5 Roman Reigns matches that exceeded expectations

Roman Reigns enters the arena. Photo Source: WWE.com via Twitter

WWE fans went into the following five Roman Reigns matches with low expectations and were pleasantly surprised by what they wound up seeing.

Roman Reigns has seemingly surpassed John Cena as the single most polarizing star on the WWE roster. While he isn’t universally hated, it is rather alarming how many detractors the supposed top babyface still has years removed from when WWE first went wrong with him at 2015’s Royal Rumble event.

His status as a fan favorite is put into question constantly due to the overwhelmingly negative reaction he tends to receive weekly, but it can not be denied that his in-ring abilities are well above average.

He may not have cut his teeth on the independent scene or wrestled in Japan or Europe before coming to WWE, but Reigns’ resume since breaking out on his own four years ago speaks for itself. In addition to stacking up a long list of accomplishments, he’s had a handful (okay, maybe more than a handful) of classic contests as well.

It can be argued that he was “carried” to great matches with the likes of Daniel Bryan, AJ Styles and Seth Rollins, but he’s had a slew of stellar showings versus competitors who aren’t exactly “internet darlings.”

Whether you want to admit or not, Reigns can hold his own (and then some) when up against virtually anyone regardless of their wrestling style, and these five matches that weren’t originally expected to be anything special are proof of that.