At the end of the movie The Dark Knight, there’s an exchange between Batman and Commissioner Gordon. Gordon is certain the death of Harvey Dent and the circumstances surrounding it will tear Gotham down. That what Harvey did will prove the Joker won. But ever the hero, Batman says the people will never know what Harvey did, because he will take on the crimes that Dent committed. Batman then runs into the night and when Gordon’s son asks why, Gordon replies, “Because he’s the hero Gotham deserves, not the one it needs right now.”

Ever since 2020, Roman Reigns has carved out his own lane within WWE. At first, many fans might’ve thought the wrestler was just taking another turn in his career, one that countless others have in the past. That being deciding they wanted more power, more recognition, and more everything. Reigns, after taking a hiatus during the pandemic, returned during Summer Slam 2020 and flat-out destroyed both The Fiend and Braun Strowman.

The following SmackDown fans then saw that Roman had taken in the man some would call conniving, Paul Heyman. It was later we learned Heyman wasn’t a manager or an advocate for Reigns but was instead Roman Reigns’ wise man. And the first course of action Reigns and his wise man took was forcefully recruiting Reigns own family member, Jey Uso, into working for him. Once that was accomplished, The Bloodline was formed.

Throughout the rest of 2020, Reigns also brought in both Jimmy Uso. Familiar ties didn’t stop Reigns from using any means necessary to force the brothers to acknowledge Reigns as the rightful Tribal Chief. The family, now referring to themselves as The Bloodline, continued to wreak havoc on all of WWE. Their power was only strengthened when another member of their family, Solo Sikoa, joined them.

As the undisputed champion for all of WWE, Reigns would defeat the likes of Randy Orton, Kevin Owens, Brock Lesnar, Goldberg, and many others. City after city, The Bloodline would take their place in the center of the ring and Roman Reigns would demand everyone in attendance acknowledge the Tribal Chief. And city after city, week after week, the WWE Universe refused to acknowledge the greatness that Roman Reigns claimed to be. Then a funny thing happened.

In June 2023, Roman Reigns surpassed Pedro Morales’s championship reign of 1027 days, making Reigns the fourth longest running champion of all time. It was also around this time that more people in the WWE Universe were not only not booing Reigns as he walked down to the ring, but they were actively acknowledging the Tribal Chief.

Maybe it was because of the length of his title reign. Maybe it was because of all the different opponents he had faced and beaten over the years. Whatever the reason, while there were still fans that didn’t like Reigns, most had to admit they respected what he had accomplished. And as more time went on, more of those fans turned their respect into acknowledgment.

During this time, WWE also saw the return of Cody Rhodes. The son of the son of a plumber, Rhodes had a mission, or a story, if you will. He committed himself to finishing it. Cody Rhodes and his story are a much larger article for a different time, but Rhodes is an important part of how we’ve come to who and what Roman Reigns are now in 2024.

At WrestleMania 39, Reigns defeated Rhodes in what many WWE fans thought was Cody’s year. Much of the WWE Universe thought Cody was finally going to capture the WWE title. A championship that had eluded the Rhodes family. Unfortunately, Rhodes was defeated in the main event of WrestleMania 39, leaving many fans wondering about Cody’s future. At the same time, many fans were wondering how much longer Roman Reigns and the Bloodline could run roughshod over the entire WWE. It would take another year for everyone to find out.

Throughout the formation and domination of The Bloodline, there has been a Shakespearean sense of loyalty and betrayal on display. If we were to use that as a measuring unit, Roman Reigns and The Bloodline fell into what could only be described as a Julius Cesar-esque betrayal.

At WrestleMania 40, Cody Rhodes finally finished his story by defeating Roman Reigns. In a match that now included the addition of WWE’s newly crowned board member, The Rock, Rhodes accomplished what he set out to do.

This led to Solo Sikoa usurping the role of Tribal Chief and ruling with an iron Samoan spike. Within weeks, Sikoa ousted Jimmy Uso from The Bloodline, then brought in Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa, and the highly sought after Samoan Werewolf, Jacob Fatu. Solo cemented the formation of a new Bloodline by demanding Paul Heyman, Roman Reign’s wise man, to acknowledge the new Tribal Chief. Heyman refused and was then power bombed through a table.

