Most times in wrestling, a promo is just a promo, talk to hype a big fight. Other times, if you listen closely, it’s an open foreshadowing of things to come.
Such was the case at WrestleMania VI when Hulk Hogan bellowed these famous last words moments before losing to the Ultimate Warrior.
“But I gotta prove one thing to all my Hulkamaniacs out there. It’s not whether you win or whether you lose. The only thing that matters is what kind of winner you are or what kind of loser you are.”
That night, Hogan basically told everyone what would happen, making it one of the most memorable examples of a wrestler giving away the finish during their monologue. And now, Roman Reigns, the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion, appears to have done the same thing. And from the sounds of it, the end may be near for The Tribal Chief.
Three weeks ago, during the Tribal Court segment on SmackDown, Roman Reigns came face-to-face with Jey Uso and delivered some foretelling words before removing his title and official lei.
“I don’t need this in my life. I don’t need money anymore. I don’t need the power. I don’t need this. […] I’m done with all of it. I don’t want it anymore.”
Then on the July 21 episode of SmackDown, Reigns, after reminding everyone how he’s run WWE for nearly a decade, stood up, removed his title, and again used some unique phrasing, “It don’t mean nothing to me. It’s done,” before ending with, “Let’s go.”
While these statements seem typical of a champion bowing up to his challenger before their showdown, something feels different this time. And it’s worth noting that unlike the Raw after WrestleMania this past spring, Reigns isn’t scheduled for any of WWE’s fallout programming following SummerSlam, nor its next premium live event, Payback, in September.
That could indicate that Jey Uso is winning the title, possibly with assistance from The Rock, should the Great One accept Grayson Waller’s invitation to show up in Detroit that evening. Or, since WWE has been teasing tension between Reigns and his muscle, Solo Sikoa, we could see Sikoa destroy both men at the summer spectacular, setting up another scenario.
Given a report that says WWE sees The Judgment Day as successors to The Bloodline, their recent accomplishment, and its quest to dethrone a <a href="https://www.cagesideseats.com/wwe/2023/7/19/23800330/seth-rollins-stress-fractures-back-injury-since-2019-avoiding-s