Roman Reigns finally became the man he was destined to become & atoned for his sins against Jey Uso at SummerSlam

When it comes to The Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns, actions certainly do speak louder than words, and a monumental instance of that occurred at SummerSlam. For however incredible and nostalgic the reunion of the OG Bloodline was last fall, criticisms regarding how it came about did float around.

It was not so much about the sudden inclusion of CM Punk, because that was obviously building to something bigger (which it did, and seemingly continues to do), but more about how easily Jey Uso forgave Roman Reigns. Despite Sami Zayn's pleas, Reigns never apologized to Uso for all the sins he committed against his former Right Hand Man.

Reigns still called himself The Tribal Chief, and he stayed pretty much the same man even after turning babyface. He was still pompous and never once congratulated or even interacted with Uso following his Royal Rumble win, something that many considered was a major creative blunder given how much emotional equity it could have built for Jey's story and Roman's character evolution. The Head of the Table was then obviously off TV following WrestleMania 41.

But when he made his return to save Jey Uso a few weeks ago, as fans roared with their ones up acknowledging him, we could finally see that he had somewhat changed. In fact, going back to RAW after WrestleMania, he had already hinted at that change.

That change was birthed at WrestleMania 41, when Roman Reigns lost his Wiseman, Paul Heyman. And the event was just as monumental for his character arc as WrestleMania 40, when The Head of the Table lost the Undisputed WWE Championship to Cody Rhodes.

Dissecting the character of The Tribal Chief

The focal point of Roman Reigns' Tribal Chief persona has been trust. And the germ of those notions Reigns has regarding relationships was birthed when Seth Rollins famously took a steel chair to his back and The Shield imploded. Reigns was betrayed by Sami Zayn, Jimmy Uso, Jey Uso, Solo Sikoa, and Paul Heyman at various points during The Bloodline Saga.

But here's the problem: he placed his trust in people who put him on a pedestal because of his greatness, but Reigns turned out to be different. These people looked up to Roman Reigns for the man he could be. But the man he was was the problem. Jey Uso, more than anybody, helped him hold the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship for the longest time. Moral discourse aside, he did it because he loved Roman; because they were family. And so did Solo, Jimmy, Sami, and Paul Heyman.

In return, Reigns gave them prominent spots on The Island of Relevancy and elevated them to unprecedented heights. But his ego flew even higher. For all he did for them, Reigns still looked at all of them as being beneath him. The Tribal Chief treated them like trash, and everyone was justified in betraying him.

Roman Reigns deserved all the acts of betrayal he was on the receiving end of because he was not worthy of the trust he was given in the first place. The Tribal Chief's quest in his latest run has been just that: to become worthy of all the adulation, respect, and acknowledgment he has ever received.

Roman Reigns got betrayed because he didn't earn his allies' trust; he coerced and manipulated them

Roman Reigns has finally understood what he has always lacked perspective on. He may have appeared on RAW after WrestleMania to exact revenge on Seth Rollins and Paul Heyman rather than to save CM Punk and Jey Uso. But when he returned to the red brand almost three weeks ago, he did not come to earn or cost any World Heavyweight Championship opportunities, but strictly to help Jey.

Punk and Reigns' contentious equation leaves plenty of room for them to get back to their story with a ton of paths available, but when he came back to save Uso, he was not just repaying debts, but making it clear that he finally views his cousin as an equal.

When he asked Uso to team up with him at SummerSlam, he seemed like a man who understood that Jey might be unwilling to stand by his side, and that he was right. He may not have explicitly stated it (for it is not The OTC's style), but the man knew he had been wrong for not giving his Bloodline comrades the respect they deserved, and he seemed like someone who wanted to make up for it.

With his trust paid back, Roman Reigns is not just on a road back to the top, but on a path of healing. He is having fun with Jey Uso; he's reveling in the crowd's adoration, and he isn't jealous of Uso for being so popular with the WWE Universe, but rather subtly giving his stamp of approval to his former Right Hand Man.

At SummerSlam, it all seemed to come together for Roman Reigns

The way Roman Reigns put it all on the line at SummerSlam and came to Uso's aid multiple times, including the crescendo where he sacrificed himself to Bron Breakker's Spear to allow Jey to recover and take out and pin Bronson Reed, spoke volumes about Reigns' growth as a human being since WrestleMania. He has now become the best version of himself and the man he was always destined to be.

Roman Reigns is the biggest star in the business, but is now also a man who, after veering off his path in a certain sense, has found his morality, his ability to trust people, and to be trustworthy himself. This time, he truly found his family; not bound by blood or manipulation, but by genuine love and mutual respect. In doing so, Reigns has truly found himself and become the man he was meant to be.