The “Head of the Table” Roman Reigns has just finished an impressive run. For a decade he has been at the top of WWE and a consistent contender for a World Championship. He has been the measuring stick for everyone in the company. His WrestleMania resume alone sets him apart from everyone else.
Reigns has had a stranglehold on the main event of ‘Mania. Since 2015 he has been the in the main event of all but two WrestleManias. His star power is above anyone else’s, and now that he has finally lost a match, the time has come to examine his WrestleMania career.
#8 – Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar (WrestleMania 38)
Reigns and Lesnar are in the rare company of men who have faced each other thrice in the main event. It goes to show the weight that each man carried in the company. They were the biggest stars going for the biggest championships, unfortunately not all of those contests were good.
The unification match in the main event of WrestleMania 38 had all the makings of a big match. It had two heavyweights and both World Championships on the line. It should have been great, as both men knew each other well, but it lacked any emotion.
The match was not something that should have main evented and the cheap way with which they finished it lacked any WrestleMania flair.
#7 – Roman Reigns vs. Triple H (WrestleMania 32)
Reigns was the Golden Boy that was shoved down our throats. It was an action that received a massive amount of backlash and led to every fan turning against Reigns. No place was this truer than his WrestleMania tilt against Triple H.
Hunter did everything he could to smash Reigns over during the program, but the fans weren’t having any of it. This feeling carried into their match where the action was plodding at best, and the crowd sat on their hands. None of the 100,000 in attendance cared about what was going on and the desired pop for Reign’s victory didn’t was absent.
#6 – Roman Reigns vs. The Undertaker (WrestleMania 33)
If this match had taken place years before it would have a much higher placing on this list. Unfortunately, this match took place when The Undertaker was well past his prime.
The Deadman was able to capture any of his past WrestleMania magic. He was winded early on and had more sloppy moments than we were used to from the man from Death Valley.
Reigns was still in his forced push stage during this match. No one in the audience was interested in seeing Reigns win against an ageing Undertaker. This match should have taken place years before when The Undertaker was in better shape. It could have been a defining moment for Reigns instead of a flop.
#5 – Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar (WrestleMania 34)
This was supposed to be a coronation for Reigns. He was constantly thrown against Lesnar but had a habit of coming up short. He had failed to capture the World Championship so many times that many thought he never would. And he didn’t on this night either.
The match was as hard-hitting as they get. Lesnar and Reigns exchanged every high-impact move imaginable. It was a long match but was one that squeezed more action in that contest twice the length.
A match that was leading to a Reigns win when the rug was snatched out from under us. Having Lesnar win was a mistake that ruined an otherwise good match.
#4 – Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar vs Seth Rollins (WrestleMania 31)
We have to go back to the beginning when Lesnar and Reigns got it right. Reigns was the newly minted babyface set to take on the unstoppable force of Brock Lesnar. They developed great chemistry in the lead-up to the main event and put on the night’s best match.
This was the best version of Lesnar and Reigns. It was their hardest-hitting match with Lesnar landing stiff shots throughout. Reigns was more than up to the task adding his shots against Lesnar. It was the perfect battle of the heavyweights. A battle that shocked the world when Seth Rollins cashed in his briefcase.
#3 – Roman Reigns vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Edge (WrestleMania 37)
Coming out of the “Thunderdome” Era WWE needed to make sure their first ‘Mania main event was a great one, and these three men delivered. Edge had won the Royal Rumble, and Daniel Bryan had unfinished business with Reigns. They were desperate in their need to beat Reigns and it made for an emotionally driven match.
There was no lack of action during this triple-threat match. If there was a part of the arena to use all three men used it. There was fantastic technical wrestling and brawling mixed. It was a complete match that had a great finish. It was a finish that established Reigns as a force that would never relinquish the championship.
#2 – Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes (WrestleMania 39)
When WrestleMania came to Hollywood many thought that Cody Rhodes was going to finish his story, alas interference caused Rhodes to fall. It was a disappointing end for many who were expecting Rhodes to prevail.
Outside of the wonky finish, this was a fantastic match. It had all the gravitas that a WrestleMania main event should have. It had the big fight feel to it with Reigns and Rhodes going toe to toe. Both men wrestled a fantastic match that was back and forth and carried an emotional weight to it that could only be beaten by their rematch.
Rhode and Reigns understood the assignment and showed the rest of the roster what a main event match should be. They brought us along for a great ride, albeit a disappointing destination.
#1 – Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes (WrestleMania XL)
There may be a recency bias in this list, but can anyone truly deny how great the main event of this year’s WrestleMania XL was? This was the culmination of two years of storytelling and the payoff was exactly what it needed to be.
Cody and Roman took inspiration from their match the previous year and built on it. They put together a tight wrestling match between them before it devolved into complete chaos. It was great to see a tale of two matches, one with great wrestling and one with great entertainment.
Once The Bloodline got involved the match became an overbooked mess that was a perfect end to their match. It was an “Attitude Era” ending that was wonderful. It was a main event match that was the best of Reign’s career.
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