On Friday ahead of SmackDown, WWE shared a photo of their newest class of wrestlers—including NXT’s Zaria (formerly Delta) and Lance Anoa’i, the grandson of the late WWE Hall of Famer Afa Anoa’i. Over the last year, WWE has made it a priority to sign several members of the legendary Samoan wrestling dynasty.
While Roman Reigns is spearheading the current generation, there are currently two separate branches of the Bloodline in WWE. The first is Reigns’, which includes Jimmy and Jey Uso, while the other is Solo Sikoa’s group. The younger member of the family believes he’s the real Tribal Chief, flanked by Jacob Fatu, Tama Tonga, and Tonga Loa.
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Lance’s signing raises important questions, chief among them if (and how) he gets entangled with his family. WWE has shown a vested interest in him and Fatu for years. Lance revealed in 2023 that the sports entertainment juggernaut originally wanted them involved in the Tribal Court segment.
“So the tribal court, they wanted a lot of us. They asked for my grandfather, my dad, my uncles, me, Jacob, they wanted us all,” Anoa’i told WrestlingNews.co. “Unfortunately, due to our contracts and everything, we weren’t able to. But that’s okay. We weren’t able to, and we just carried on.” At the time, they had contracts with MLW who were in murky waters with WWE because of an antitrust lawsuit.
It might take time to see Lance make his official WWE debut, however. As a recent report from Fightful Select indicates, he’s battling an injury. The report claims he won’t have clearance in the immediate future. So, if that’s the case, fans shouldn’t expect to see him as the fifth member of either Survivor Series team. As it stands, Reigns will team with both Usos as well as Sami Zayn against Solo, Jacob, Tama, and Tonga.
They are scrambling to find two more men who will agree to team up on either side. Hikuleo is rumored to have signed with WWE following his New Japan departure earlier this year, so there’s certainly not a lack of family members.
