For as long as wrestling has been popular, one of its most enduring tropes is the tag team match forcing rivals to answer one question: Can they coexist? This idea has been used repeatedly, with one recent example coming from All Elite Wrestling where AEW World Champion MJF and Adam Cole, known as “Better Than You Bay Bay,” won over fans as an unlikely but successful duo.
While many makeshift tag teams arise from creative impasses, the pairing of Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns feels different. Following their highly anticipated rematch at WrestleMania 40 for the Universal Championship, Rhodes and Reigns went in opposite directions. Rhodes, now carrying the weight of WWE as its top champion, defended his title against all comers. Meanwhile, Reigns took an extended break after nearly four years atop the WWE mountain.
During Reigns’ absence, an unexpected common enemy united the two megastars: Solo Sikoa. Following Reigns’ loss, Sikoa took control of the Bloodline, declaring himself the new Tribal Chief. This power grab shocked Reigns’ former Wiseman, Paul Heyman, who was brutally ousted by Sikoa and his new allies — Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa and Jacob Fatu. Sikoa then challenged Rhodes for the Universal Championship at SummerSlam, but lost, thanks to interference from a returning Reigns.
On last week’s SmackDown debut on the USA Network, Sikoa faced Rhodes again in a steel cage for the title. Following Rhodes’ win and the Bloodline’s subsequent attack, Reigns showed up to clean house, sharing an intense staredown with Fatu before the Bloodline retreated. In a dramatic announcement later in the show, Reigns revealed that for one night only, he would team up with Rhodes to face Sikoa and Fatu in a tag-team match at Bad Blood on Oct. 5.
