Roman Reigns to retire as The Tribal Chief & bring back iconic persona for SummerSlam 2025? Exploring the possibility
Roman Reigns has been out of the WWE spotlight for a while now. The last time he made his presence felt was on the RAW after WrestleMania 41, where he fell victim to a brutal attack by Seth Rollins and Bron Breakker. Rollins had joined forces with Paul Heyman at WrestleMania, with Breakker joining them on RAW. The OTC might soon return with an old character, retiring The Tribal Chief gimmick for some time.
Roman Reigns, as The Tribal Chief, has established himself as a generational talent and engraved his legacy as an all-time great. Currently, the OTC is engaged in a feud against Seth Rollins. The Visinory misses no chance of taking shots at Reigns, the former world heavyweight champion, even claiming that the 40-year-old star has gone.
The latest episode of SmackDown saw Seth Rollins alongside his heel group enact their signature The Shield ring entrance sequence, mocking his former stablemate. Fans and experts have been anticipating the return of the OTC at the Money in the Bank 2025 PLE, costing Rollins his chance of capturing the briefcase and laying the foundation for their match at SummerSlam 2025.
Following multiple “The Shield” teases, Roman Reigns could bring back his “Shield” persona, retiring his Tribal Chief character. During their last singles match, Rollins played a mind game against Reigns as he came down on their Shield theme song with attire, which he did again at WrestleMania XL, ultimately costing Reigns his title.
The OTC could finally get his revenge on Seth Rollins at SummerSlam 2025, where he could play mind games walking out in the Shield attire and theme, and the two could finally end their years-long rivalry.
That said, the angle proposed above is speculative, and nothing has been confirmed.
TKO reportedly renegotiating WWE contract of Roman Reigns
While speaking on Lucha Libre Online, commentator Hugo Savinovich expressed his views on Roman Reigns' rumored $15 million salary. Hugo stated that, though he doesn’t think the Undisputed Tribal Chief would let go of the Stamford-based promotion, he won’t be making a big bag from the promotion anymore.
"While they won’t outright release him, he won’t be making $15 million per year anymore...Now, why $15 million? Let me break it down. Roman Reigns’ base salary is $5 million. But then there are add-ons—pay-per-views, video game deals like WWE 2K, promotional appearances, merchandise royalties (he earns 30% on merch, which is huge), and special bonuses like appearances in Saudi Arabia. Plus, he earns a cut from ticket sales. All of this adds up to $15 million a year," he said.
Furthermore, the commentator expressed that Roman Reigns around, so TKO would renegotiate the OTC’s contract. It will be interesting to see when the Undisputed Tribal Chief returns to Wrestling Juggernaut.
