I’m a WWE Clash at the Castle icon and destroyed John Cena – now I risk The Rock’s wrath
WWE is returning to the United Kingdom for the second edition of its premium live event, Clash at the Castle.
The event’s first iteration took place back in September of 2022, when WWE brought the show to Cardiff, Wales, as it now gears up to head to Glasgow, Scotland.
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Drew McIntyre headlined the show that night, returning to British shores as he took on then WWE champion, Roman Reigns.
It was marked as something of a homecoming for McIntyre – albeit not in his actual homeland of Scotland – and in front of a partisan crowd, he went to war in a bid to become a three-time WWE champion.
As we now know, it wasn’t to be. Reigns endured one of his toughest battles as defending champion, and while it looked on a number of occasions that the ‘Scottish Warrior’ would emerge victorious, a new face lept out from the crowd to interfere and ultimately swung the balance in Reigns’ favour.
Enter Solo Sikoa. This was the NXT star’s first introduction to WWE’s mainstream programming, as he emerged from nowhere to aid his cousin Reigns and officially align himself with The Bloodline faction.
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Sikoa went on to become a mainstay on Friday night SmackDown, acting as The Bloodline’s enforcer and helping both Reigns’ and his own brothers, Jimmy and Jey Uso, navigate the various rivalries they encountered over the coming months.
One of the standout feuds that came out of this time was with WWE icon, John Cena. The 16-time champ had recently taken on ‘The Tribal Chief’ for his title at SummerSlam, narrowly losing a back-and-forth contest.
Fast Forward a number of months and Cena was back in the main event picture, this time going toe-to-toe with Reigns’ right-hand man, Sikoa, in a match scheduled at Crown Jewel in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The bout was billed by many as a changing of the guard, with Cena – now a part-time, in-ring performer – being manhandled by Sikoa en route to a destructive victory.
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This was Sikoa’s coming of age: a WWE superstar who stepped out of Regins’ shadow to prove he can hang with the best and be a main event wrestler in his own right.
Unfortunately for Sikoa, he was booked for a number of losses following Crown Jewel – most notably in a series of defeats to LA Knight – with many fans irritated with WWE for ostensibly building up Sikoa’s profile only to waste the opportunity to make him a real force to be reckoned with.
This is something that’s clearly been under deep consideration by WWE’s decision makers who, since WrestleMania 40 and Reigns’ defeat to Cody Rhodes, have created a new storyline for Sikoa.
In recent weeks, with Reigns taking a break from WWE shows, Sikoa has asserted himself as the de facto leader of The Bloodline, ousting his brother Jimmy in a savage beatdown and forming a new group around fellow Samoans, Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa.
The wiseman, Paul Heyman, has largely been sidelined, who Sikoa has informed in no uncertain terms that he is to take order from him, not Reigns, moving forward.
It feels inevitable, then, that at some point Reigns will make a big return to WWE and have his sights firmly set on usurping Sikoa and reclaiming his spot atop The Bloodline.
Recent workout videos have sent fans into raptures, as they speculate exactly how and when WWE will reintroduce Reigns into its programming, with the ultimate goal being to set up a dream match between Reigns and The Rock at WrestleMania.
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That match was initially booked for WrestleMania 40 but, due to fan backlash, was put on the backburner to pave the way for Rhodes to eventually finish his story and capture his maiden WWE universal championship.
With many now expecting Reigns and Rock to vye for the title of ‘Head Of The Table’ and ruler of WWE’s Samoan family dynasty, Sikoa’s emergence as a new leader somewhat clouds that picture.
It may well be the case that Reigns’ return spells the end of Sikoa’s Bloodline tyranny, but WWE could also look to make him a more permanent fixture in the storyline, pitting Sikoa against The Rock himself as things develop.
Whatever route WWE decides to take, Sikoa has left an indelible footprint on proceedings during his time with the company, which all started back at Clash at the Castle.
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