With Roman Reigns being just over two months into his post-world title return run and the WWE landscape shifting in a significant way since that fateful night at WrestleMania 40, it’s time we have a chat about the supposed heir to the Tribal Throne and how he has fared in the six months since the Era of Reigns came to a close. Let’s talk about Solo Sikoa.
Who is Solo Sikoa?
Solo Sikoa made his main roster debut at Clash at the Castle on September 3, 2022, as the enforcer of The Bloodline, leaving his “Street Champ” persona in NXT. From his debut to WrestleMania 40, Sikoa frequently stood ringside during The Bloodline’s matches, ready to interfere. When he wrestled, it was against top stars like Cody Rhodes, Sheamus, and Kevin Owens, establishing him as a gatekeeper for anyone seeking to challenge Reigns.
The dynamics of The Bloodline changed after WrestleMania 40 when Reigns lost the Universal Championship to Rhodes. Five days later, Sikoa called for Jimmy Uso’s removal from the group following Jimmy’s loss to Jey Uso. This was done via an ambush from the debuting Tama Tonga, who joined the group, followed by his brother Tonga Loa, both coming over from New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW).
On June 21, Jacob Fatu debuted, aligning with the group after attacking Rhodes. The following week, Paul Heyman was written off television after refusing to acknowledge Sikoa as the new Tribal Chief and getting attacked. With Heyman gone, Sikoa assumed complete leadership.
As the head of The Bloodline, Sikoa’s primary goal was to defeat Universal Champion Rhodes. Despite Fatu and Tonga’s success in winning the WWE Tag Team Championship, SummerSlam did not go as planned. Reigns returned during the main event between Sikoa and Rhodes, attacking Sikoa and helping Rhodes retain his title.
This set up an unexpected alliance between Reigns and Rhodes for their match against Sikoa and Fatu at Bad Blood on October 5. After the event, The Rock returned, hinting at a full-time comeback. With WrestleMania season approaching, Solo Sikoa’s leadership of the new Bloodline is in jeopardy as Reigns and The Rock loom larger in WWE.
Why Solo Sikoa isn’t Working (And How He Can Work)
Before criticizing Solo Sikoa’s current trajectory, it’s important to clarify that none of this is his fault. He’s playing a character that doesn’t align with his strengths in the ring or on the mic. In short, Sikoa is being positioned as a Roman Reigns stand-in, which is not working for him.
Personality and Promos
To better understand, let’s look at what made Solo Sikoa work in NXT: his personality and promo style. Sikoa functions best as a trash-talker and hard-hitter. This was evident during his time in NXT 2.0, where he was one of the few highlights of the brand’s rebirth under Vince McMahon and Bruce Pritchard.
In NXT, Solo was allowed to cut promos better suited to his style. It was the promos of a confident, loudmouth ass-kicker who didn’t take flack from anyone.
It helped that his character in NXT was based on his family abandoning him and him having to fend for himself. When he joined NXT, his family ties with Reigns and the Bloodline were not made to look like a secret and were acknowledged on TV. This was made even more evident by his promo style.
From the start, Sikoa did not talk like Reigns in the slightest. Moreover, his cadence and flow of words bore a striking resemblance to his older brothers, The Usos. It did not take a rocket scientist to see the similarities between Sikoa and the team of Jimmy and Jey, both in mic work and how they carried themselves.
Fast forward to his current role, and Sikoa’s promos are unrecognizable. Where he was once a confident, loudmouth brawler, he now sounds like a knockoff version of Reigns. Delivering slow, methodical lines that don’t seem to suit his natural style.
This change in his promo approach has left him feeling less authentic.
Some might argue that Sikoa’s current character is designed to feel like a fraudulent Tribal Chief, making fans miss Reigns even more. While this is true somewhat, it doesn’t address the long-term impact on Sikoa’s career. Sikoa is young, and his career will likely outlast Reigns’.
Shoe-horning him into this role early in his run risks stunting his potential. Sikoa is getting heat but how much of it is natural, and how much is situational due to Roman Reigns’ absence? What is Solo Sikoa’s character without Reigns?
If WWE wants Sikoa to have a successful future beyond The Bloodline storyline, these questions need addressing. In NXT, Sikoa was portrayed as the renegade outsider of The Bloodline, a character that resonated with fans. The transition from that to the quiet enforcer under Reigns, and now to a low-energy leader trying to fill Reigns’ shoes is stark.
