WWE WrestleMania 34: Revisiting the Original, Lesnar vs. Reigns 1
By Joe Hulbert
It’s been a long road to Brock Lesnar’s WrestleMania rematch with Roman Reigns, but if their initial meeting is anything to go by, it’ll be well worth the wait.
Though it may to be hard to believe, the Roman Reigns’ saga has now been going on for well over three years. It’s brought a whirlwind of opinions, an onslaught of hate and at times, a flurry of deserved praise. Considering Reigns’ whole story thus far though, a few key moments stand out one way or the other. His controversial ascent to the top spot certainly hasn’t always been a smooth one, but in-ring excitement has been a theme throughout. In hindsight, I’m not sure any match better highlights that than Roman’s memorable WrestleMania 31 main event opposite Brock Lesnar.
It was March 29th 2015, WresteMania day. The card was an interesting one and looking back three years later, seems almost bizarre in its lack of depth. Either way, an ‘Icon’ was debuting and a ‘Phenom’ returning so with those two matches alone, some intrigue had certainly been built. However, whether people liked it or not, their main event would remain unchanged…or at least for now it would anyway. This was a WWE Title match with traditional build, a young rising star trying unseating the dominant, seemingly unbeatable champion.
The truth was though, people hadn’t quite yet connected with that tried and true build-up. Lesnar’s part had unsurprisingly been a success, it was much simpler to execute of course. After unforgettably conquering The Undertaker’s famed streak, Lesnar’s next step was always inevitable. The WWE Title simply had to be in his future but it was the execution of that plan that really captured the wrestling public’s attention. Snatching the belt from John Cena in what was basically an extended squash, Lesnar was established as a man on a level of his own and with that, became the perfect villainous kingpin to help coronate a new star.
The issue was that star’s current trajectory. It wasn’t hard to see Reigns’ appeal to any experienced wrestling mind, here was a talent that looked the part, had wrestling in his blood and in-ring, he’d performed at a level that suggested genuine ability too. As a part of The Shield, Roman’s popularity was undeniable but as the audience suspected his ascension, a shift in his presentation only heightened the doubters’ critiques. In an attempt to make Reigns’ solo act connect, his character was slightly adjusted and at times, may have veered too far away from its roots.
The odd silly promo didn’t really match that once brooding brute, and frankly, it wasn’t a good fit with the man behind the character either. Nonetheless, Reigns’ natural attributes meant that his push remained but at the Royal Rumble 2015, all of those concerns came to a head. Famously, Roman’s expected rumble win wasn’t received well by the live crowd, but it happened regardless. Rightly or wrongly, Reigns was seemingly the chosen ‘beast slayer,’ and whilst that was a simple and solid creative route, crowds hadn’t connected with it in ideal fashion.
Reigns’ part in that problem was a minimal one. Timing is everything, and some early missteps in his presentation set the tone for what was to come. The ‘chosen one’ had become Reigns’ perception and that had earned him rapid resentment through no fault of his own. Fortunately, no one felt apathy towards Roman. Instead there was great passion, everyone had an opinion and couldn’t wait to vocalise it at WrestleMania. Roman’s job was now a simple one: prove his worth on the grandest stage and show that just as those in power suspected, he belonged under the brightest lights.
To be fair, Reigns had arguably done just that a month prior, putting on a PPV main event thriller with Daniel Bryan. However, if you’re reading this article, you can likely imagine what narratives were born from that match. To summarise, very few of them involved great praise for ‘The Big Dog.’ Speaking of such, Roman’s entrance through that WrestleMania crowd was one of a kind. The range of response was quite incredible, with joyous smiles contrasting against verbal abuse and an onslaught of defiant thumbs down.
The pre-match introductions captured that passion and with Lesnar entering to a mostly positive response, the atmosphere had now become absolutely electric. Considering that, the start of this match was fitting, with Reigns sprinting across the ring to immediately land a big right hand. Brock was busted up already but he quickly manhandled Roman anyway, launching him across the ring with a huge German suplex. The F5 followed right away but Lesnar didn’t go for a cover, instead going to work with some violent strikes and a quite outrageous suplex. Roman rallied briefly but with a 2nd suplex, Lesnar quickly floored him again.
In an enduring image that would become a trend throughout, Reigns smiled in response before receiving another suplex. He simply couldn’t build any momentum as Brock instead continued to land suplexes, whether Roman smiled back or not. An onslaught of knees came next and a forearm that sent Reigns to the floor. Roman soon returned fire though, flurrying with some big strikes before Lesnar almost decapitated him with a huge clothesline. More blood had now emerged on Brock’s face but after a couple more thunderous suplexes, he hit a 2nd F5.
This time he went for a cover too but Reigns kicked out, only angering Lesnar who now took his gloves off, dismissively slapping Roman across the face. Roman continued to laugh at the agony though, this time garnering a tremendous reaction as the crowd’s level of interest heightened with each gripping minute. One more salvo of german suplexes then landed and another F5 with them but Roman kicked out again, leaving Lesnar both shocked and frustrated. When switched on, Brock’s selling is almost unmatched, and that was visible here.
The tide was about to turn too, as Reigns sent Lesnar head first into the ring post, immediately drawing blood from his forehead. This had now descended into sheer chaos, as Roman landed his superman punch but Brock wouldn’t go down, even after a 2nd one landed. A 3rd superman finally floored the champion and two spears followed but Lesnar still kicked out as this had accelerated into simply incredible pro wrestling. As Brock rose to his feet, he then caught Reigns out of the air, hitting an F5 out of nowhere.
With both men floored, Seth Rollins music hit and this crowd erupted. Sprinting down the ramp with his Money in the Bank briefcase in hand, Rollins was about to make history, making this WrestleMania main event a triple threat. He pushed Roman out of the ring immediately and curb-stomped Lesnar but his attempt at a 2nd was thwarted, with Brock instead catching him out the air. He couldn’t hit an F5 though, with Roman instead spearing him free. Rollins then capitalised, curb-stomping Reigns to stunningly win the WWE Title.
Next: WWE Raw's Biggest Losers This Week
The response was one of sheer excitement, Seth Rollins had left WrestleMania as WWE Champion but as the dust settled, Reigns and Lesnar’s efforts couldn’t be ignored. Together they were putting on quite an exceptional main event match and Roman had now undeniably proved his worth, solidifying his spot at the top of any card. Whilst I’ve already mentioned the differences between that WrestleMania card and the one coming up, there’s something refreshing to me about the fact that the main event remains the same. The truth is, this match still needs to meet its conclusion and three years later, it finally will.