Without a doubt, the hottest storyline in WWE right now involves Roman Reigns and The Bloodline. It has been for months now. And for good reason. You’ve got the number-one guy, with the number-one clique, in all of wrestling. Despite what any naysayers might through out there, this angle has been a huge hit and is still at the top of the charts.
Between increased ratings for their segments and a ton of fresh merchandise, The Bloodline has been proven to be incredibly watchable and marketable. It’s led by Reigns, the dominant WWE Universal Champion who has been on top of the mountain so long that no one can be sure when he’s ever going to be pushed from that perch. But the greatness of this group doesn’t end there.
One of the greatest tag teams of all time, a genius of an advisor, a young heavy hitter, and an adopted brother round out this Brady Bunch of brutality. Between all the in-laws and outlaws, this family has proven to be a WWE fan’s dream. On top of that, they continue to evolve. They provide a little wrinkle or twist every week. In fact, they are more intriguing right now than they’ve ever been.
The Bloodline Story Has Endured Due to the Tremendous Cast of Characters
As mentioned, this may not be your traditional, nuclear family, but they’ve still managed to stick together. Despite some early infighting with Jay Uso, and more recently, that Sami Zayn was eventually going to be a turncoat, no one has jumped ship. They’ve all managed to stay under the Tribal Chief’s thumb.
In that span, they’ve also really evolved as characters. Zayn is (quite frankly) having the best run of his career. His underdog, ‘orphan’ status won him a lot of love from the WWE Universe. They embraced him, and inevitably, The Bloodline would as well. He proved his loyalty to the group when he left his longtime best friend, Kevin Owens, laying at the Royal Rumble. All to prove his dedication.
It only made him that much more popular with the audience.
It also elevated the Usos, who were torn between Jimmy being on Sami’s side, and Jey being suspicious. When they all finally came together, the fans were clapping so hard, they probably bruised their hands. Add in the strong and silent Solo Sikoa, who plays the ‘straight man’ perfectly, and you’ve got a supergroup of skilled warriors.
And there’s still one of the greatest minds and sharpest communicators right there, lurking, in Paul Heyman. It’s a veritable Murderer’s Row of mat mayhem. And it doesn’t matter if they are on RAW or Smackdown. They dominate WWE television right now.
Unfortunately? All Good Things Must Come to an End… Especially in Professional Wrestling
While WWE should be in no hurry to pull the plug on The Bloodline, there’s got to be some discussion taking place on what the potential endgame will be. With something this big, you can be sure that Triple H and the creative crew will think this one out thoroughly. They will want a logical conclusion and one that makes sense.
That all starts with the timing. They don’t want to kill a goose that is laying currently laying golden eggs, but they don’t want to run the well dry on this storyline, either. That’s a pretty delicate balance, and it’s probably best to let the WWE Universe be your cue on this one. When the cheers (and/or boos) start to die down, that may be the time to start bringing this whole thing to an end.
Hopefully, the promotion doesn’t continue to drag it on with warring factions (like the nWo) or too many re-boots (similar to The Four Horseman). This storyline must have the perfect bow put on it. Otherwise, the fan base will feel cheated. This time, there needs to be closure. Particularly since this story revolves around WWE’s long-reigning Universal Champion and its clear-cut, top star.
What Will Eventually Bring About the Demise of the Bloodline?
Most likely, infighting will develop within the factions. Particularly if Roman Reigns somehow loses his grip on the WWE Universal Championship. Or, if they potentially lose all the gold, with The Usos also losing their titles, as well. Their tremendous egos would definitely clash in a scenario like this, with them possibly just dissolving the faction and going their own way.
It could all come down to WrestleMania 39. If the rumored match between Cody Rhodes and Reigns takes place in Tinsel Town, there could be huge implications. A slip-up on The Showcase of the Immortals would be enough to spark a split.
In another instance, Roman could possibly lose the belt, then put the future of The Bloodline up in order to get a re-match. If he were defeated with that type of stipulation, it could also signal the curtain coming down on this act.
Or, we could simply see members slowly taper off, piece by piece, until it’s just back down to Reigns being flanked by Paul Heyman.
It’s even possible that The Tribal Chief could be replaced as the leader, and thrown out of the group that he founded. It’s happened before (see: Edge and Judgment Day), and it could happen again here. But only if it’s designed to lead to a massive babyface turn for Roman. That seems highly unlikely for now.
One more likely scenario is a major turn from one of The Head of the Table’s minions. While many observers believe it will be Sami Zayn reuniting with Owens and costing Reigns the belt, it could have even more twists and turns than that. However, the obvious choice may end up just being a smokescreen.
Whatever the Eventual Conclusion to This Storyline, the WWE Universe Has Certainly Enjoyed the Bloodline’s Run
They have been dominant and entertaining, wicked yet witty. They are – simply put – the most effective faction that the promotion has assembled in many years.
The Bloodline will likely be inducted as a group into the Hall of Fame. Their victories and exploits will be discussed for years to come. They are deeply entrenched as part of WWE lore, no matter what happens from here. The impact of this angle should cause a ripple effect that permeates through the promotion for many months to come. That’s how magnified it is now in the eyes of the pro wrestling viewership out there.
So how WWE finally delivers its finale must be impressive.
In the meantime, all fans and observers can do is sit back and enjoy the ride.
That is… until the big crash finally comes.
Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. You can check out an almost unlimited array of WWE content on the WWE Network and Peacock.
