Roman Reigns appears set to strengthen his position as WWE's top star once again, with the company filing a new trademark tied to the reigning World Heavyweight Champion ahead of SummerSlam.

After capturing the 2026 Royal Rumble, Reigns reclaimed championship gold at WrestleMania 42 by defeating CM Punk in the Night Two main event to become World Heavyweight Champion. Since then, WWE has rebuilt The Bloodline around "The Tribal Chief," reuniting him with Jimmy Uso, Jey Uso, and Jacob Fatu following Fatu's defeat at WWE Clash in Italy.

According to a new filing with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), WWE has officially moved to trademark the phrase "Tribal Chief."

The trademark covers a wide range of merchandise, including:

• Shirts, hoodies, jackets and other apparel
• Pants, shorts, swimwear and underwear
• Hats, caps, scarves, gloves and bandanas
• Footwear including sneakers, boots and flip flops
• Halloween costumes
• Championship replica trophy belts

The filing comes just weeks before SummerSlam, where Roman Reigns is advertised to face Seth Rollins in what WWE is promoting as their "final encounter."

Interestingly, WWE's long term plans appear to have shifted. Following Oba Femi's King of the Ring victory at Night of Champions, many expected him to challenge Reigns for the World Heavyweight Championship at SummerSlam. Instead, Oba is now scheduled to battle Brock Lesnar inside Hell in a Cell, leaving Reigns to continue his rivalry with Rollins.

That change has fuelled speculation that WWE could be saving Roman Reigns vs. Oba Femi for WrestleMania 43 in 2027. If that proves to be the case, Reigns' current championship reign and the latest chapter of The Bloodline saga could stretch well into next year.

There is also growing speculation that the story could expand even further with the eventual arrival of Zilla Fatu, who has been widely expected to join WWE. Should Reigns remain champion until WrestleMania before eventually dropping the title to Oba Femi, the aftermath could provide the next major evolution of The Bloodline storyline.

Whether fans remain invested is another question, as WWE appears prepared to keep The Bloodline at the centre of its programming for the foreseeable future.