Roman Reigns was pegged for singles stardom from the moment he debuted in WWE in 2012 as part of the trio known as the Shield. Since then, the man known as the Big Dog, the Guy (remember that one?), the Head of the Table, the Tribal Chief, and the OTC, has held the world championship on six occassions, including a 1,316 reign, fourth-longest all time behind Bruno Sammertino, Bob Backlund, and Hulk Hogan.
Perhaps more impressive are his WrestleMania stats. On Sunday, Roman Reigns will main event Mania for a record-settng eleventh time, when he challenges CM Punk for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Through the years, he’s had his ups and downs at the Showcase of the Immortals. Reigns has been involved in some of the best WrestleMania matches of all time and some of the most disappointing main events in the show’s history. Let’s take a trip through the years. This is Every Roman Reigns WrestleMania Match, Ranked.
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One of the weirdest and worst main events in WrestleMania history. A poorly booked stinker with a terrible case of finisher spam best remembered for how the audience turned on it. The crowd reaction shifted from anticipation during the opening introductions to fatigue and apathy once the bell rang. Soon, they were chanting “Boring!” and “This is awful!” The end mercifully arrived after Lesnar hit a bloodied Reigns with a sixth F5 for the pin.
Reigns’ ascent to the main event following the dissolution of the Shield was filled with starts and stops, bad booking, and was ultimately rejected by fans, culminating in Seth Rollins’ swooping in and winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 31. But that didn’t stop WWE from trying to make Roman happen again and again.
After losing the title in the 2016 Royal Rumble match, Reigns’ crowning moment was now scheduled for WrestleMania 32 against Triple H. A totally predictable thing happened next: The Arlington, Texas crowd sided with the supposed heel. The match was a slow, plodding affair in front of a hostile crowd that didn’t come alive until Reigns speared Stephanie McMahon in an overly convoluted and telegraphed spot. After 27 long minutes, Reigns hit a Superman punch and spear for the win and the title.
After returning from five months away to treat his leukemia, Reigns entered a feud with Drew McIntyre, who was determined to prove that Reigns had come back too soon and that WWE was no longer the Big Dog’s yard. The result was a middling, heatless match in the middle of a long night before a restless crowd at Met Life Stadium; cameras caught fans leaving their seats, presumably for the bathrooms or concessions, throughout the match. Reigns won with a spear about ten minutes in.
Booked as the last stand of the Undertaker, Reigns dominated the Dead Man for the bulk of the match, hitting him with one high-impact move after another. And yet the Undertaker refused to stay down. Incredulous, Reigns eventually speared him for the win. After the match, Taker left his gloves and coat in the ring, signalling his retirement though he would return a year later at WrestleMania 34.
The match itself was slow and sloppy with a few glaring missteps including a botched Tombstone spot. Though it lacked the emotional impact of Shawn Michaels hitting Ric Flair with one last Sweet Chin Music, Reigns’ final spear for the win was a nice touch in an otherwise disappointing affair.
The Shield vs. The New Age Outlaws and Corporate Kane, WrestleMania XXX
The Shield were caught in booking limbo after a hot mini-feud with the Wyatt Family in early 2014. So, where did that leave them for WrestleMania XXX? A hastily put-together six-man match against a trio of dinosaurs from the Attitude Era. WWE made the best of a tricky situation though with a fun, squash match that left no doubt that the Shield were superior and would soon be turning babyface.
The Shield vs. The Big Show, Sheamus, Randy Orton, WrestleMania XXIX
The Shield ran roughshod all over WWE following their debut at Survivor Series 2012, going undefeated against different combinations of six-man teams. But would face their toughest competition in the WrestleMania XXIX opener, facing a trios team composed of three former World Champions.
The story here was simple: Could the cohesive unit defeat the All-Star collection of individuals? The Shield’s answer: a resounding yes. Reigns, Rollins, and Ambrose were a well-oiled machine here, isolating their opponents in their corner, making quick tags, double-and-triple teaming their larger, more experienced rivals. In the end, a Reigns spear finished Orton for the sudden pin. A fun opener that further elevated the Shield and put over their teamwork and solidarity.
The third time would be the charm for Roman Reigns when it came to conquering Brock Lesnar. Billed as the “Biggest WrestleMania Match of All Time,” this was a winner-take-all bout for Reigns’ WWE Universal Title and Lesnar’s WWE Championship. A lot had changed since their disastrous match in New Orleans at WrestleMania 34. Reigns had grown into his character and was now a fully formed heel — the Tribal Chief of the Bloodline. He also now had Paul Heyman in his corner. Lesnar, meanwhile, was now a jolly, yet terrifying, babyface.
The action and layout mirrored their previous encounters: a sprint of high-impact moves with each combatant hitting multiple finishers early on. This time, however, Reigns would come out on top. Following an epic pep talk from his Wiseman, Reigns hit Lesnar with a spear out of nowhere for the clean win to unify the territory’s top titles.
Roman Reigns and The Rock vs. Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins, WrestleMania XL, Night One
Though this one came in with a super hot angle and high stakes—whether the Night Two main event would be Bloodline Rules—the match itself was overlong, overbooked, and featured a few too many dead spots. Still, it was amazing seeing The Rock in full Final Boss glory, an updated, enhanced version of his character from his Attitude Era prime. In the end, Rock pinned Crybaby Cody after a Rock Bottom. But there was no reason for this match to go 44 minutes.
A sold-out SoFi Stadium was ready to watch Cody Rhodes finish his story and lift the one championship that eluded his late father, “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes. But the main event of night two of WrestleMania 39 turned into a nightmare for both Cody and his devoted fans. Though it was a great back-and-forth match, it suffered from a little too much outside interference (first from Solo Sikoa, and then from the Uso’s, Kevin Owens, and Sami Zayn) and a bummer of a finish. After previously being ejected from ringside, Solo Sikoa sneaked back in and hit Rhodes with the Samoan Spike, allowing Roman to cover Rhodes and extend his reign over WWE.
Edge vs. Roman Reigns vs. Daniel Bryan, WrestleMania 38