32-year-old wins championship after attending WWE Hall of Famer Sika's funeral: "Representing our Bloodline"
WWE Hall of Famer, Sika Anoa'i, has etched his name in the professional wrestling world. Aside from his own career glory as one-half of The Wild Samoans and a patriarch of the Anoa'i family, he is also the father of Roman Reigns. Sika passed away on June 25, 2024.
His funeral service took place yesterday, as Lance Anoa'i took to social media to share with the fans a bittersweet moment of his life. After attending the funeral, he hopped on a flight to attend Battleground Championship Wrestling's United We Stand event at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on July 6.
At United We Stand, Lance defeated former WWE Superstar, Brian Kendrick, to win the BCW World Championship. He penned a heartfelt note on Instagram dedicating the victory to his departed uncle. While remembering the legendary Sika, the 32-year-old also said that he was proud of "Representing our Bloodline."
"Yesterday was a long and emotional day but I couldn’t have been happier! After being at my uncle Sika services! I made sure I jumped on a flight and made it to BCW! Because that is what my uncle would have wanted,to go out there and make our family proud and be there for the fans like the fans been their for us our entire bloodline existence! So last night was for my uncle Sika! Winning gold just how you did! Wearing your favorite team colors @49ers. Representing our Bloodline! And carrying our Last name proud Anoa’i! I love you uncle," he wrote.
Roman Reigns and WWE Hall of Famer Rikishi were spotted together the other day at Sika's memorial service. Reigns has not been seen at a wrestling event since WrestleMania XL in April.
However, his name is being brought up of late, mostly by Solo Sikoa, who has donned the role of 'The Tribal Chief' on SmackDown in his absence.
Solo Sikoa pinned Cody Rhodes at WWE Money in the Bank
One of the biggest takeaways from this past weekend's Money in the Bank Premium Live Event was the show-closing picture of Solo Sikoa standing tall in triumph over the Undisputed WWE Champion, Cody Rhodes.
The new Bloodline, led by Sikoa, picked up their first win since the arrival of Jacob Fatu. It also marked his in-ring debut for the Stamford-based promotion. It would seem to appear that The Street Champ could be receiving a title shot against Rhodes in the near future.
The American Nightmare has rarely lost matches in his second WWE stint which commenced in 2022. This makes Sikoa's win over him that much more special. Meanwhile, fans have been chanting for Roman Reigns lately. Whether The Head of the Table returns in the coming weeks bears watching.