At this year's WrestleMania, Cody Rhodes finally dethroned Roman Reigns to become the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion. The Tribal Chief hasn't been seen since, allowing Solo Sikoa to form his own version of The Bloodline.
Solo's rise to power has led to him kicking Jimmy Uso out of the group and violently attacking Reigns' Wiseman, Paul Heyman. He's also surrounded himself with the undeniably formidable Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa, and Jacob Fatu.
Last weekend at SummerSlam, Reigns returned to WWE and turned babyface when he hit Solo with a Superman Punch and Spear, allowing the American Nightmare to retain his title in a "Bloodline Rules" match.
It's already been confirmed that Reigns will be at SmackDown tonight and we're expecting to get a better idea of his plans moving forward. We're sure you'll also be pleased to learn that this won't be a one-off appearance followed by another lengthy absence.
The Kia Center in Orlando, Florida has announced that Reigns will be in the building for the August 16 edition of SmackDown next week.
"JUST ANNOUNCED: Roman Reigns returns to Friday Night SmackDown at Kia Center on Aug. 16!" the arena confirmed. "Limited tickets still available, purchase now!"
This hopefully means we're getting a full-time run from Reigns, though we'd imagine his schedule won't be too different from when he was champion. In terms of the next PLE he'll compete at, Bash in Berlin is a possibility, though WWE may want to save him for a bigger show.
Talking at SummerSlam's post-show press conference, Cody Rhodes shared his thoughts on Reigns' WWE return during his match.
"I don’t want to fill the room with positive platitudes and hot air about the real ‘Tribal Chief’ Roman Reigns returning. But without a doubt, that probably would have gone a different way; I probably wouldn’t be sitting here with the North Star of the industry had it not been for Roman Reigns. So he’s certainly...I’ve got quite a list of people who I owe one. I might owe him more than one."
"Again, no love loss. That’s as much a shoot as it gets. There’s a unique relationship, I suppose. I haven’t seen or spoken to him since WrestleMania. I think the WWE fans, wrestling fans, the WWE Universe, they wanted him, and SummerSlam delivered and gave him, and that I’m always very happy about."
Stay tuned for all the latest on Reigns' SmackDown return later this evening.