Roman Reigns’ old rival confirms the rumors about real-life issue with The Tribal Chief

Kevin Owens briefly references his real-life issue with Roman Reigns that happened during their rivalry in 2022–23.

Roman Reigns’ old rival confirms the rumors about real-life issue with The Tribal Chief

Roman Reigns (via WWE and ComicBook.com)

Roman Reigns‘ dominant reign as Undisputed WWE Universal Champion has overseen him feuding against numerous top stars. Without a doubt, Kevin Owens was one of The Tribal Chief’s biggest rivals. During their 2022–23 spat, there were rumors of an on-screen incident leading to a backstage issue between the pair. Recently, The Prizefighter seemingly confirmed the online speculation regarding the same. 

In a backstage conversation with Cathy Kelley, Owens and the interviewer tried to get access to The Bloodline’s locker room. However, when KO knocked and entered, the members of the faction were already seated inside. When explaining why he couldn’t go in there, the former Universal Champion mentioned that he and Reigns had a “thing.” This was in reference to a reported backstage argument at Survivor Series 2022.

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During the main event WarGames match, Owens brutally slapped Reigns in the face. Apparently, the move ruptured the latter’s eardrum, and he got upset about it. After the match, The Head of the Table supposedly confronted his rival about it backstage, believing that the slap was unnecessary. A month later, Reigns got his revenge in a tag team match involving the pair. Owens received a black eye, presumably from a hard-hitting clothesline from the Undisputed Champion.

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The pair’s rivalry played into the peak of The Bloodline saga. While Owens failed to capture the title, he would end up headlining WrestleMania with his best friend, Sami Zayn. They ended up winning the Tag Team Championships against The Usos in one of the greatest and most emotional main events in the show’s history.

Did Roman Reigns know about The Bloodline’s ambush on Raw?

The Bloodline saga garnered more interest when The Rock joined the faction. However, fans speculated on the power dynamics between The People’s Champion and Roman Reigns. On the latest episode of SmackDown, Jimmy Uso was gloating backstage about what happened on Monday Night Raw. A confused Roman asked who gave the orders for their attack. 

Roman Reigns and The Rock
Roman Reigns and The Rock (via WWE)

While he later confirmed it was him, for a brief moment, it looked as if The Tribal Chief wasn’t aware of it. As a result, many believe that it was The Rock who made the call to ambush Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso. Moreover, he might’ve made the decision without discussing it with Reigns first.

Whether or not this is true, The Rock’s addition to The Bloodline will offer a lot of intriguing storyline elements. Needless to say, fans will have to wait and see what lies ahead for the faction on the Road to WrestleMania.

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