WWE may have subtly hinted at Roman Reigns’ post-SummerSlam opponent

Roman Reigns made his long-awaited return to WWE on this week's edition of the red brand. The OTC had been out of action since RAW after WrestleMania 41, where he was taken out by Seth Rollins and Bron Breakker. Reigns came seeking revenge on the villainous faction as he launched an attack on Bronson Reed and Breakker, saving his cousin, Jey Uso, and CM Punk in the process.

Reigns will look to settle unfinished business with Seth Rollins and Co. heading into SummerSlam. Even though The Visionary may potentially miss The Biggest Party of the Summer due to injury, the OTC is still expected to stand across the ring from the rest of Rollins' group in some capacity.

However, once he is done with Seth Rollins and his faction, Reigns may reignite his rivalry with Cody Rhodes. The Stamford-based promotion may have subtly foreshadowed this with Reigns' latest nickname. WrestleVotes previously reported that the former Universal Champion might be called "OTC1" or "Tribal Chief One" upon his return. This was confirmed on RAW, where the 40-year-old was seen wearing his latest t-shirt that read "OTC1" (Stylized to emphasize "TC1").

While there were many theories on the reason behind adding the "1" to his nickname, one that garnered the most attention stated that it could be the hint of a potential program down the line between The Tribal Chief and The American Nightmare. Cody calls himself the QB1 (Quarterback) of WWE. Hence, Roman Reigns may have been given the new nickname to set up the tagline of "OTC1 vs. QB1" for a future showdown between the two stars.

Roman and Cody main-evented two consecutive WrestleManias. After falling short against Reigns at WrestleMania 39, The American Nightmare finally finished his story at WrestleMania 40 by dethroning The Tribal Chief for the Undisputed WWE Championship, ending the latter's historic 1,316-day reign.

Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes are arguably two of the biggest stars of this generation. After two blockbuster singles matches, the scorecard between them stands at 1-1. So naturally, the two stars are bound to gravitate towards each other at some point.

While Roman's match for SummerSlam is yet to be confirmed, Rhodes is set to get his rematch against John Cena for the Undisputed WWE Championship at The Biggest Party of the Summer. After the PLE, the Stamford-based promotion may start preparing for Reigns vs. Rhodes III.

That said, it is just speculation for now. Only time will tell what the Triple H-led creative team has in store for the future.

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WWE analyst believes we could see Roman Reigns vs. CM Punk in the future

Speaking on the Notsam Wrestling podcast, WWE analyst Sam Roberts talked about Roman Reigns' return on RAW. Roberts pointed out an interesting detail that while the OTC saved both Jey Uso and CM Punk from Reed and Breakker, he only helped Jey get up.

Roberts noted that there is still tension between the Original Tribal Chief and The Second City Saint, which could lead to a one-on-one showdown between the two at some point.

"He knows CM Punk tried to steal The Wiseman from him... There's a tension still between Roman Reigns and CM Punk, which I think is amazing, because at some point, we have to get Roman Reigns vs. CM Punk. It's just too good," Roberts said.

CM Punk punched his ticket to SummerSlam by winning the Gauntlet Match on RAW. He will now go on to face Gunther for the World Heavyweight Championship at The Biggest Party of the Summer. With Reigns back in the mix, it will be interesting to see how the rest of the card shapes up.