6 Ups & 2 Downs From WWE SmackDown (March 1 - Results & Review)

2. The Rock Acknowledges Roman Reigns

The Rock Roman Reigns
WWE

Wow, what a moment this was.

Roman cut a surly figure throughout most of The Bloodline's lengthy opening segment on SmackDown. The Undisputed Champ never seemed comfortable with fans being so into The Rock, and even needed to be calmed by Paul Heyman and Jimmy Uso. Reigns' demeanour would completely change later.

Nobody has topped Roman's character work over the past three years. He knows when to be tyrannical and when to be vulnerable. On Friday, he was caught in between both states before Rocky agreed to acknowledge him as his 'Tribal Chief'. Fans were amazed by all of this.

WWE treated the acknowledgement as a big deal, and rightly so. Previously, The Rock has threatened to supplant Roman. He still might, but they're playing the long game here and it's working. This "my Tribal Chief" moment will go down in SmackDown history as a big 'un.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.