An era ended on Night 2 at WrestleMania on Sunday, as Roman Reigns’ remarkable run as Undisputed Universal champion came to an emotional end.
It closed a 1,316-day chapter as the untouchable top dog in the WWE, as scorchingly popular superstar Cody Rhodes ‘finished his story‘ and took the mantle.
But the weekend also marks something brand new.
The Air Reigns era appears now upon us, with the wrestling superstar teasing on his social media a shoe he can call his own, after donning sneakers from iconic brand Nike as part of his in-ring attire for quite some time now.
Critics are wondering, ‘why now?’ The reign’s officially over. But WWE have been quick to assure media and fans that they still have big plans for one of the company’s greatest ever champions.
Well, whether a post-championship run in the promotion eventuates for Roman or not, his status isn’t going anywhere and a brand new deal with Nike only legitimises the brightness of his stardom.
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Roman Reigns’ shoe deal with Nike
So what do we actually know about this? Truth be told, not a whole tonne as of yet.
But he let the cat out of the bag, quite subtly, via social media.
Check out the video reveal:
‘Greatness reigns’ was the tagline.
What do we know about the Air Reigns?
Using the footage, we can connect a few dots in terms of what the Jordans-inspired design looks like.
It appears to be a pretty standard style of sneaker, rather than paying direct tribute to the boxing and hiking style boots that are synonymous with his in-match wrestling attire.
What does the WWE have planned for Roman now?
That’s the big question.
The reign is over and interest in the promotion has never been higher, based on the data from WrestleMania 40.
Everyone’s waiting with keen interest to see what Cody Rhodes’ first title defence will look like and how Reigns’ Bloodline fits into the narrative moving forward.
Roman has been a lightly-used wrestler in recent years, in part due to his well-publicised health struggles. It’s something which has cleverly grown the aura of the star.
He looked in tremendous physical condition at Mania and it appears as though his time as a wrestler isn’t over.
As far as the short-term goes, it’s hard to gauge what the plan looks like. But given how The Rock came into the picture in recent months, and the lingering possibility of a Rock and Roman Reigns match, it’s possible that’s one booking possibility for either Summer Slam later this year, or for WrestleMania 41.
You’d imagine that Nike sure hopes Roman Reigns doesn’t ride off into the sunset, given the promotional opportunities by him rebuilding and putting together another run.
Which athletes have landed signature Nike shoe deals recently?
Roman Reigns is certainly the only wrestler applicable here; he follows in the ‘footsteps’ – so to speak – of a number of NBA basketballers who have recently made the leap from rising star to bona fide studs. We’re talking the likes of Luka Doncic, Ja Morant and Jayson Tatum.
