Roman Reigns' Career Is Unlike Anything WWE Has Ever Seen

Roman Reigns keeps authoring historic WWE moments. 

Another arrived Sunday night in the main event of SummerSlam, where he retained his title over Seth Rollins. As formulaic and cinematic as it was, the iconic duo put to bed the last remnants of the The Shield narrative in the process. 

Formulaic or not, longtime fans and newcomers alike felt the match. There were callbacks galore, including a nod to Dean Ambrose, and in-ring conversations, burying of hatchets and one final chair-shot decision before the two linked up after Reigns' triumph.

It's almost hard to appreciate the scope of it, really. And even harder to appreciate the scope of Reigns' career in full. 

Most pro wrestlers who ever hit the main event scene are lucky to have a few iconic moments. Reigns being at the center of one of the most dominant stables of all time, as well as at the center of perhaps the pro wrestling betrayal, is just one of his many all-time moments. 

Think about it. The Shield, at the time, truly felt like a new era, not unlike how Oba Femi does now. He parlayed that into a decade-plus of rivalry matches while also launching the Bloodline saga. 

That Bloodline saga didn't just match The Shield: It transcended it, forcing onlookers to rethink how they view storytelling in the entire medium. 

On a week-to-week basis, Reigns and the things happening around him were must-see television. The matches wound up getting a little repetitive at times, sure, but the overall timeline and product as a whole are a Mt. Rushmore of pro wrestling stories. 

So much so, it's still going. There are ebbs and flows, no doubt. But rarely does a saga feel so cinematic while launching solo arcs for the likes of Jey Uso, Solo Sikoa and a handful of others, always with the possibility of linking them back up for more in the future. 

It's a testament to Reigns' ability and work ethic, too. This was the guy who sat pretty as a Chosen One of sorts in the eyes of WWE management and indeed felt shoved down the collective throats of the fanbase. 

Reigns could've rested on that and coasted. Instead, he's the guy who left the sport multiple times because of his fight with leukemia, only to come back full force and evolve as a performer in every facet. 

The man frankly didn't have to do that. Going from suffering succotash days to Tribal Chief is an all-timer of an arc and few Superstars have ever enjoyed the run he's had over the last five or more years now. 

Fans can bemoan the part-time schedule at times, but they don't know what the man with a family beyond the ring really has going on. And as he's showing while full-time right now, Reigns is frankly leagues above the rest of the locker room and worthy of the top billing.

Wildest of all? Reigns is far from done. He's clearly on a warpath, ending stories and putting people over. He's 41 years old and one can envision an Undertaker-like appearance schedule for him at some point soon, especially with the new era really starting to emerge. 

To that end, he's probably bound to start putting over names like Sikoa and Jacob Fatu soon enough. Not dropping the title, per se, but one doesn't have to lose to boost others. The title, of course, has Oba Femi's name on it at next year's WrestleMania, no doubt. 

Along the way, there's no reason to doubt Reigns won't do a stellar job at this next task. With the long view of hindsight, the Shield arc and Bloodline saga have done nothing but look better and better. Reigns going out with a bang while anointing the next generation will surely follow. 

In all, Reigns has had a one-of-one run at a tricky time when the curtain has been peeled back on the sport more than ever. He's done it in the social media and overexposure era while continually evolving and driving the sport in new directions in the biggest promotion on the planet. He's not done yet, either, with the final arc sure to match the past peaks, capping off an all-time run. 

Jokes aside? It's past time to acknowledge Reigns.