Roman Reigns officially never made a major change, says WWE analyst

Roman Reigns changed WWE's landscape when he became The Tribal Chief and ruled the blue brand with an iron fist for years. Recently, analyst Sam Roberts thinks the 40-year-old star officially didn't make a major change.

In 2024, Roman Reigns' reign as the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion ended in Philadelphia at the Showcase of the Immortals to Cody Rhodes. After the event, the 40-year-old SmackDown star's next appearance was at SummerSlam, where he started a feud with Solo Sikoa and The New Bloodline.

In an appearance on INSIGHT with Chris Van Vliet, Sam Roberts pointed out that Roman Reigns never officially became a baby face in the promotion. The analyst said fans automatically cheered for him, but the demeanor and the gimmick didn't change when he returned to confront Solo Sikoa.

"No, and I don't think he ever will officially turn babyface, because I don't think he'll ever abandon that character. But I remember saying on NotSam, I was like Roman Reigns' babyface turn is the minute he loses the championship. Because the minute he loses the championship is the minute we all get a second to breathe," Roberts said.

Contrary to popular belief, Roberts pointed out that Reigns never announced a turn, nor did he have a segment for the change, but he remained true to his Tribal Chief moniker even after he lost the title.

"It's the minute we all get a second to reflect. It's the minute we all get a second to appreciate. And lo and behold, he loses the championship. This new Bloodline starts to form. Next thing you know, Roman's fighting Solo. Cody's teaming with Roman, and Roman is a baby face without ever changing," Roberts said. [H/T - CVV]

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Roman Reigns could return to WWE and set up a feud with Seth Rollins, says Sam Roberts

Paul Heyman betrayed Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 41 when The Wiseman aligned with Seth Rollins to close the show. Later, The Visionary teamed up with Bron Breakker and decimated The Original Tribal Chief and CM Punk on WWE RAW after the event in Las Vegas.

Speaking on the Notsam Wrestling podcast, Sam Roberts pitched a major scenario where the 40-year-old WWE star could return at SummerSlam and set up a match with John Cena for the Undisputed WWE Championship. However, the match would act as an anchor, and Seth Rollins would cash in and win the title.

"Seth hits the Heist of the Century. It's the second time in a row he's done it to Roman Reigns. Now, we get John Cena versus Seth moving forward, and we can hold off on Roman versus Seth at WrestleMania," Roberts said.

It'll be interesting to see when The Original Tribal Chief returns to the weekly product.