Since 2015, Roman Reigns has been a prominent fixture in the WrestleMania main event, whether fans have wanted him in the headline spot or not.
From being rejected by the fans in 2015 to being hailed as one of the top babyfaces 10 years later, The Big Dog’s journey to The Tribal Chief has seen him battle a long list of current and future Hall of Famers, often with the World Title on the line.
Reigns has won and lost the top prize at The Show of Shows, and will once again fight for a World Championship at WrestleMania 42 after he won the Royal Rumble for a second time. However, while Reigns has been in the biggest match of the show 10 times, not every encounter has been one to remember.
The Top 10 Roman Reigns WrestleMania Main Events
10 – Roman Reigns vs. The Undertaker – WrestleMania 33
Originally set to be The Undertaker’s retirement match, the bout was so bad that The Deadman had second thoughts about hanging up the hat and trenchcoat when all was said and done. Taking place at the end of a disappointing show, this was a match that no one really wanted to see and everyone knew the outcome. Reigns was set to win so that he and Brock Lesnar, the only 2 who had beaten The Undertaker at Mania, would face off the following year to see who was the guy in WWE. However, with multiple botched spots, especially one involving a Tombstone, this is not essential viewing for either man’s career. The only saving grace was the nuclear heat that Reigns got the next night on Raw. However, as this was 2017 WWE, the company still refused to turn Reigns face at this time.
9 – Roman Reigns vs. Triple H – WrestleMania 32
A long and boring match at the end of a long and boring WrestleMania. At over 27 minutes, this was the second-longest match on the card, only behind the even more meandering Hell in a Cell match between Undertaker and Shane McMahon earlier in the night. Reigns had been screwed over at the Royal Rumble and this was finally his coronation. However, although it was inevitable, this wasn’t a match many wanted to see. Stephanie McMahon took an accidental spear to somewhat wake the crowd up, but this generally followed the formula of the plodding Triple H main event matches fans have seen in his latter years. The undercard for WrestleMania 32 wasn’t great, and the main event wasn’t any better.
8 – Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar – WrestleMania 38
The third time was the charm for Reigns at WrestleMania 38 as he finally picked up a victory over Lesnar on The Grandest Stage. With both championships on the line, this was nothing more than a way to make Reigns seem even more dominant by holding both of the top titles in the company. However, as fans had seen this match many times before, and the outcome was the most predictable result of the year, both men showed nothing new in their 12-minute match.
7 – Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar – WrestleMania 34
While Reigns did not get the job done against Lesnar 3 years earlier thanks to interference from Seth Rollins, things looked to be different the second time around. The only 2 men to beat The Undertaker at WrestleMania collided at The Show of Shows for a second time in what looked to be another case of Reigns wins and has his big moment. However, WWE swerved the fans once more as Lesnar signed a new contract and went on to beat Reigns in New Orleans, ending the show flatly once more. Although Lesnar stood with the title when the show came to a close, there were no real winners here.
6 – Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes – WrestleMania 39
One year on from Cody Rhodes making his return to WWE, everything looked set for The American Nightmare to finish the story and be the one to dethrone The Tribal Chief. Rhodes won the Royal Rumble to set up the opportunity, and everything looked set to come to a satisfying crescendo in Los Angeles. Despite the fact that the crowd were firmly behind Rhodes, and were ready for the Reigns title reign to end, the match sadly had a very predictable end. Much like that many that came before it, a Bloodline member took advantage of a distracted/downed referee to give Reigns the advantage and the win. The Reigns title reign already felt stale at this point, and this win meant that it would go on for at least another year.
5 – Roman Reigns And The Rock vs. Cody Rhodes And Seth Rollins – WrestleMania 40 Night 1
Looking to give Cody Rhodes the ultimate disadvantage for his WWE Championshipmatch the following night, Reigns teamed with The Rock to take on the duo of Rhodes and Seth Rollins. Even though this was Rock’s first match since 2012 [no we aren’t counting WrestleMania 32 in this], The People’s Champion was still in great shape and hadn’t lost a step. With the match being about hurting Rhodes and Rock abusing his power as a member of the Board of Directors, all 4 played their parts perfectly. Reigns accidentally speared Rock, but Rock made sure he got the winning pin. Rhodes lost the match, but this was the result that fans wanted to see as it set up the Bloodline Rules match the next night. At 44 minutes, this was one of the longest matches in Mania history, and a significant portion could have been shaved off, but this is a Reigns match that is firmly in the better half of his Mania main events.
4 – Roman Reigns vs. Edge vs. Daniel Bryan – WrestleMania 37 Night 2
This match is best known for being the first time that Reigns defended the Universal Championship in front of fans as COVID restrictions had started to be lifted. Although there was a reduced capacity in Raymond James Stadium in 2021, it felt like a sellout crowd compared to the ThunderDome screens that fans had to get used to leading up to the show. Royal Rumble winner Edge finally got another match in front of live fans following his comeback the year prior, and Daniel Bryan looked to once again stand tall in a Mania triple threat main event, repeating his 2014 success. All 3 men had their moments to shine and try and convince the fans that it was their night, but in the end it was Reigns who made a statement. Stacking and pinning both Edge and Bryan, The Tribal Chied made it clear that this title reign was going to be a long one. While some had grown tired of Reigns winning, this was not The Big Dog they knew and despised.
3 – Roman Reigns vs. CM Punk vs. Seth Rollins – WrestleMania 41 Night 1
One of the few Reigns main events to not feature the top championship, this was built on hatred as opposed to accolades. With this being Punk’s first Mania main event, and with all 3 men having years of history with one another, there was definitely a big fight feel to close out night 1. Punk made his way to the ring with Living Colour playing live, and had Paul Heyman by his side instead of The Wiseman accompanying his Tribal Chief. In the end, Rollins was the one who prevailed when all was said and done, giving another shocking ending to Mania 10 years on from his big moment…
2 – Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar (vs. Seth Rollins) – WrestleMania 31
The first meeting between Reigns and Lesnar at WrestleMania looked to be a depressing inevitability. The Royal Rumble winner no one wanted looked set to dethrone the dominant champion and finally take his place at the top of the card as the next big star in the company. However, following the initial part of the match that was better than many expected, Seth Rollins stormed to the ring with his Money in the Bank briefcase in hand. Hijacking the main event, Rollins successfully cashed in his contract in what was dubbed “The Heist of the Century” on commentary. Still one of the greatest cash-ins more than a decade later, the match still holds up and remains one of the better endings in Mania history.
1 – Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes – WrestleMania 40 Night 2
Not just the best Reigns Mania main event, but one of the best main events in the history of the show. One year on from Cody Rhodes’ loss, fans knew that it was now or never for The American Nightmare. With the match given the anything goes stipulation of The Bloodline Rules match, the run-ins saw The Usos, Solo Sikoa, John Cena, The Rock, Seth Rollins and even The Undertaker all factor into the chaotic bout. This is to wrestling fans what Avengers: Endgame is to Marvel fans, all the heroes joining forces to take down the seemingly unstoppable boss. It’s hard to fault this match as it was basically non-stop action from the opening bell, and gave the fans what they wanted. A match to show non-wrestling fans what WWE is all about, it’s unlikely that Reigns will top this performance at Mania.
Featured image: WWE
