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Roman Reigns is pinned for first time in more than 3 years at WWE Money in the Bank
Roman Reigns was pinned for the first time in three and a half years on Saturday at Money in the Bank — yet the result wasn’t a crowning achievement for a new top star in WWE like many expected would occur all these years.
It all went down in a main event "Civil War" between The Bloodline that saw WWE Undisputed Universal champ Reigns and Solo Sikoa battle it out with family members Jimmy and Jey Uso.
Neither side held back and both went to war as advertised.
The match also included some subtle callbacks to previous parts of their story. In particular, the start of The Bloodline, after Jimmy Uso got locked in a guillotine choke like the one Roman gave him at Hell in a Cell in 2020.
As you may recall, that Hell in a Cell moment is what led to Jey Uso quitting the match and The Usos being forced to acknowledge Reigns as their Tribal Chief.
This time, however, Jimmy powered out of the choke — allowing Jey to get the upper hand on Roman and eventually earn a huge victory for their team after landing a splash from the top rope.
The match was fantastic and Jey getting the opportunity to pin Roman for the first time in years adds a ton of credibility to his character.
But here’s my question, was that huge moment possibly wasted here considering Roman’s titles weren’t on the line and this was only a tag match?
I’m genuinely unsure if beating Reigns in a tag match without any stakes or titles on the line will launch Jey to the next level like a title win would have. Furthermore, when Reigns does drop the belt, that surprise factor may be lost now.
That’s not to say this isn’t a big deal for Jey Uso. It truly is.
Jey and his brother Jimmy have been two of WWE’s most consistent performers over the last decade, and giving one of them such a huge win is a positive reminder to all that putting in the work can pay off.
It’s just that many, like myself, had envisioned the end of Roman’s three-and-a-half-year winning streak to coincide with the end of his title reign. That seemed to be the most logical way to conclude the longest World title reign of the modern era. That was the moment.
So, while this win may have been a big deal for Jey Uso, I can’t help but feel like it'll only lead to a title match at SummerSlam where Roman ends up on top at the expense of another Superstar with main event potential, as opposed to launching a new Superstar to the top like we all expected.
Ryan Satin is a WWE analyst for FOX Sports. Satin previously appeared on FS1's "WWE Backstage" and founded Pro Wrestling Sheet, where he broke countless news stories as editor-in-chief.
