Former WWE Champion to announce his retirement on SmackDown after losing to Solo Sikoa? Exploring the possibility

Solo Sikoa is enjoying a solid run as the Tribal Heir. He defeated John Cena at Crown Jewel 2023 in dominant fashion. Sikoa could add AJ Styles to the list of his victims and have a high-profile match against him at WrestleMania.

AJ Styles has been embroiled in a rivalry with The Bloodline since he returned from an injury-forced hiatus courtesy of the latter. He faced Roman Reigns, Randy Orton, and LA Knight at the Royal Rumble but failed to win the WWE Universal Championship. With WrestleMania 40 season in full swing, The Phenomenal One needs an opponent for the show.

The Enforcer Solo Sikoa was responsible for almost ending Styles' career when he took him out backstage. While the two faced each other on an episode of SmackDown, the match ended in a DQ after Reigns interfered. The former WWE Champion still has not got payback for what Sikoa did to him.

A massive match between the two would help elevate Sikoa and give Styles a memorable farewell at The Show of Shows. Solo could establish himself as a threat by making quick work of Styles, forcing him to admit that he is no longer at the top of his game and announce his retirement on SmackDown after WrestleMania.

The Phenomenal One has, in the past, touched on the subject of retirement. Having time to spend with his family means a lot to him and it is something he is looking forward to doing once he does hang up his boots.

He has already said that this current run with WWE will be his last. While he has not set a timeline for this, he did get a sneak peek of what life could be when he retired during his recent injury hiatus.

He spoke to Metro about enjoying "the fruits of your labor," saying:

"Once it’s over, I think it’s gonna be easy for me to go, 'Okay! I did what I was supposed to do! I fought as hard as I could for as long as I could to the point where I hopefully didn’t embarrass myself,'" before adding, "No more missing birthdays, high school, elementary school stuff. I’m gonna be there as a father to see that. I’ve missed enough."

Given Styles’ desire to spend time with his family, it’s quite within the realm of possibility that if Solo defeats him at WrestleMania, The Phenomenal One could decide to bring the curtain down on an illustrious career sooner rather than later.

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Rikishi sends a message to Solo Sikoa

Solo Sikoa has been a part of The Bloodline for the past two years. He allied with The Tribal Chief after playing a crucial role in the latter's victory over Drew McIntyre at Clash at the Castle 2022.

His father, Rikishi, had a message for him on Instagram:

"Stick to the plan. Still RISE."

The Street Champion has become Reigns' most trusted ally, helping him win almost every match. He was responsible for The Tribal Chief picking up the win at Royal Rumble. This could be another bone of contention for AJ Styles, who could target Sikoa and challenge him to a match at WrestleMania.

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