story. Then, some fans warmed up to the idea that this reign of terror could end where it started if Main Event Jey did the unthinkable.
Sure, we can all assume that Rhodes will eventually get his rematch. Still, the light at the end of the tunnel seems so far, and WWE has burned out its audiences with these missed opportunities.
Too Much Decompression Without Enough of a Pay-off
If Reigns doesn't face Rhodes again until WrestleMania 40, that leaves us without a satisfying pay-off to that dangling plotline for another year.
That's debatably not a bad problem to have when The Bloodline is still drawing viewers and creating moments. However, the main event of SummerSlam was so disappointing because WWE didn't reward its fans for sticking with these characters.
Instead, it erased the progress that felt so earned when The Usos left the stable after Night of Champions. After all this time, they finally stood up to The Head of the Table and realized he needed them more than they needed him.
Jimmy kicked off this rebellion and encouraged his brother to follow suit. So, it felt like retread when he re-emerged to help The Tribal Chief again.
Yes, this could turn into an intriguing sibling rivalry that will cement Jey as a sympathetic protagonist. Maybe Reigns' attempt to insulate himself created a cutthroat scenario where his underlings will take on his tactics to try to take his spot.
That's a fascinating concept, and it would be ironic to see his close-knit circle turn into a free-for-all for the mantle they once protected. Nevertheless, that still doesn't negate the diminishing returns from these plodding title defenses and overused conclusions.
It's tough to be patient when WWE slowly doles out new developments every month. The civil war angle made the story exciting again. It seemed to be ramping up to a natural conclusion just to hit another wall.
Even worse, The Usos feud could play out while Reigns is off television again. That was already the growing pattern after every major title match, and he isn't advertised for the next few months of shows. The 38-year-old also reportedly sustained an injury during Tribal Combat.
The talented tandem, Paul Heyman, and Solo Sikoa can potentially keep viewers interested in his absence, but this slow-moving plot is wearing thin.
A Lack of Levity in the Face of Ultra-Seriousness
Last year, The Honorary Uce excelled during the weeks when The Tribal Chief wasn't on SmackDown. Zayn added so much to the group that has been missing since January.
Most importantly, the Syrian wrestler brought some much-needed humor to an act that often takes itself too seriously. That has been the biggest missing ingredient because it made some of the pretentious melodrama more palatable.
Conversely, one could argue that's sort of the point of the story. Without Zayn, The Bloodline fell victim to its own insecurities. Reigns became even more paranoid, and his mechanizations caused his family members to lust for more power.
Regardless, the more subtle approach of storytelling initially made this plot so refreshing. The levity its adopted member provided also gave the darker moment so much more weight.
Ostentation match titles like Tribal Combat and Bloodline Civil War somehow seemed less silly when the crowd was chanting "Ucey." There was already an understood gravitas before WWE started overselling it to promote the next major turning point.
WWE fans will remember The Bloodline as the greatest storyline of this era, and rightfully so, but all good things must eventually end. There's still time to stick the landing, but it's starting to seem like the company doesn't have an ideal conclusion in mind yet.
Passing on two incredible moments with Zayn and Rhodes to keep this going until it runs out of steam seems ill-advised from a creative standpoint. This could all work out in the long run, but the risk has exposed some cracks in the foundation.
