What is Roman Reigns' new nickname ‘OTC1’  in WWE?

The OTC made his highly anticipated return in Birmingham!

During the closing moments of the July 14 episode of Monday Night Raw, ‘The OTC’ Roman Reigns made his return to aid CM Punk and Jey Uso. Reigns was absent from WWE programming since the Raw episode after WrestleMania 41.

The July 14 episode of Monday Night Raw aired live from the Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama, and featured the aftermath from last weekend’s Saturday Night’s Main Event and Evolution 2.

Roman Reigns might once again be the ‘1’

Ahead of his return, reports suggested WWE’s “leading idea” for Reigns’ return is to use “the moniker ‘OTC1’ or ‘Tribal Chief One.’” The report has now been confirmed with Reigns’ return this Monday.

Roman made his highly anticipated return, wearing a shirt with “OTC1” written on it, confirming the reports of his nickname change.

In addition, to celebrate the occasion, WWE has released a new piece of merchandise for Roman Reigns‘ fans, the ‘Roman Reigns Tribal Chief Replica Championship’. The commemorative title is priced at $599.99.

Available on WWEShop.com, the replica belt features a bold image of Roman Reigns on the main plate, surrounded by Ula Fala-inspired designs, with the words “Undisputed Tribal Chief” etched across it. The side plates display the OTC logo and Reigns’ signature Superman Punch symbol.

Late last year, WWE had considered introducing a Tribal Chief Championship into the storyline between Reigns and Solo Sikoa, which culminated at Raw’s Netflix debut, similar to the People’s Championship given to The Rock at this year’s WrestleMania.

According to WrestleVotes, if the plan had been executed last December, this custom title would have been presented to Reigns on Netflix, but it now serves as a commemorative piece.

Possible reasons behind the name change for Roman Reigns

While there are many fan theories floating around, it is important to note that the new nickname change is similar to Cody Rhodes’ “QB1” nickname, which he has adopted in recent years. As per fans, the change was likely done to set up the trilogy clash between Reigns and Cody, “QB1 vs OTC1”.

Last year, Reigns made his return to WWE television after a four-month hiatus at SummerSlam 2024. It was there that he introduced his “OTC” (Original Tribal Chief) nickname, which he has been using ever since. So this is nothing out of the ordinary as Reigns has had multiple nicknames as his character has developed.

It will be interesting to see what the WWE has planned for Reigns, especially what the nickname, ‘OTC1’ means.

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