Roman's reign: 5 defining moments of a title run that could end at SummerSlam

WWE's biggest summer party is here, and Roman Reigns will once again be the main attraction at SummerSlam in Detroit.

The blockbuster event marks Reigns' 1,070th day as WWE's top champion, a feat that hasn't been achieved seen since Hulk Hogan ran wild in the late 1980s.

For the third time in his reign in a one-on-one setting, Roman takes on his real-life cousin, Jey Uso, who hopes to finally end Reigns' championship run. With the Bloodline story peaking and a title change looking plausible, we look back on the five defining moments of Reigns' historic championship run.

An unlikely partnership

Reigns felt bland in the first portion of his WWE career. The company pushed him as a top star, offering him air time and high-profile opponents week after week, but he struggled to develop a character fans could connect with.

That started to change in July 2020. After an extended absence during the COVID-19 pandemic, Reigns returned with a different demeanor. He was aggressive and methodical, both on the mic and in the ring, and he exuded a palpable new energy.

Then, in a surprising twist, Reigns revealed longtime rival Paul Heyman as his new manager days before taking on Braun Strowman and Bray Wyatt in a triple threat match for the Universal title at Payback in August. For years, Heyman countered Reigns as Brock Lesnar's manager. So when they joined forces, it signaled the creative change that fans begged WWE to try with Reigns.

With Heyman by his side, Reigns won the Universal Championship, marking the start of his title run.

The Tribal Chief is solidified

It didn't take long for the new champion to appoint himself the "Head of the Table," declaring himself the king of the decorated Samoan dynasty. The dynasty is connected by blood and features many WWE legends including The Rock and Rikishi. Reigns touted himself as superior to them all - to the chagrin of the Uso twins.

Jey vowed to prove he was championship material and could be the Head of the Table. After failing in his first bout with Roman at Clash of Champions in September 2020, he got another opportunity at Hell in a Cell 2020, looking to win his first major singles title inside WWE's famously demonic structure.

Reigns earned one of his early signature title defenses in dramatic fashion, beating his cousin into saying "I quit" to win the match. And, as a stipulation, the Usos were forced to follow his orders from there on out. But what happened after the match was equally as memorable: Roman's father, Sika Anoa'i, and uncle, Afa, came out to congratulate him. They placed a ceremonial lei around his neck, letting the world know he was now truly the Head of the Table, the leader of the Bloodline, and the Tribal Chief.

The champ is done

In 2017, Reigns took on John Cena at No Mercy and came out victorious. It was supposed to be a passing-of-the-torch moment from the last face of WWE to the next, but the whole thing fell flat.

Much like when Reigns predictably won the 2015 Royal Rumble or defeated the Undertaker at WrestleMania 33, fans rolled their eyes and groaned when Reigns defeated Cena.

When they met again in 2021, the audience couldn't have been more invested. Cena stepped away from acting to let Reigns know he intended to break the all-time record for most world championships. But in the main SummerSlam event that year, Reigns took Cena out and retained his Universal Championship. This time, the fans embraced it and the torch truly felt passed.

A unified champion

Great champions need great rivals, and Brock Lesnar has been just that for Reigns. The two have battled often since 2015, often for WWE's top prizes. So when Lesnar (the WWE champion) and Reigns (the Universal champion) met in the main event of WrestleMania 38, it marked the pinnacle of a long, intense rivalry.

Reigns won again, defeating the former UFC heavyweight champion to leave The Grandest Stage of Them All with both of WWE's top singles titles.

Reigns and Lesnar would face off again at the following SummerSlam in a Last Man Standing match, but its impact didn't come close to WrestleMania 38's final moments.

A WrestleMania nightmare

"The American Nightmare" Cody Rhodes made a momentous return to WWE at WrestleMania 38 - the same night Reigns defeated Lesnar to merge the top two titles. A year later, Rhodes found himself in the main event of WrestleMania 39 trying to end Roman's near 1,000-day title reign.

The story was there: Cody was looking to honor his late father, Dusty, and win the title that long-escaped the Rhodes family. He won the 2023 Royal Rumble following a six-month recovery from a torn pectoral to earn his championship shot. And if there's one place to cap off a Hollywood-esque script, it's WrestleMania.

Or so everybody thought. But Reigns prevailed yet again, denying Rhodes the crowning moment fans expected to see.

Reigns hasn't defended the title since beating Rhodes. So the monumental reign lives on. Another victory at SummerSlam means Reigns will likely hit the three-year mark as champion. But it's going to end at some point, and SummerSlam - the marquee event of WWE's summer calendar - against Uso could very well be the time to end an all-time great storyline.