As all of this happened, WWE fans went from acknowledging Roman Reigns to actively yearning for the superstar to return. As Solo and his new Bloodline came out to the ring, fans would adamantly chant, “We Want Roman!”

Once again, Cody Rhodes found himself intertwined with this. For so long, Rhodes had been the hero WWE fans wanted. The man fighting the system, the man scratching and clawing his way toward the championship. Not only for himself, not only for his father, but for every fan out there. For everyone that was told they weren’t good enough, or that they didn’t have what it takes. Cody carried those negatives around with him and turned them into positives. He worked until he finished the story. But with Cody’s triumph, Reigns didn’t only lose his championship.

Roman Reigns lost everything.

After WrestleMania, Roman wasn’t seen on WWE television again. No one knew where he was. The Rock appeared on Monday Night Raw to congratulate Cody and seeming ignored his family altogether. Solo grew impatient waiting for the ula fala and not only took it by force, but ousted every member of The Bloodline with allegiance to Reigns.

Reigns now had nothing.

It’s one thing to kick a man when he’s down, but to do it in his own house? To claim what was his and then attack those loyal to him? To assume command of the highest position in the land while the former Tribal Chief wasn’t even around? These are events and actions that WWE fans can also relate to.

Who hasn’t been passed over for a job promotion by someone they think is less qualified? Who hasn’t been stabbed in the back by someone they thought was a friend or even a family member? Who hasn’t experienced someone talking negatively about them behind their back, claiming that they deserve the accolades and acknowledgment that you were receiving?

Now the WWE universe began to call for the Tribal Chief. Though many in the audience booed Reigns night after night, due to his tenacity and will, the WWE universe, even if they didn’t like Roman Reigns, were forced to respect him. Not because he told us to. Not because others were doing it. But because Roman Reigns showed everyone, year after year, the Tribal Chief runs the WWE. Reigns had earned the acknowledgement he demanded from everyone. And when that acknowledgment was taken from him by a man who stood behind Reigns and called him his Tribal Chief, it was the turning point.

Fans no longer just respected and acknowledged Reigns. Fans trusted him. He’d gone so long running the WWE, and whether or not you liked how he ran the company, it flourished. Sometimes people don’t want to admit there is a pecking order. That there is a hierarchy. That there are rules.

You can change those rules, but you have to put in the work. You must scratch and claw and climb your way up. When Solo Sikoa supplanted Reigns as Tribal Chief, fans knew he didn’t earn it. He simply took it in Roman’s absence. And when you take something that wasn’t given to you, everyone knows it’s wrong. When you steal something, everyone knows that it’s breaking the law. People want to see that criminal punished for what he’s doing. And what better person to punish Solo Sikoa than the Original Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns?

Cody Rhodes finished his story. He now sits atop the mountain of WWE. For better or worse, Rhodes is now the one with a target on his back. He has ascended to a new plane. When Rhodes first returned to the WWE, the American Nightmare was the hero fans needed. The man who would fight the system and accomplish his goals. The man who fought for his family and to prove to every naysayer out there that he was a champion. Now that he’s done that, though fans still support and cheer for Rhodes, do they really need him?

Roman Reigns might’ve lost the championship, but he never lost the title of Tribal Chief. Someone took that title from him. Many fans know what it feels like to have something taken from them. Something they earned, something they fought for, something they loved. And in the mask of night, someone comes in and steals it right out from under you. Roman Reigns returning wasn’t just to reclaim what is rightfully his, but to prove that he is not only the original but the only Tribal Chief. That the acknowledgment of being such belongs to him and him alone.

Upon Reigns return to WWE during Summer Slam 2024, the fans erupted because they had a new hero. A hero to right the wrongs taking place in WWE. A hero to put in place those causing lawlessness and recklessness. A hero that WWE fans deserve, and one that they need. A hero that they could finally acknowledge.