Roman Reigns expected to make major money for WWE following return; unique item recently sold out
The 37th annual WWE SummerSlam event featured the highly-anticipated return of Roman Reigns. The SmackDown Superstar is already drawing big numbers for WWE, and that is expected to continue in a major way. New details have also surfaced on how Roman stacked up against another top star over the weekend.
The Original Tribal Chief has been a top earner for World Wrestling Entertainment going back to around 2015, and before that, he drew with Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose as The Shield. Reigns went on hiatus after his historic 1,316-day championship reign ended at WrestleMania XL, and other names took over the drawing power such as CM Punk and new champion Cody Rhodes.
The American Nightmare sold the most merchandise at the SummerSlam Store and at Browns Stadium in Cleveland this past weekend, according to Fightful Select. This has become a tradition for Rhodes and The Biggest Event of The Summer, despite a recent slip in sales.
Reigns reportedly did not make the list of top 3 merchandise movers during SummerSlam Weekend. However, there is strong optimism as officials are expecting that to change now that the SmackDown Superstar is back in the mix.
Backstage sources noted that the 8-time Slammy Award winner is expected to do "insane" merchandise numbers for WWE moving forward, according to Fightful Select. It was noted that Roman is already off to a good start, mainly due to his Signature Series custom championship belts that sold out very quickly.
Officials created 1,316 custom title belts to pay tribute to Reigns' historic reign. Priced at $600, the belts were originally sold at the SummerSlam Store in Cleveland, and then online. The item will not ship out to customers until October.
WWE Shop has released new OTC t-shirts, tank tops, and hoodies, which is the look we saw The Head Of The Table return with on Saturday. They also have a new tribute polo, woven scarf, blender bottle, and bottle opener. Roman's new merchandise offerings are already listed as popular items.
Roman Reigns returning to WWE SmackDown
Roman Reigns has not appeared on SmackDown since March 22, which was 2 weeks before WrestleMania XL. He will finally return to the blue brand this Friday, along with another major name.
The Original Tribal Chief was officially announced for Friday's post-SummerSlam edition of SmackDown from Omaha, Nebraska.
"The Tribal Chief is back. Roman Reigns shocked the entire WWE Universe when he returned at SummerSlam to attack his former enforcer Solo Sikoa, leaving his former rival Cody Rhodes to retain the Undisputed Championship. What will Reigns have to say in his first appearance on SmackDown since before WrestleMania XL? Find out at 8/7 C on FOX," reads the official preview.
Friday's SmackDown is the only show Reigns is advertised for as of this writing. He is expected to wrestle Solo Sikoa in the near future.