Let’s delve into another eWrestlingNews Topic of the Day!
Recall when Roman Reigns lost the WWE Championship to Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania XL and subsequently took a hiatus, leaving an opportunity that Solo Sikoa promptly seized. The reformed The Bloodline, with new recruits Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa, and Jacob Fatu, took center stage and dominated much of the company’s narrative. They locked horns with Cody Rhodes, participated in a WarGames match against The Original Tribal Chief’s team, and everything culminated when Sikoa forfeited the ula fala to Reigns in the Raw premiere on Netflix January 6th.
Then, suddenly…Sikoa’s star started to dim.
The spotlight is now trained on Fatu, injury sidelines Loa, Tonga has been deployed as a bailiff character utilized in beat downs and to challenge whoever Fatu is grappling with, and Sikoa’s role now changes weekly as per WWE’s whims. The attack on Cody Rhodes that led nowhere? The squabbles with Fatu? Well, instead of a match at WrestleMania, Fatu is booked against LA Knight, and Sikoa seems to be overlooked.
Which brings me to today’s discussion topic: “What’s going on? Why do you think WWE is neglecting Sikoa? Or do you believe he’s being saved for a special involvement at WrestleMania that justifies the current scenario?”
Remember to make your point of view heard by commenting below.
Advancing to my viewpoint…
In my opinion, this mirrors a situation where around 75% of the card planned for WrestleMania 41 experienced unanticipated changes towards the end of October or beginning of November.
The plan was for The Rock to make an appearance, fighting either Roman Reigns or Cody Rhodes. With that plan scrapped, WWE discarded their previous roadmap, rushed certain narratives, and has been in a state of limbo for the past 4 months. Several talents have been sidelined, and I believe if WWE were to acknowledge this, they’ll admit they’ve been improvising week to week instead of settling on the majority of the card before the Royal Rumble, and then backtracking.
The proof is apparent in several instances. I refuse to believe that as early as August 2024, WWE foresaw the main title match for the Raw women’s division being Iyo Sky defeating Rhea Ripley on Raw to emerge champion, so that Elimination Chamber Bianca Belair too could feature in a triple-threat revolving around the duo repeatedly confronting Iyo.
My guess is WWE planned to extend the Roman Reigns vs. Solo Sikoa tale as a fallback for WrestleMania, but finding no meat in the story, concluded it on January 6th. Subsequently, they’ve been aimless as regards Sikoa’s story, and time ran out before a definite plan could be implemented.
Should we simply state they ought to have plotted Sikoa vs. Fatu, arguing that matchup would be more captivating as a singles feud than Rey Mysterio vs. El Grande Americano or Drew McIntyre vs. Damian Priest, particularly with a Tribal Combat stipulation. I would have contended that Fatu could claim the United States Championship post-Mania, while LA Knight could have been pitted against several other contenders (including becoming part of the McIntyre and Priest narrative).
Currently, I’m unconvinced that Sikoa will have any significant role at WrestleMania. He’ll likely join the forgotten ranks of WWE, which is astounding considering his prominence for nearly a year. Maybe WWE, witnessing Fatu’s ascendancy and Sikoa’s stagnation, decided, “He’s not worth the investment. Better to cut our losses.” That’s harsh, because Sikoa’s failure to match-up to Fatu doesn’t imply he’s bad..
I fear that the best-case scenario for Sikoa is either he’s thrown into the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal (if it still exists; they’re cutting it close) or he accompanies Fatu to the ring at WrestleMania alongside Tama Tonga. His WrestleMania moment might just be ringside.
It’s ironic that in his third year at WrestleMania, Sikoa might just play second fiddle once more, instead of participating in his own match. Not even a tag team bout! Shocking indeed.
What are your thoughts? Leave your comments below!