WrestleMania XL saw Cody Rhodes take home the title of Undisputed WWE Universal Champion which had been defended by Roman Reigns for almost four years. So what happened to Reigns after his heartbreaking loss on Sunday?
The Bloodline Saga
The Bloodline saga officially came to a close on Sunday night. It’s a saga that’s been going on for a decade now all starting with the breakup of ‘The Shield’ and has been called one of the greatest storylines in WWE history. This epic saga ended when Cody Rhodes finally defeated Roman Reigns with the help of Seth Rollins, (a former member of The Shield alongside Reigns). The two have had beef since Rollins betrayed Roman and sided with The Authority.
The event was huge and bloodline rules meant that outside interference was allowed, so we got to see familiar names like John Cena, The Undertaker, and even The Rock, (who is actually related to Reigns), all getting involved. The climax came when Rollins heroically sacrificed himself to help Rhodes bring down the tribal chief. Reigns was seeking revenge for his betrayal which ultimately cost him the title. Whilst he had the chance to finish Rhodes with a steel chair, he instead attacked his former Shield partner allowing Rhodes to recover and ultimately win.
What happened to Roman Reigns after the match?
The event officially brought Reigns’ 1316-day reign to an end. He first won the universal title in 2020 and later defeated Brock Lesnar to take home the title of Undisputed WWE Universal Champion which he was successfully able to defend until now.
After the 40th annual Wrestlemania event went off air on Sunday Reigns could be seen with his manager, Paul Heyman. The emotional moment was shared on X (formerly known as Twitter) by Wrestle Ops. In the video, he is seen hugging his manager on stage before walking off.
Although the Bloodline Saga was an amazing storyline for WWE it couldn’t go on forever, and while fans may be upset it’s far from over. Reigns posted a video to X on Tuesday showing him on a treadmill along with the caption, “Yesterday I mourned. Today is Day 1.”
Clearly, we haven’t seen the last of the tribal chief. He may have taken a day to process the loss but he’s already back on the saddle and presumably coming for that title once more. Maybe we’ll see him at next year’s WrestleMania.