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WWE: Ranking All Of Roman Reigns’ WrestleMania Matches

By Joe Anthony Myrick

MIAMI, FL- SEPTEMBER 01: Roman Reigns looks on during the WWE Smackdown on September 1, 2015 at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Ron ElkmanSports Imagery/Getty Images)
MIAMI, FL- SEPTEMBER 01: Roman Reigns looks on during the WWE Smackdown on September 1, 2015 at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Ron ElkmanSports Imagery/Getty Images) /
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3. vs. Triple H – WrestleMania 32

After WWE failed to give Roman Reigns his moment in the sun in WrestleMania 31’s main event, they wanted to try again the following year. They needed a foolproof antagonist guaranteed to give The Big Dog the cheers he needed to claim his spot as top guy. Enter Triple H.

Well, Triple H wasn’t as “foolproof” as they might’ve hoped, given that people love The Game – to be fair, it’s hard to boo Trips when he sheds his suit to be a bonafide badass – but the story they had heading into Mania was captivating and well told. It was a nice spin on the usual Authority angle. Rather than just giving us the typical renegade superstar beating up his boss every week, this boss hits back. Hard. A boss who can believably and willingly beat the unholy hell out of his employee was a refreshing take on the classic McMahon/Austin angle.

To top it all off, the match itself was solid and quite good on a technical basis. It may not have been great – at least in comparison to other famous ‘Mania main events – but it wasn’t a bad match by any stretch of the imagination. It certainly didn’t deserve to be crapped on by the crowd like it was. Simply because crowds were always anti-Reigns at the time, they actively resisted the match before the bell even rang. Even when the match received its biggest – and only – pop when Roman speared Stephanie McMahon, they went right back to booing Roman immediately after because. Just because.

It’s a shame, really, because Triple H and Roman Reigns did everything they could to tear the house down that night. They had good chemistry, they pulled off some memorable spots (my favorite being Trips reversing Roman Reigns’s Superman Punch in mid-air into an Armbar) as well as some jaw dropping ones (namely a neckbreakaer off of the announce table and a Spear through the barricade). The fans may have crapped on them for no reason, but on a better day, their work would’ve been appreciated.

Also, bonus points go out to this match for the sight of Roman’s dad jumping for the joy to see his son win the big one on the big stage. I’m still upset that WWE didn’t have a camera on that man at all times.