Big Backstage Change For Roman Reigns (WWE News)
Did something seem different about 'The Tribal Chief' on Monday's Raw? That wasn't an accident...
Roman Reigns is a heel!
This is not simply the excitable exclamation of anybody who watched the gripping final segment of the August 17th edition of Monday Night Raw, but also how the World Heavyweight Champion is now listed backstage on WWE's roster list.
This is per False Finish, who noted that "listed as a heel internally”.
Whether or not WWE and/or Roman himself considered Monday the location of the official turn is unknown, but 'The Tribal Chief' worked the segment as as the most villainous version of himself, flashing back to the 2022/23 heights of the original Bloodline story right down to once again rewarding The Usos with crumbs as a way to keep them under control against family rivals.
Jimmy and Jey were made "Captains" by Roman, and given black Ula Fala's for their trouble, and aided in the beatdowns of Solo Sikoa and LA Knight before the former made the choice to hit Reigns rather than the latter with the Samoan Spike. Sikoa and Knight stood tall as Raw went off the air, leaving together as babyfaces as they had done at SummerSlam when victorious alongside the recently kayfabe-injured Royce Keys. Knight looks a dead cert for a shot at Roman's World Heavyweight Title, assuming the leader of the Bloodline can survive the challenge of whomever wins the tournament for a shot against him on the Mexico City edition of Raw on September 14th. Both of these feuds will position Roman on the heel side of divide, as could any potential WarGames clash at the Survivor Series should the stable be involved in the double cage showdown.
Roman as a heel massively benefits Raw, The Bloodline, Sikoa and especially Jacob Fatu, who looked the most trapped under Roman's thumb as he has all year. Reigns is advertised for multiple Raws over the next few months, which should solidify his status either way.