5 WrestleMania matches that surpassed low expectations

This match was a failure in 2004, and fans had every reason to doubt that adding 13 years to each man's age would do much to make it any better. — This match was a failure in 2004

#4 Roman Reigns vs Brock Lesnar, WrestleMania 31

This one is part Mortal Kombat boss fight and part Game of Thrones dragon battle

From the moment Brock Lesnar rag dolled John Cena into oblivion at 2014's SummerSlam event, and became the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion, fans began to see the writing on the wall that Lesnar's only defeat in a monster run woul0 be by the company's newest solo obsession, Roman Reigns.

A man whose strong showing fans had cheered at the 2014 Royal Rumble suddenly, in the summer of that year, became the most polarizing man on the roster. Fans began to complain about the former Georgia Tech footballer being "shoved down their throats".

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At every turn, when Reigns inched closer and closer to securing a main event birth at his first solo WrestleMania, he was met with a chorus of boos, which grew in intensity as he won the 2015 Royal Rumble, then pinned fan favorite Daniel Bryan at Fastlane to secure his spot in the title match in Santa Clara.

At WrestleMania 31 itself, Lesnar entered to a hero's welcome, and the assembled WWE Universe chanted along with Paul Heyman's trademark introduction of the company's top heel.

The bell rang, and a repeat of the SummerSlam flummoxing of Cena commenced, with Reigns in place of the former rapper. Lesnar displayed impressive power in throwing Reigns all over the ring and ringside area, and inspired a new Twitter trend (and merchandise line) with an offhand comment that he was taking Reigns to Suplex City that night.

A pretty common sight that WrestleMania night, and the inspiration for a surprise Twitter trend. — A pretty common sight that WrestleMania night, and the inspiration for a surprise Twitter trend

Before Seth Rollins even began his sprint to the ring, the match had far surpassed fans' expectations for a stinker, and Reigns' rally of Superman Punches and Spears near the end brought much of Levi's Stadium to its feet.

It was a story well told of the virtuous Reigns taking every ounce of punishment, and smiling through it, in order to slay the beast, only to have his glory stolen in the final seconds by his ex-ally.

It was a classic where everyone was expecting a dud.

Edited by Raunak J