The Bloodline is wrestling’s most unstoppable force. And that extends outside of the ring.
Last week’s SmackDown, which featured The Bloodline’s Tribal Court, generated exceptional television ratings and high numbers on social media. It peaked with more than three million viewers on Fox while Roman Reigns, The Usos, Paul Heyman and Solo Sikoa were on screen, an impressive number for any program, let alone wrestling. The segment also attracted large audiences online, with one clip posted on WWE’s YouTube channel garnering nearly three million views.
And it didn’t just perform well in the wrestling, but rather set the tone for television ratings when it peaked with more than three million viewers on Fox while Roman Reigns, The Usos, Paul Heyman and Solo Sikoa were on screen.
The segment, which ran for roughly 35 minutes, is a godsend for WWE, which is negotiating new television deals as the current contract with Fox concludes next year. It also shows the value of the brand to its new parent company, Endeavor, which hopes the pending acquisition of WWE will lead to even greater profits.
The popularity of The Bloodline more than justifies WWE’s decision to have Roman Reigns retain the undisputed WWE universal championship in the main event of WrestleMania 39 against Cody Rhodes. While Rhodes is still highly likely to win that belt, perhaps even at WrestleMania 40 next year, Reigns is the engine powering the company.
In an era where multi-year champions are unheard of, Reigns is an anomaly. It is highly unlikely that the company would be this hot if Reigns had lost the belt, and The Bloodline needs the title to fully tell this story. Over the past three years, Reigns has relied on The Bloodline to keep his spot as champion. But the newest wrinkle in the plot is that those surrounding Reigns are conspiring against him to dethrone him.
A combination of compelling storylines and legitimate history keeps giving new life to The Bloodline. The newest star to emerge is Solo Sikoa. His older brother, Jey Uso, will challenge Reigns in the main event of SummerSlam. No matter how that finishes, there will be more chapters in this story.
Right now, nothing in wrestling can touch the success of The Bloodline. And that doesn’t appear it will change any time soon.
Justin Barrasso can be reached at JBarrasso@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter@JustinBarrasso.
