In a move as inevitable as Roman Reigns receiving an 11-minute entrance at WrestleMania, Paul Heyman took to the microphone on WWE SmackDown to announce that the Tribal Chief himself is throwing his name into the hat for the 2025 Royal Rumble. And no, this isn’t your average “number 17 gets tossed in two minutes” situation—this is a power play dripping with more drama than a Netflix original (which, incidentally, “WWE Raw” now is).
Heyman, looking like the wrestling world’s most overqualified middle manager, wasted no time hyping up Reigns. The man just reclaimed the ula fala from Solo Sikoa—yes, that’s a real thing and not a Samoan designer handbag—and now he’s ready to set his sights on reclaiming his Undisputed WWE Championship. It’s only fair, right? After all, Cody Rhodes had the audacity to “finish his story” by pinning Reigns at WrestleMania 40, ending the reign that started sometime before most fans could legally drink.
Heyman praised Rhodes for doing the unthinkable: earning Reigns’ respect. But in typical Heyman fashion, the compliments were laced with thinly veiled threats. According to the Wise Man, Reigns isn’t just returning to the Royal Rumble to compete—he’s coming for what he considers his.
Let’s recap: the Rumble now features Reigns, John Cena (probably bringing the feels), and CM Punk, fresh off a grudge match win against Seth Rollins. It’s like a WrestleMania card disguised as a 30-man over-the-top-rope schmozz. Will Reigns outlast 29 others to reclaim his shot at glory, or will someone (Punk? Cena? A surprise entrant dressed as a giant marshmallow?) derail the Tribal Chief’s grand plans?
Stay tuned, because this storyline is about to get hotter than Heyman’s microphone after one of his infamous verbal beatdowns.