Roman Reigns made an unexpected comeback at SummerSlam, going after Solo Sikoa instead of Cody Rhodes. When he returned on SmackDown last week, he decimated The Bloodline and now WWE’s long-term plans for Roman Reigns have been revealed.
On the August 9, 2024, episode of WWE SmackDown, Roman Reigns made his presence felt at the end of the show as he started a brawl with Solo Sikoa, before Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa intervened.
Tama and Tanga tried to attack Roman Reigns, but he quickly turned things around. Reigns speared Tanga Loa and then drove Tama Tonga through the barricade, making big impact in his return.
Jacob Fatu wasn’t present on the show as he has been absent from WWE television since SummerSlam and he was even seen wearing walking boot after the Premium Live Event.
While speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer noted that Jacob Fatu is currently being kept off television as WWE aims to avoid a direct confrontation between him and Roman Reigns. The strategy is to preserve Fatu’s unique appeal by not having him interact with Reigns, as Reigns’ matches often require opponents to sell extensively for him.
Meltzer stated that WWE plans to hold off on a matchup between Fatu and Reigns until the timing is right. Meltzer added that all of it is part of a deliberate plan. The current focus is on Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa, with Fatu expected to be introduced into the mix at a later stage.
“Essentially the deal is they’re basically trying to have Jacob Fatu completely avoid Roman Reigns, because everyone has to sell for Roman Reigns and they want to keep Jacob Fatu special by not bumping around for Roman Reigns. So he’s going to be gone when Roman Reigns is around until whenever the time is right to hook them up. That’s the situation. I can’t say he’s not hurt but everything that’s happening was planned to happen, I can say that, as far as avoiding those two locking up for now until later when they will lock up. I think they want Roman with Solo first and then Jacob Fatu after that.”
We have also reported on the timeline for Jacob Fatu’s return to WWE television, as he is expected to return this month. Therefore, it remains to be seen when The Tribal Chief and Samoan Werewolf will have their first face-to-face interaction, as there is a lot of anticipation for that to happen.
What do you think of WWE’s long-term plans for Roman Reigns and their decision to have Jacob Fatu avoid Reigns for the time being? When do you believe Reigns and Fatu will finally feud with each other? Let us know in the comments section below!