Of the three, it’s clear which version of Sikoa worked best—the rebellious outcast, not the current iteration.
Solo Sikoa Is Being Overshadowed
While Solo Sikoa performed well as The Bloodline’s enforcer, and his role as the pseudo-Tribal Chief before Roman Reigns’ return was not terrible, his presence has started to be overshadowed by everyone he shares the screen with. Among all members of the new Bloodline, Sikoa is arguably the least memorable.
Jacob Fatu is clearly the standout. Having gained a strong reputation from his time on the independent scene and with Major League Wrestling (MLW), Fatu has smoothly transitioned to WWE. The company’s executives appear to think highly of him, evident in his prominent role in every segment he’s been in.
He basically won the Tag Team Championships from #DIY on his own, attacked top stars like Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns, and has even been teased as a future contender against Rhodes, which has received positive fan reactions both live and online. After Fatu and Tonga won the tag titles, Sikoa made Fatu relinquish his belt to Tonga Loa so Fatu could continue serving as his enforcer.
This move has made Fatu’s appearances feel special, and moments like his confrontations with Reigns and Rhodes carry extra weight. To many, Fatu is seen as the true leader of The Bloodline.
While Fatu overshadows Siikoa the most, he is not the only one. Tama Tonga has connected with WWE fans through his distinct in-ring movements and expressions, and even Tonga Loa, despite being a source of humor for his slip-ups, has gained a charming rapport with fans.
Outside of The Bloodline, Reigns himself is Sikoa’s biggest hurdle. Sikoa’s character seems designed to make fans miss Reigns, allowing them to vent their emotions through boos.
Now that Reigns has returned, Sikoa’s role as the stand-in Tribal Chief feels redundant. His gimmick worked in Reigns’ absence, but now that the real Tribal Chief is back, Sikoa’s future looks uncertain.
In short, Solo Sikoa is the least exciting member of his faction. As other characters surpass him in popularity, his role as a stand-in for Reigns becomes less defensible.
Solo Sikoa’s In-Ring Style
Finally, we need to talk about Sikoa’s in-ring style which, for lack of a better term, is boring and not made for him. Once again, this is not entirely Sikoa’s fault, as he is being made to wrestle a style that does not fit him.
In NXT, Solo Sikoa showcased a blend of Usos-like agility and Umaga-like strength, making him stand out from his wrestling family and his NXT matches worth watching. Upon joining WWE’s main roster, Sikoa adjusted his style, focusing more on power moves and brutality.
A key example occurred in December 2022 when he injured Matt Riddle after the Usos retained their tag titles. His moveset, bringing back moves such as Umaga’s Samoan Spike and corner hip attack, maintained the explosiveness that had defined his NXT persona while feeling much more powerful.
Against opponents like Sheamus and Kevin Owens, Sikoa’s brawler style shone through, blending strength with occasional high-flying agility.
However, after WrestleMania 40, Solo’s in-ring style shifted drastically. The explosive, dynamic energy that once made him stand out was replaced by a slower, methodical approach. This change reflected the outdated belief that heels should be “boring” in the ring to appear as believable villains.
WWE began modeling Sikoa’s matches after Reigns’ slower style, but this shift did not suit Sikoa. While Reigns’ swagger and in-ring trash talk complement his slower pace, Sikoa lacks that same charismatic presence.
His natural trash-talking style is more aggressive and loud, akin to The Usos. Unfortunately, this slower, methodical style does not play to Sikoa’s strengths, diminishing what once made him a standout performer in NXT.
Conclusion
Solo Sikoa is a solid talent. At his best, he can brawl with Kevin Owens, exchange chops with Sheamus, and even fly around with Carmelo Hayes. Additionally, if the situation calls for it, he can jaw-jack with the likes of Trick Williams, given his natural charisma and pissed-off demeanor.
He is so much more than the Roman Reigns stand-in he is currently being portrayed as, and there is an easy way to fix his character before it’s too late. With The Rock returning full-time to WWE screens as soon as The Bloodline saga concludes, a babyface turn may be on the horizon for Sikoa.
So it’s probably for the best that WWE allows him to be himself instead of a discount Roman Reigns tribute act.
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