INDIANAPOLIS: The opening line of Cody Rhodes' theme song says "wrestling has more than one royal family" and that could not be more true after the Royal Rumble.
As the company's top star emerged with another title defence in a hellacious ladder match against Kevin Owens, another member of the Samoan dynasty created history.
In the main event of the biggest Rumble event in WWE history, Jey Uso – a man who was once seen as a perennial tag team wrestler – reached the industry's mountaintop.
AS IT HAPPENED: WWE Royal Rumble 2025 recap
The 39-year-old has scratched and clawed for more than a decade with the promotion, but it has taken until the past two years for him to emerge from his family shadow.
Uso's crowning moment will now see him receive a world title opportunity at April's WrestleMania 41 event – the culmination of more than 1500 matches inside a WWE ring.
Jey Uso celebrates his win at the WWE Royal Rumble. Â WWE
His emotional reaction, sparked by his son joining him in the ring to soak in the love from a red-hot crowd at Lucas Oil Stadium, was a genuinely heartfelt moment.
While it's a well-earned moment for Uso himself, the victory also places a further spotlight on what has been one of the best pieces of business in pro wrestling history.
From midway through 2020, The Bloodline – spearheaded by megastar Roman Reigns – has been the focal point of the entire promotion.
Reigns held the sport's top prize for a record-setting 1316 days and by his side through the majority of that run were his cousins, Jey and Jimmy Uso, as well as Solo Sikoa.
All four men are second or third-generation stars from the incomparable Anoa'i family, which has spawned countless champions going back decades.
From the likes of Afa and Sika, known as "The Wild Samoans", to the giant Yokozuna and ruthless Umaga, this family dynasty is truly like no other.
On the other side of the family, arguably the biggest star on the planet – Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson – has flown the flag for the island nation and the Samoan culture.
Speaking at a press event to launch the new WWE 2K25 video game, which is headlined by The Bloodline, Reigns was asked what his ancestors would be feeling as the modern crop of Anoa'i wrestlers dominate the cut-throat business.
Roman Reigns is front and centre of WWE 2K25. Â WWE
"I think they are looking down on us and would be proud," he said.
"I think they are looking at what they started and seeing what we're developing here blossom. They rest easy knowing that our family business is in the right hands."
Reigns has taken it as a personal privilege to lead the family through the past decade, with his father and uncle bestowing the Ula Fala on him five years ago.
And while he is usually one to brag about his own accomplishments, Reigns stopped short of claiming the most successful era of WWE has been solely his doing.
"I'm not here to try and claim or name whatever this timeframe is," he said.
"That's the beauty of where we are with the internet and community aspect of our fanbase. It's kind of on y'all to determine that – but I don't think you could go wrong saying this is The Bloodline Era.
"We are the centre of the storm and we make everything happen. All roads run through us – even Cody Rhodes – so I don't think that's a bad call at all."
Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes have had a historic rivalry. Â Getty
What the future holds for Reigns at this stage remains unclear.
His part-time schedule and Hollywood ambitions are obvious, while his five children no doubt take up a lot of his time away from the ring.
But with the likes of his cousins The Uso's, as well as the recent rise of Jacob Fatu, perhaps the most family tree in wrestling history remains on the right path.
Liam O'Loughlin is in Indianapolis covering WWE Royal Rumble for Wide World of Sports. His trip has been funded by WWE 2K25 – available to pre-order now.
