Ever since his post-Mania hiatus, Roman Reigns has faced major problems in his professional and personal lives. His status as the Anoa’i chief collapsed after Solo Sikoa took over The Bloodline. The Head of the Table used to wear the Ula Fala to propagate his post as the leader of the clan. However, now that it doesn’t belong to him anymore, he wears a different necklace around his neck.

On SmackDown 06/28, fans saw Solo Sikoa getting acknowledged by the rest of the new Bloodline. He donned the Ula Fala by the end of the last segment, confirming his stature as the new Tribal Chief. What started as a temporary shift of power has now become the ultimate truth that WWE fans have to accept in the absence of Roman Reigns. A week later, on the blue brand, a video segment played out. “This is a Ula Fala. This makes me The Tribal Chief. This is not what I wanted, but this is what my family needed,” said Sikoa.

The video included all the Bloodline members, with Sikoa challenging Reigns to take the traditional red necklace from him. “Roman Reigns was not man enough to defend our title at WrestleMania. He was not man enough to defend our legacy against Cody Rhodes and his legacy,” Sikoa said, referring to Reigns’ WrestleMania 40 loss to Rhodes. He added, “Therefore, he shall no longer call himself The Tribal Chief because I am The Tribal Chief.”

Now that The Tribal Chief doesn’t have his old garland, he was spotted wearing a new one. Roman Reigns was standing with his cousins Rikishi and Reno Anoa’i (Black Pearl), and all of them were wearing black from top to bottom. Reigns even donned a black necklace. The picture was from the memorial service for his father, Sika Anoa’i of the Wild Samoans, 79, who passed away on June 25. This explains the black outfit and Reigns’ black necklace as well.

The funerals and memorial services can also include the Ula Fala during ceremonies, as the host of any important event is allowed to wear it. Typically, the Ula Fala comes in red to symbolize royalty. However, the scope of the occasion called for a change of colors to better portray the prevalent sentiment. Perhaps the family may have worn black to resonate better with the ongoing WWE storyline.

At the funeral, Reigns also delivered a heartwarming eulogy in which he recounted a memory of his late father involving an Olympic-sized pool. “[He told me], ‘Keep swimming.’ I told him, ‘I’m good over here. We’re good.’ Next thing I know, I’m looking left, looking right, my hair is snatched, and he launches me into the deep end of this Olympic-sized pool.” Reigns hilariously added, “Like a chubby little kid, I went right down to the bottom.” That story made everyone chuckle, but those series of events taught The Tribal Chief an important life lesson – to swim or to sink.

Whether it be battling leukemia or making his anticipated return and going against Solo Sikoa, there’s no doubt he has and will continue living by this lesson. That said, despite Solo Sikoa’s “I am The Tribal Chief” claim, Roman Reigns’ real-life Bloodline member still sees him as the family’s chief. In a now-deleted tweet on X, Reno Anoa’i shared a picture of his relatives featuring Reigns. He wrote, “Three brothers. The chiefs of our Anoa’i family. My dad Le’apai Ryan, my uncle Folau & their little brother Anoa’i Sika Joe. This is the Bloodline; these are our family chiefs.”

All said and done, this is not the only time the Samoans have taken this storyline seriously.

Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa’s penchant for long-term storytelling came alive again with resurfaced video

Before ultimately betraying The Tribal Chief, Solo Sikoa used to work under him as his Enforcer in the family stable. Although Reigns wasn’t a compassionate leader, the family members involved in the faction still listened to him, probably out of respect for the post he held in the clan. As soon as he left for a hiatus and put Sikoa in charge, things flipped upside down. Now, the former Enforcer of The Bloodline is challenging him to be “man enough” and take this position from him.

Long before this storyline began, Sikoa still had eyes for the traditional garland that made Reigns The Tribal Chief. In an old promo that recently resurfaced on the internet, The Bloodline sat in their allotted room backstage. With all of them appearing to be brainstorming something, Roman Reigns noticed Solo Sikoa eyeing the Ula Fala in his hands.

This long-term storytelling, combined with the family arguably making exceptions during their ceremonies to keep the storyline intact, makes an impressive impact. Reigns will have to make his comeback sooner rather than later and confront the demons of his past. In a mooted babyface role, the original Tribal Chief will have to take down the faction he created and enabled. What are your thoughts about Reigns’ new necklace? Let us know in the comments.