The Rise, Fall, And Rise Again of WWE's Solo Sikoa

Within a matter of months, Solo Sikoa has become one of the more interesting acts in all of WWE.

Such a statement would have been unfathomable a year ago with the way his career was trending at the time. Although his mega push as the leader of The MFTs brought him success as a United States and WWE Tag Team champion, it also did damage to his already-stagnant character.

The biggest mistake WWE made with Sikoa was miscasting him as a heel faction leader instead of allowing him to shine as a babyface. Only now is he being given the chance to showcase his personality and connect with the audience in a way he never has before.

Although his loss to Jey Uso on Monday's Raw heavily hinted at him rejoining The Bloodline and being forced to fall in line, doing so would be a severe step backward. He's the most compelling he's ever been on the main roster and deserves the opportunity to continue fleshing out his fan favorite persona.

In light of Solo Sikoa's sudden surge in popularity, let's looks at his rise, fall and rise again in WWE.

Establishing an Identity of His Own in NXT

Solo Sikoa was signed to a developmental deal by WWE in August 2021, right at the dawn of NXT 2.0. Unlike Jacob Fatu, he wasn't immediately brought up to the main roster but rather assigned to NXT, where he debuted in October without any ties to The Bloodline whatsoever.

Although it was acknowledged he was a member of the Anoa'i family, it was established that he wanted to carve out his own legacy, hence the Solo Sikoa name. He organically got over as a badass babyface on the brand and eventually captured the NXT North American Championship.

Sikoa was never positioned as a main event player in NXT, but he did gradually show signs of improvement in the ring and excelled as the silent-but-deadly street fighter. His various high-profile matches with the likes of Gunther, Carmelo Hayes and Cameron Grimes proved he had potential.

The difference in his presentation on NXT compared to the main roster was drastic, along with the quality of his matches and storylines. He never had a chance to build upon the identity he created for himself in NXT before being called up to the main roster in the fall of 2022.

Being the Right Addition to the Bloodline Saga at the Right Time

Sikoa wasn't necessarily ready to be brought up to WWE's main roster after a little less than a year in NXT, but The Bloodline needed a new chapter and thus adding Sikoa to the mix simply made the most sense.

He found himself in the right place at the right time, and The Bloodline benefited big time from it.

Sikoa his main roster debut at Clash at the Castle 2022 by helping Roman Reigns retain his Undisputed WWE Universal Championship against Drew McIntyre. It was a brilliantly-executed swerve that not only extended Reigns' historic run as champ but also introduced Sikoa in unforgettable fashion.

His character, however, was the exact opposite from how he had been portrayed in NXT. He was now subservient to Reigns and was just another member of The Bloodline without much else being known about him.

His association with the stable did lead him to racking up some major wins early on and wrestling in countless SmackDown main events, at least up until his undefeated streak was snapped by Cody Rhodes on the Raw before WrestleMania 39.

Becoming a One-Dimensional Enforcer for The Bloodline

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After his underwhelming interference in the WrestleMania main event between Reigns and Rhodes, Sikoa's booking took a turn for the worse.

While he did manage to impressively squash John Cena at Crown Jewel 2023, nothing was done to capitalize on whatever momentum he had coming out of it. Instead, he was relegated to enhancement duty in The Bloodline and lost way more than he won.

Everyone in The Bloodline received significant character development throughout 2023 except for Sikoa. Sami Zayn and The Usos all broke away from the faction and rebelled against Reigns, but Sikoa was solely limited to getting involved in Reigns' title defenses and falling short whenever it mattered most.

Even as the enforcer for The Bloodline, he couldn't be taken seriously, and once The Usos were out on their own, the stable lost a lot of its luster. The Bloodline definitively died the night Reigns was dethroned as champ by Rhodes at WrestleMania 40 as it also marked Reigns' final appearance on WWE TV until SummerSlam.

The company then turned to Sikoa to replace Reigns as the face of the faction in an attempt to replicate the success they once had. It failed miserably.

Being Miscast as a Leader of The Bloodline and The MFTs

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Had Sikoa been presented as more of a threat on television, it's possible that him leading The Bloodline would have worked. Even with better booking, he was always going to pale in comparison to Reigns in the role, regardless.

His sudden character shift led to him having to cut more promos and take center stage on SmackDown. He did what he could to make the most of what he was given, but he never fully took to the spot.

Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa and Jacob Fatu were eventually added to The Bloodline's ranks, but Sikoa not being interesting as the leader prevented them from being more than a midcard act. Sikoa challenged Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship twice during this period, but with Sikoa not being the most dynamic in-ring performer, neither bout offered anything out of the ordinary.

Sikoa's loss to Reigns in Tribal Combat at the onset of 2025 forced The Bloodline to become The MFTs, only with JC Mateo replacing Fatu and Talla Tonga later being recruited. They were more tolerable in the United States Championship and tag team scenes, but nothing about The MFTs screamed special, either.

WWE desperately tried to make Sikoa into something he wasn't, despite various social media clips exposing his real-life personality as being entertaining. All he ever needed was an opportunity to let that shine through on television.

Finally Being Able to Showcase His Personality as a Babyface

The MFTs reached a new low post-WrestleMania 42 when they lost the WWE Tag Team Championship to the duo of Damian Priest and R-Truth and wrapped up what felt like a never-ending rivalry with The Wyatt Sicks.

Once Tonga Loa and JC Mateo were released, the writing was on the wall for The MFTs, but instead of putting Solo Sikoa right back with The Bloodline, WWE embarked on an entirely different direction with Sikoa as a singles star.

It marked the first time in his near-four-year main roster run that he was without allies, and that alone made his character intriguing. By targeting The Bloodline and not taking as serious of an approach to his promos, he endeared himself to the audience and started generating favorable reactions.

He essentially solidified his status as a babyface at SummerSlam by besting The Bloodline in six-man tag team action, though his loss to Jey Uso on Monday's Raw left fans worried that he could be Bloodline bound yet again.

There's no reason to interrupt his rise by having him unwillingly rejoin The Bloodline only to betray them not long after. He'd be better off sticking it to Reigns on Raw next week, remaining in the crowd's good graces and seeing how far this groundswell of support will take him.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.