4 AEW stars that were part of Roman Reigns' Bloodline storyline

The Bloodline storyline started in August 2020, when Roman Reigns returned to WWE as The Tribal Chief. It has been four years since that groundbreaking moment, and the heel faction is still running strong in 2024.

During his iconic 1,316-day-long reign as the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion, Roman Reigns locked horns with a wide range of opponents. The Head of the Table also enjoyed the backing of The Usos, who reigned supreme over the tag team division for two years.

The Bloodline is one of the greatest acts that have ever been put together in the modern era of pro wrestling. Many current AEW stars also made contributions to The Bloodline storyline while they were part of the Stamford-based promotion.

While some talents from the Tony Khan-led company challenged The Tribal Chief, others made entertaining cameos in the four-year-long storyline. In this article, let's take a look at four AEW stars who were part of The Bloodline storyline.

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#4. Claudio Castagnoli challenged Roman Reigns at WrestleMania Backlash 2021

As Claudio Castagnoli, formerly known as Cesaro, was negotiating a new deal with WWE in 2020-21, Vince McMahon decided to give a mini-push to The Swiss Superman. The former United States Champion suddenly became a consistently featured talent on SmackDown, before he eventually broke into the main event scene.

Following a massive victory over Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 37, The King of Swing set his sights on Roman Reigns' Universal Championship. Although Reigns did not consider Castagnoli a worthy challenger, he eventually accepted a match against the former ROH World Champion at WrestleMania Backlash 2021.

Claudio Castagnoli put an incredible performance against The Head of the Table, proving his worth as an individual who could thrive in the main event scene. Reigns vs. Claudio was an exhibition of supreme technical wrestling, which kept fans at the edge of their seats.

The Swiss Superman pushed The Tribal Chief to his limits, something that Reigns did not expect. The former Universal Champion barely overcame the threat of Castagnoli by locking in the Guillotine submission lock. After showing resistance for a while, Claudio eventually passed out, granting Roman Reigns a hard-fought victory.

The match against The Tribal Chief ended up being the peak of Claudio Castagnoli's main event run, as he was soon relegated to the mid-card scene a few months later.

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#3. Bryan Danielson wrestled his last WWE match against Roman Reigns

Bryan Danielson, formerly known as Daniel Bryan, and Roman Reigns are no strangers to each other. The two individuals have fought against each other on multiple occasions in the past. During the early days of The Bloodline storyline, it was The American Dragon who stood up against The Head of the Table.

Bryan won the 2021 Elimination Chamber Match to secure himself a shot against Roman Reigns' Universal Championship. However, he was squashed by The Tribal Chief a few minutes later, who wrestled Danielson right after he won the grueling Elimination Chamber match.

The two stars locked horns again at Fastlane 2021, where Edge, now known as Adam Copeland, served as the Special Enforcer. Unfortunately, the match ended in a no contest. At WrestleMania 37, Reigns pinned both Edge and Danielson to establish his supremacy as the Universal Champion.

However, The American Dragon continued to feud with Reigns in the post-WrestleMania season. After weeks of back-and-forth, Roman challenged Bryan Danielson to a final rematch for the Universal Championship. The Tribal Chief asked the 43-year-old to put his WWE career on the line in this match, which Danielson courageously accepted.

The two individuals engaged in a hard-hitting battle a week later on WWE SmackDown. It was one of the greatest matches in Roman Reigns' iconic 1,316-day-long title reign. Danielson forced Reigns to bring out his A-game, making him dig deep into his bag of tricks.

There were numerous points during the match when it seemed like Danielson would dethrone The Tribal Chief. Ultimately, it was Roman who emerged victorious in this contest after locking in the Guillotine submission.

It turned out to be Bryan Danielson's last-ever outing as a WWE Superstar, as he eventually made his All Elite Wrestling debut at All Out 2021.

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#2. Jeff Jarrett served as a Special Guest Referee for one of The Usos' title defenses

At SummerSlam 2022, Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso defended their Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championships against the Street Profits. The Usos barely survived the duo of Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins at Money in the Bank, after Jimmy Uso scored a controversial three-count over Ford, whose shoulder was well above the mat.

After coming up short against Jimmy and Jey, the Street Profits looked to redeem themselves at The Biggest Party of The Summer. WWE raised the stakes for this incredible rematch by announcing Jeff Jarrett as the Special Guest Referee. The Last Outlaw suddenly became the center point of this rivalry.

In the weeks leading up to SummerSlam, Jeff Jarrett warned both teams that he would not tolerate any kind of misconduct as the Special Guest Referee. The final episode of SmackDown before SummerSlam 2022 saw Jey Uso accidentally lay down the 57-year-old with a vicious Superkick.

While many expected The Usos to be on bad terms with Jeff Jarrett, The Last Outlaw stayed professional and did not pick sides at SummerSlam. Ultimately, it was Jimmy and Jey who emerged victorious in this contest, extending their record-breaking reign even further.

As for the Double J, he eventually jumped ship to AEW in November after fulfilling his Special Guest Referee commitments at SummerSlam 2022.

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#1. Adam Copeland was one of the biggest threats to The Bloodline

Adam Copeland, formerly known as Edge, made his WWE return at Royal Rumble 2021 after a nine-month-long absence. The Rated-R Superstar entered first in the grueling match and ended up outlasting the other 29 competitors.

Copeland's Royal Rumble win put him on a collision course with Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 37. Although The Ultimate Opportunist was open to other options initially, he ultimately ended up choosing The Tribal Chief as his WrestleMania opponent.

The weeks leading up to WrestleMania 37 saw Bryan Danielson getting added to the Reigns vs. Copeland match at The Showcase of The Immortals. The Rated-R Superstar was extremely upset at Danielson's inclusion into the Universal Championship match, prompting him to bring out his ruthless side.

The former AEW TNT Champion tormented The Bloodline for weeks. At WrestleMania, Adam Copeland proved to be a tough opponent for both Reigns and Danielson. However, he could not take the title home, as Roman stacked both of his opponents over one another to score a dominant pinfall.

The Ultimate Opportunist stayed on the sidelines for a few months, before eventually returning to confront Roman Reigns. The individuals finally had a one-on-one contest at Money in the Bank 2021, a match that was riddled with outside interference.

As The Usos tried to help Roman Reigns, Rey Mysterio and Dominik Mysterio came out to fend off the twin brothers. The match also witnessed an appearance from Seth Rollins, who launched a vicious attack on Adam Copeland.

In the end, Roman Reigns planted The Rated-R Superstar with a brutal Spear to retain his Universal Championship. It was the last time Copeland crossed paths with The Tribal Chief in WWE.

While Reigns went on to hold the prestigious championship for three more years, The Ultimate Opportunist eventually left the Stamford-based company in 2023 to join AEW.