"I might technically have a claim to be The Tribal Chief" – WWE RAW star reacts to Roman Reigns drama
Roman Reigns' status as The Tribal Chief of the Anoa'i family has come under threat in recent weeks. Following the latest episode of SmackDown, Corey Graves joked that he might technically have a claim to be the real Tribal Chief.
On August 23, 2007, Graves wrestled under the name Sterling James Keenan at the Ballpark Brawl VIII show in Buffalo, New York. In the main event, he defeated a real-life member of the Anoa'i family, The Usos' father Rikishi, and a wrestler of Samoan-American descent, Samoa Joe.
Graves shared details from the match on Twitter. The RAW announcer also light-heartedly mentioned that he might pose a threat to Reigns as The Bloodline's leader:
Once upon a time in Buffalo…
(Also, I might technically have a claim to be the Tribal Chief. 🤔)
#WWERaw https://t.co/BGN4SiViTs
In 2014, Graves became a commentator after retiring from in-ring competition due to concussion issues. Before his wrestling career ended, the 39-year-old worked on the independent scene for a decade. He also wrestled in NXT for three years.
The fallout from Roman Reigns' Tribal Court segment
The July 7 episode of SmackDown largely revolved around Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa's issues with The Usos. In a surprisingly long opening to the show, Jimmy and Jey Uso placed Reigns on trial as part of a Tribal Court segment.
The 40-minute exchange featured lots of drama, including a moment where a tearful Reigns appeared to hand over Tribal Chief duties to Jey Uso. The Undisputed WWE Universal Champion then hit his cousin with a low blow, leading to a brawl.
😲😲😲😲😲
#TribalCourt #SmackDown https://t.co/zWoimci5ER
Jey Uso returned at the end of the night to challenge Reigns to a title match. The much-anticipated bout is expected to take place at SummerSlam on August 5.
Although WWE fans mostly reacted positively to the latest Bloodline developments, the Tribal Court segment reportedly ran far longer than expected. As a result, AJ Styles and Karrion Kross' match was cut short. IYO SKY's failed Money in the Bank cash-in attempt was also allegedly under consideration to be nixed.
What do you want to see next in Roman Reigns' storyline? Let us know in the comments section below.