The Tribal Chief, aka Roman Reigns, unfortunately lost the WWE Universal Championship nearly four years after he won it. Creating a remarkable milestone as a champion, Reigns sadly lost to Cody Rhodes during the WrestleMania 40 day 2 main event. Contested as per bloodline rules, Reigns lost the title after Rhodes got assistance from Jey Uso, John Cena, and The Undertaker.
However, following his loss, as The Tribal Chief walked out of the ring, it seemed people were no longer interested in him. Giving him absolutely no attention, WWE created a heartbreaking moment for Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 40. Although WWE’s Chief Content Officer Triple H previously hinted at an exciting future for Reigns, fans are curious to know if the ignorance was a part of the storyline or if Cody Rhodes actually stole the spotlight.
Roman Reigns’ Heartbreaking Departure from the Arena
Ending his winning streak, Roman Reigns unfortunately lost the WWE Universal Championship to Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 40 day 2 main event. Fighting as per Bloodline rules, The Tribal Chief lost the title to Rhodes after Jey Uso and John Cena tackled Reigns, while The Undertaker took down The Rock. Despite a thrilling match, the result seemingly favored Rhodes, who previously lost to Reigns at WrestleMania 39.
While Roman Reigns’ loss was too much to take for his fans, they were further punched in the face with the heartbreaking moment when Reigns was spotted leaving the arena, with no one paying attention to him. With the whole of Lincoln Financial Field cheering unanimously for Cody Rhodes, people seemed to forget about the existence of The Tribal Chief, who previously had set a remarkable milestone.
How no one acknowledged him even his cousin jay walked past him baffles me
— Extees 🦇 (@Viraltitokvids) April 8, 2024
Notice all of his opponents running past him and not one person acknowledging him hurts to see but it’s beautiful storytelling https://t.co/JYGqRxl1mL
— Roman Reigns SZN 💥 (@reigns_era) April 8, 2024
all his opponents running past him, not a single one acknowledging him in any way, his own flesh and blood not batting an eyelash at him, roman moving over to the side so they can run past, dj just staring I CANT DO TJIS I CANT DO IT https://t.co/Xos4brB25c
— 𝔉𝔞𝔦𝔱𝔥🌟 (@rheas_mone) April 8, 2024
I've no problem with him losing… It's in fact better for him.. But man all I wanted was a Standing ovation!!! A Final acknowledgement for The Tribal Chief… This hurts💔💔
— Divya Prasanna Routray (@DivyaRoutray) April 8, 2024
It seems just one loss was enough for Roman Reigns to lose people’s attention. Taking to X, netizens thus shared videos and images of the heartbreaking moment where The Tribal Chief is seen walking out of the arena alone, with only Paul Heyman by his side. Addressing the sadness dripping from the images, fans expressed their disappointment in how Reigns was treated. But as people notice the heartbreaking moment, it seems curious if the whole thing is a part of the storyline.
Triple H Hinted at an Exciting Future Storyline for Roman Reigns
In the main event of WrestleMania 40 Sunday, Roman Reigns lost the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship to Cody Rhodes. Following Reigns’ loss, a lot of attention went towards Rhodes as a first-time WWE Champion. This made a lot of fans wonder what was next for The Tribal Chief since his legendary championship reign came to an end. That’s when fans were reminded of Reigns’ storyline teased by Triple H.
At the WrestleMania 40 post-show press conference, WWE’s Chief Content Officer Triple H hinted at the idea of a bigger story waiting for Roman Reigns via TJR Wrestling. Addressing how the legendary wrestler changed the industry for good, Paul Levesque teased at a whole new story, awaiting Reigns after his loss to Cody Rhodes.
“He changed the industry. I mean that in front of the camera, I mean that behind the camera, he’s changed the industry. He’s that good. I can’t say enough good stuff about him. Then to do what he did tonight with Cody Rhodes, it’s not completing the story. It’s just getting to the end of this chapter. Because he’s gonna go on a whole new story now that is going to blow people’s minds I think. I know he’s going to take it to a whole nother level, but I can’t tell you how much respect I have for Roman Reigns.”
Earlier in the press conference, Triple H had praised Roman Reigns’ incredible run as the WWE Champion and even highlighted his place in pro wrestling history. But now, after the loss, as Cody Rhodes appears to be the one to carry on the WWE Championship moving forward, it’s not known exactly when The Tribal Chief will be part of WWE television again.
WrestleMania 40 is available for streaming on Peacock.
