For three years, Roman Reigns was unstoppable. For three years, Reigns had been omnipotent, with an incredible WWE Universal Championship reign that saw him took no pinfall or submission losses. That changed at Night of Champions 2023, when Reigns teamed up with Bloodline member Solo Sikoa to challenge Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens for the WWE Undisputed Tag Team Championships. The four men took to ring in Jeddah, and by the time the night ended, Reigns walked out with no tag title, a loss on his record, and cracks in the invulnerability he spent over three years crafting.

The match started with former Bloodline member Sami Zayn stepping into a ring in Saudi Arabia for the first time since 2014. Jeddah was electric as Zayn and Reigns exchanged some heated dialogue before “The Tribal Chief” tagged Sikoa in to lock up with Zayn. Zayn and Sikoa traded blows before Owens was brought in to break up their stalemate, effectively marking Owens’ first time participating in a Saudi match since 2018.

Where Zayn and Owens split their in-ring time evenly in the match, Reigns left Sikoa to be the legal man while he ran interference on the outside, only tagging himself opportunistically. The Bloodline tried their best to isolate Zayn towards the match’s halfway point, but an irate Owens was not to be stopped as he sunk his teeth into Reigns during the match’s second act. Both men showed incredible resolve as they traded signatures, and Reigns’ carefully constructed cool continued to crack with every kick-out.

A wild spear from an exasperated and frazzled Reigns to the referee opened the door for Zayn to rock Reigns with a Superman Punch. Reigns responded with one of his own, only to be pummeled by a raging Owens. A brawl to the outside allowed for Jimmy and Jey Uso to run interference in favor of their Tribal Chief. Unfortunately, the Usos’ presence led to Bloodline ruin, as a collection of Superkicks rocked Sikoa and Reigns enough for Owens and Zayn to capitalize with a Stunner and Helluva Kick combo to retain the titles in a historic end to Night of Champions.

While Solo took the pinfall, this loss dealt a serious blow to Reigns’ — and the Bloodline’s — stability. Reigns now had a new pinfall loss on his record after years of indestructibility, and the Usos shattered the Bloodline with their betrayal. This match immediately led into Money in the Bank 2023, where Reigns teamed up with Sikoa again to take on The Usos in the Bloodline Civil War. There, Reigns’ empire continued to crumble, as Jey gave Reigns his first official pinfall loss in three years.

Reigns’ downfall is a saga in itself, but this Night of Champions match result can be marked as the beginning of the end of a historic era. Ripples of Zayn and Owens’ title retention can still be felt today, two years after that fateful night, and this piece of WWE history deserves a spot on your Night of Champions watchlist.

Written by Angeline Phu