The Bloodline (professional Wrestling)

The Bloodline is a villainous professional wrestling stable currently performing in WWE. The stable is led by Roman Reigns and features his real-life cousins The Usos (Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso) and Solo Sikoa, members of the famed Anoa'i family. The group also includes Sami Zayn and Paul Heyman, who serves as their manager.

Reigns is promoted as the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion, as he simultaneously holds both the WWE and Universal championships in his fourth and second respective reigns, having the longest reign of the latter. He also took on the nicknames "Tribal Chief" and "Head of the Table" in reference to his role as the leader of the family. His cousins The Usos are promoted as the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions, simultaneously holding both the Raw and SmackDown tag team championships in their third and fifth respective reigns, having the longest reign and the longest male tag team title reign in WWE history for the latter.

Background

The Bloodline members have long histories before the advent of the stable. Roman Reigns, the son of Sika Anoa'i and brother of Matthew Anoaʻi (also known as Rosey), made his professional wrestling debut in 2010 at WWE's former developmental territory, Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW), under the ring name Leakee after stints playing college and professional football, most notably the Edmonton Eskimos. After FCW was shutdown and rebranded as NXT in 2012, he took on the name "Roman Reigns" and had a short stint on NXT before being called up to the main roster in late 2012 where he became part of The Shield with Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose; he would later win multiple world championships after the stable's dissolution in 2014. Meanwhile, The Usos (Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso) and Solo Sikoa are the sons of Rikishi and nephews of the late Eddie Fatu, better known as Umaga or Jamal, who was in the previous tag team with Rosey known as the 3-Minute Warning. The Usos made their pro wrestling debut in 2009 where they were one time FCW Tag Team Champions before moving to the main roster in 2010 where they were managed by Tamina Snuka and would go on to win multiple tag team championships. Sikoa made his pro wrestling debut in 2018 before signing with the WWE in 2021 where he made his NXT debut that October until his main roster call up in September 2022.

The Usos' relationship with Sami Zayn began when they had their first match together facing against The Ascension ( Konnor and Viktor) and Corey Graves on the April 24, 2014, episode of ''WWE NXT'' in a six-man tag team match with the trio emerging victorious.

History

The Usos' feud with The Shield (2013–2014)

Before The Usos began teaming up with Reigns, they had several matches against The Shield, Reigns' stable with Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose, with the majority taking place in 2013. On the May 6 episode of ''Raw'', The Usos and Kofi Kingston teamed up against The Shield, who won the match after Ambrose pinned Kingston. On the May 17 episode of ''SmackDown'', Reigns and Rollins defeated The Usos after Reigns pinned Jey. After the match, The Shield continued to beat down Jey until Kingston ran to make the save by hitting them with a steel chair. The Usos gained their first win on the June 28 episode of ''SmackDown'' after their teammate, Christian, pinned Ambrose in another six-man tag team match. On the July 1 episode of ''Raw'', however, they lost a rematch, this time with Ambrose pinning Christian. On the July 12 episode of ''SmackDown'', Rollins defeated Jey in a singles match. At Money in the Bank on July 14, Reigns and Rollins defeated The Usos to retain the WWE Tag Team Championship after Reigns pinned Jimmy. On the July 19 episode on ''SmackDown'', the two stables brawled until Mark Henry came to The Usos' aid. In return, The Usos helped Henry fend off The Shield on the July 22 episode of ''Raw''. The following week, they lost after Ambrose pinned Jimmy. Despite this, Henry attacked The Shield after the match, forcing them to retreat. The same match result occurred on the August 7 episode of ''Main Event''. Throughout the remainder of the year, the two stables would exchange wins, with The Usos teaming with the likes of Kingston, Dolph Ziggler, Daniel Bryan, Big E Langston, Cody Rhodes and Goldust, Rey Mysterio and CM Punk. The last match that the two stables would have against each other is on the January 3, 2014 episode of ''SmackDown'', where The Usos and Punk won after the latter pinned Ambrose.

Occasional team-ups (2015–2020)

Following his split from The Shield and his subsequent singles career, Reigns would occasionally join forces with The Usos in numerous tag-team matches, with The Usos also occasionally becoming involved in Reigns' feuds in support of their cousin. The trio first teamed together on the November 2, 2015 episode of ''Raw'', where they teamed with Ryback and Dean Ambrose in a 5-on-5 Survivor Series elimination match against Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens, and The New Day (Kofi Kingston, Big E, and Xavier Woods), in which Reigns' team was victorious. Reigns and the Usos continued to team that year until ''Tribute to the Troops'', where the trio teamed with Ambrose, Ryback, Kane, and The Dudley Boyz to defeat defeated The League of Nations and The Wyatt Family.

