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The Roman Babyface Era Has Begun

Reigns’ return sparks all sorts of possibilities

Justin Barrasso

SI.com’s Week in Wrestling is published every week and provides beneath the surface coverage of the business of pro wrestling.

Roman’s return sparks all sorts of possibilities

Roman Reigns is back.

For wrestling fans, that is reason to celebrate.

Reigns had been off-screen since losing the WWE Championship to Cody Rhodes in April at WrestleMania 40. He returned on Saturday at SummerSlam, and the reaction for the longtime heel was universally positive when he reappeared, Superman punching and spearing Solo Sikoa, costing the would-be Tribal Chief his Bloodline Rules match against Rhodes.

After an epic run as a villain, there is an overwhelming–and genuine–desire to support Reigns. People want to acknowledge him, and that is what will happen, beginning this Friday when Reigns returns to SmackDown.

The possibilities are enticing. There is bound to be an on-screen reunion with Jey Uso, who defected from Reigns over a year ago. This will also allow Jimmy Uso a better chance to connect with the WWE audience. Full of personality, Jimmy has yet to build a rapport with fans like his brother Jey has, but this will mark his best opportunity to date.

And though he took a brutal, vicious beating from The Bloodline, there will be nothing but unbridled joy when Sami Zayn reconnects with Reigns and The Usos.

The triumphant homecoming of Paul Heyman–last seen getting smashed through a table by the new Bloodline–is yet another layer to this storyline that millions of people will find captivating. WWE has done a masterful job setting up Reigns’ run as a babyface, where he will have no equal–except, of course, for Cody Rhodes.

Even with Reigns now back in WWE, don’t expect Rhodes’ popularity to fade. He will need strong opponents–Randy Orton, who is challenging Gunther later this month at Bash in Berlin, would have been ideal–particularly as The Bloodline vs. The New Bloodline builds to WarGames. But Rhodes is smart, and he will put his heart and soul into remaining WWE’s top attraction.

Roman Reigns
As SummerSlam proved, people are excited to cheer Roman Reigns / WWE

Will all of this lead to Rhodes-Reigns III next spring at WrestleMania 41? If so, where does that leave Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson? He still wants his dream match against Reigns, and the groundwork for a match against Rhodes has already been laid.

If you’re Paul “Triple H” Levesque, these are wonderful problems to have. He has the two biggest stars in the business, both of whom are competing for the right to be WWE Champion. Make no mistake: there is real-life respect between Reigns and Rhodes, but both are driven by their desire to be number-one.

To borrow one from Jim Ross, business is about to pick up.

The (Online) Week in Wrestling

  • Randy Orton will challenge Gunther at the end of the month in the main event of Bash at Berlin, which is an incredible way to make Gunther look strong as the new champ.
  • The part of CM Punk’s promo from Raw that I enjoyed most was that he is already looking ahead to next year’s WrestleMania.
  • Bryan Danielson has made it official: his career will be on the line when he challenges AEW world champ Swerve Strickland at All In later this month at Wembley Stadium.
  • Two other big stories leaked out of AEW over the past week. One was a meeting between Tony Khan and Shane McMahon, and the other was the suspension of Britt Baker.
  • There was a lot of content during SummerSlam weekend, but I particularly enjoyed the Michael Cole feature from The Ringer.

LA Knight earned his moment at SummerSlam

LA Knight defeated Logan Paul on Saturday at SummerSlam.

Twenty-one years into an up-and-down career, there were two constants in Knight’s career:

The first is that he repeatedly put in the work. Whether it was his physique, or his attempts to connect with viewers while on the microphone, or his in-ring ability, Knight–who is Shaun Ricker–never shied away from a challenge.

But the second constant was far more problematic. WWE was rarely, if ever, interested in him.

LA Knight
LA Knight enjoyed a career-defining win at SummerSlam / WWE

During the Paul “Triple H” Levesque era of booking, Knight has found a place in WWE. He has been rewarded for repeatedly connecting with the crowd, even if there are detractors who claim he is too much of a carbon copy of The Rock and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. Yet Knight has persevered, carried by a resilience formed throughout his two decades in the business.

Knight spoke during the post-show SummerSlam press conference, and I asked him how, during the tough times when his work was overlooked, he prevented self-doubt from crippling his ability.

“For me, there was never a chance to doubt,” said Knight. “There were always plenty of times when maybe things weren’t going quite my way, maybe I wasn’t getting the things I was looking for, maybe I wasn’t getting the recognition I was looking for. At the same time, if I don’t see it, then damn sure nobody else is going to see it.

So, for me, I don’t know if I’m just empty-headed enough, or what it is, but I don’t know how to quit. I don’t know how to stop. And that’s as legit as I can be. I just don’t know how.”

Knight’s stubbornness has paid dividends. His win against Paul–someone who used his fame to insert himself into WWE–was a victory for all those who have sacrificed and dedicated and devoted themselves to the grind of professional wrestling.

The storyline is continuing–Paul is suing for the manner in which he lost–but the moment belonged to Knight. And that is a moment no one can take away from him.

Tweet of the Week

Rhea Ripley and Damian Priests have unlimited potential as babyfaces.

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Justin Barrasso

JUSTIN BARRASSO

Justin Barrasso has been writing for Sports Illustrated since 2014. While his primary focus is pro wrestling and MMA, he has also covered MLB, NBA, and the NFL. He can be reached at JBarrasso@gmail.com and followed on Twitter @JustinBarrasso.

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