5 underappreciated Roman Reigns matches

#1 Roman Reigns vs Brock Lesnar - WrestleMania 31

At this point, fans were begging for Roman Reigns to lose. Even when it was against the unstoppable WWE Champion and all-around jerk Brock Lesnar, fans couldn't help but boo the Big Dog.

What we were in for was a legit hoss fight, and even when you don't factor in the greatest Money in the Bank cash-in at the end, this match was worthy of WrestleMania's main event spot. It was hard-hitting and a different kind of showcase for both men. Lesnar and Reigns threw their best shots at one another as they walked spaghetti-legged throughout the match.

Almost from the word go, both WWE Superstars realized that they were just one big move away from victory. They threw bomb after bomb, and it seemed that every hit had more force than before. German suplexes, clotheslines, knees, it was a war.

Roman Reigns revealed in an interview with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that thirty seconds into the match he even suffered an injury.

"Right off the get-go, I popped him and he scudded me up and ran me into the corner. I think right there I felt a rib shoot out of place. It was a struggle ever since that. From the get-go, I was hurt. He was throwing me around. That's his thing. But I was throwing bombs at the end. He did his thing, and I did mine. I think you saw a couple of juggernauts go at it."

Genuinely, aside from some NXT matches, I can't think of too many WWE match-ups that were as hard-hitting as this WrestleMania main event.

And then...well...

Seth Rollins with the HEIST OF THE CENTURYFive years ago today, @WWERollins became WWE Champion and the first person to cash in his Money In The Bank contract at WrestleMania(via @WWE)pic.twitter.com/nFE8Q6F6j5

— B/R Wrestling (@BRWrestling) March 29, 2020

Despite all that, this match is barely an afterthought because what everyone remembers is Seth Rollins' iconic cash-in on Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns. It's one of the greatest moments in all WWE history, hands down. However, fans shouldn't look down on what preceded that moment, as Lesnar and Reigns tore the house down, whether fans wanted them to or not.

Oddly enough, that sums up Roman Reigns' initial four years in WWE; often stealing the show in spite of the fans.