On the May 2, 2016 episode of ''Raw'', The Usos became involved in Reigns' feud with AJ Styles, as the duo had been feuding with Styles' allies, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson at the time, with The Usos and Reigns facing Styles, Gallows and Anderson in a six-man tag team match. After Styles, Anderson and Gallows won the match, Anderson and Gallows wanted Styles to hit Reigns with a chair but Styles refused. When The Usos attacked Styles from behind with a chair, Styles retaliated with the chair. Ultimately, Reigns powerbombed Styles through the broadcast table. At Extreme Rules, The Usos were defeated by Gallows and Anderson in a Tornado tag team match. Later that same night, after Gallows and Anderson interfered in the WWE World Heavyweight Championship match between Reigns and Styles, The Usos interfered to assist Reigns, ultimately allowing Reigns to retain the title.

On the May 14, 2019 episode of ''SmackDown'', The Usos aided Reigns from an attack by Elias, Shane McMahon, Daniel Bryan, and Rowan, and then lost to them in a handicap match. On the June 3 episode of ''Raw'', The Usos saved Reigns from an attack by Drew McIntyre and The Revival (Dash Wilder and Scott Dawson), but lost to them in a six-man tag team match. On the January 3, 2020 episode of ''SmackDown'', The Usos returned with a new short hair look, aiding Reigns from an attack by King Corbin and Dolph Ziggler. On the January 31 episode of ''SmackDown'', Reigns and The Usos defeated King Corbin, Dolph Ziggler, and Robert Roode in a six-man tag team match to end their feud. Jimmy suffered a legitimate knee injury during the match at WrestleMania 36, putting him out of in-ring action indefinitely.

Formation of The Bloodline (2020–2021)

At SummerSlam on August 23, 2020, Reigns returned after a five-month hiatus and attacked both newly-crowned Universal Champion "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman, turning heel for the first time since 2014. On the August 28 episode of ''SmackDown'', it was revealed Reigns allied himself with Paul Heyman. At Payback two days later, Reigns defeated Wyatt and Strowman in a No Holds Barred triple threat match to win his second Universal Championship. On the September 4 episode of ''SmackDown'', after Big E was attacked and injured in storyline, Jey took Big E's place in a fatal-four-way match against Matt Riddle, King Corbin, and Sheamus, where the winner would earn a Universal Championship match at Clash of Champions. Jey won by pinning Riddle to earn the first singles championship opportunity of his career. At the event, Jey lost to Reigns by technical knockout, when Jimmy came down and threw a white towel for him. Jey was given another title shot against Reigns in a Hell in a Cell "I Quit" match at the namesake event with the added stipulation that if Jey lost, he would have to follow Reigns' orders or be kicked out of their family. At the event, Jey lost again after Reigns attacked the injured Jimmy and forced Jey to say "I quit" to save his brother.

On the October 30 episode of ''SmackDown'', Jey defeated Daniel Bryan to qualify for Team SmackDown at Survivor Series. After the match, Jey attacked Bryan at the request of Reigns, thus turning heel and aligning with Reigns in the process, and subsequently became known as Reigns' "right-hand man" and also received the moniker "Main Event Jey Uso". On February 21, 2021 at Elimination Chamber, Jey competed in the event's eponymous match, where the winner would receive a Universal Championship with Reigns that same night. He was the last person eliminated by the winner Daniel Bryan. On the April 9 special WrestleMania episode of ''SmackDown'', Jey won the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal by last eliminating Shinsuke Nakamura. This marked Jey's first major singles accolade in WWE.

Jimmy returned from injury on the May 7 episode of ''SmackDown'', but did not approve of the alliance between Jey and Reigns, as he called Jey "Reigns' bitch" and started wearing a t-shirt that said "Nobody's Bitch". On the June 4 episode of ''SmackDown'', The Usos reunited and challenged The Mysterios (Rey Mysterio and Dominik Mysterio) for the SmackDown Tag Team Championship, however, the match ended in a controversial finish in which the referee did not notice that Jimmy had his shoulder up during the pin. The Usos were granted a rematch later that same night, but during the rematch, Reigns interfered by attacking the Mysterios, not wanting The Usos to embarrass themselves again. Following the match, Reigns brutally attacked Rey's son Dominik, which Jimmy felt Reigns took too far, also furthering tensions between Reigns and Jimmy. The ensuing dissension between the two over Jey's allegiance eventually caused Jey to temporarily walk out on the June 11 episode of ''SmackDown'', after which, Reigns manipulated Jimmy into feeling guilty for their recent dissension. As a result, the following week on the June 18 episode of ''SmackDown'', Jimmy offered his help to Reigns during his Hell in a Cell match with Rey Mysterio, and he rose Reigns' hand after the match. The following week on ''SmackDown'', Jimmy attempted to assist Reigns when Edge attacked him and speared him through the barricade.

On the July 9 episode of ''SmackDown'', Jey returned and both Usos solidified their alliance with Reigns, thus cementing them both as heels in the process, and properly reuniting as "The Bloodline."

All champions (2021–2022)

On the July 16 episode of ''SmackDown'', The Bloodline faced Edge and The Mysterios in a six-man tag team match, in which they emerged victorious, although Edge attacked the trio after the match. At Money in the Bank, The Usos defeated The Mysterios on the pre-show to become five time SmackDown Tag Team Champions. In the main event, Reigns defeated Edge to retain the Universal Championship. At SummerSlam, The Usos once again defeated The Mysterios to retain the SmackDown Tag Team Championships, and Reigns later defeated John Cena in the main event to retain the Universal Championship. At Extreme Rules, The Usos successfully defended their titles against The Street Profits, and Reigns later defeated "The Demon" Finn Bálor in the main event to retain the Universal Championship. At Crown Jewel, The Usos defeated The Hurt Business (Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin) on the pre-show, while Reigns successfully defended his title against Brock Lesnar in the main event. At Survivor Series, The Usos lost to Raw Tag Team Champions RK-Bro (Randy Orton and Riddle), while Reigns defeated WWE Champion Big E in the main event. On December 17 episode of ''SmackDown'', Reigns fired and attacked Heyman. Brock Lesnar then attacked The Bloodline and saved Heyman. On January 1, 2022, Reigns was pulled from the WWE Day 1 pay-per-view match due to testing positive for COVID-19, while Brock Lesnar was instead added to Raw's WWE Championship match. The Usos still competed at Day 1, and successfully retained their titles against The New Day.

At WrestleMania 38, The Usos successfully defended their SmackDown Tag Team Championships against Shinsuke Nakamura and Rick Boogs, while Reigns was able to capture the WWE Championship from Brock Lesnar, effectively unifying the WWE Championship with the Universal Championship, becoming the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion. On the following episode of ''SmackDown'', Reigns ordered The Usos to go to ''Raw'' and challenge Raw Tag Team Champions RK-Bro (Randy Orton and Riddle) to unify the tag team titles. The following week, it was confirmed that The Usos would face RK-Bro at WrestleMania Backlash to unify the tag team titles. However, on the April 29 episode of ''SmackDown'', the contract signing for the match ended with Reigns assisting The Usos in attacking RK-Bro and tearing up the contract in the process. Drew McIntyre then came out and joined forces with RK-Bro in driving off The Bloodline from the ring. Because of what had transpired, Reigns' special counsel, Paul Heyman, then met with WWE official Adam Pearce backstage where Heyman requested that the resulting tag team championship unification match was called off and instead, a six-man tag team match featuring The Bloodline against RK-Bro and McIntyre was scheduled for WrestleMania Backlash, which the Bloodline won.

Addition of Sami Zayn and Solo Sikoa (2022–present)

Around this time, Sami Zayn, who had also been in an intense rivalry with McIntyre, started associating himself with the Bloodline and later became an honorary member of the group. A Tag Team Championship Unification match between the Usos and RK-Bro was later scheduled for the May 20 episode of ''SmackDown'', which the Usos subsequently won, becoming the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions, thus making all members of the faction double champions. At SummerSlam on July 30, The Usos defeated The Street Profits to retain the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship, while Reigns successfully defended the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship against Brock Lesnar in a Last Man Standing match. At Clash at the Castle on September 3, Reigns defeated Drew McIntyre to retain the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship following interference from Solo Sikoa, Reigns' younger cousin and Usos' younger brother, who became the newest member of The Bloodline. On the September 13 episode of ''NXT'', Sikoa defeated Carmelo Hayes to win the NXT North American Championship, thus giving The Bloodline a total of five championships. However the following week, Sikoa had to vacate the North American Championship due to not being an eligible option in the fan vote that was to have originally determined Hayes' opponent. At Crown Jewel on November 5, The Usos successfully retained their titles against The Brawling Brutes while Reigns successfully retained his titles against Logan Paul. Three weeks later at Survivor Series WarGames on November 26, The Bloodline defeated The Brawling Brutes, McIntyre and Owens in a WarGames match.

Members

Current

Honorary

Sub-groups

Current

Timeline

Championships and accomplishments

* CBS Sports
** Feud of the Year (2020) –
* ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated''
**Singles wrestlers
*** Ranked Reigns No. 1 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the ''PWI 500'' in 2022
*** Ranked Jey Uso No. 45 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the ''PWI 500'' in 2021
*** Ranked Zayn No. 84 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the ''PWI 500'' in 2022
*** Ranked Jimmy Uso No. 147 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the ''PWI 500'' in 2022
*** Ranked Sikoa No. 401 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the ''PWI 500'' in 2022
**Tag teams
*** Ranked The Usos No. 1 of the top 50 Tag Teams in the ''PWI Tag Team 100'' in 2022
* ''Sports Illustrated''
** Wrestler of the Year (2021) –
* WWE
** WWE Championship ( 1 time, current) – Reigns
** WWE Universal Championship ( 1 time, current) – Reigns
** WWE Raw Tag Team Championship ( 1 time, current) – Usos
** WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship ( 1 time, current) – Usos
** NXT North American Championship ( 1 time) – Sikoa
** André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal (2021) – Jey Uso

Notes

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bloodline
Anoa'i family
WWE teams and stables