Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins

[10.0] "The match was basically Brock walking Roman like a dog through all the ring, but what makes this main event very important is how they managed to have a new champion over someone that lost earlier that Wrestlemania match. The cash-in marked my memory from the moment I saw this with 12 years old, it felt surreal, frustrating and shocking all at the same time. I am so glad I watched this live. All these 3 gents did a very good match and shocking ending. From Roman trying to shoot fight Brock, the birth of Suplex City and Rollins becoming and securing his spot as the biggest heel of the year in the following months."

[9.0] "I found this match enjoyable. I enjoyed Lesnar dominating from the start and then the matched flipped to Roman dominating. The Rollins cash in is phenomenal and smart from the company given the crowd reaction towards Roman."

[10.0] "No one asked for this, yet here we are with "Big Dog" Roman Reigns main eventing WrestleMania for the first time. Fortunately, it's against Brock Lesnar. A motivated Brock should I add, which means he doesn't play around. In other words, Roman gets baptized here, and it's a blissful blast. The "Big Dog" gets brutalized in a way only Brock can brutalize someone, and it's a sight to behold. In fact, this right here is The Beast at his absolute peak! You get a reckless Brock coming out guns blazing, hitting an F5 under a minute into the match and proceeding to manhandle Roman, take him to Suplex City ("bitch"), and brutalize him with knees and one wicked lariat, and it's glorious! It's stiff as hell and a staggering performance from Brock. He simply oozes dominance like no other, and in that aspect, his aura is unparalleled. Roman takes the beating like a champ and laughs it off, showing heart and defiance, which is genuinely infuriating. But then Brock takes the gloves off, slaps the shit out of Roman and hands him some more punishment, which is delightful. Brock blasting his head open against the post is a magnificent turning point, especially with Brock's immaculate selling. It's only about 15 minutes and it's a war for the ages! Enters Seth Rollins and The Heist of the Century, which is a stunningly brilliant twist. Damn what a wild ride! Not only is this the most brutal main event in WrestleMania history, this might actually be my favorite WrestleMania main event of all time. That's what a motivated Brock brings to the table, and there is nothing quite like it. ****3/4+"

[8.0] "I think this was an all-time great WrestleMania moment. Rollins was a heel, but that doesn't take away how awesome it was to see the Money in the Bank cash-in during the main event of WrestleMania. The story is that Reigns was going to win the WWE Title from Lesnar, but due to the fans not reacting to Reigns in a favorable way in the build up to this match, the plan changed and during the show, Rollins was informed that he would do his Money in the Bank cash-in to win the WWE Title in the main event of WrestleMania. There were also stories that members of Roman Reigns were legitimately angry about it because a lot of them were brought to the show to watch Reigns win the WWE Title and then it didn't happen. If Reigns won, it wouldn't have bothered me, but this moment was a lot more memorable because we had never seen a Money in the Bank cash-in at a WrestleMania before, so it truly was one of the best WrestleMania moments of the decade and maybe even all-time."

[5.0] "I can kind of see the appeal of this match but man looking back at it today, having never been around to watch that era of WWE live, I'm just not a huge fan. A match between 2 wrestlers I am not particularly fond of featuring maybe 5 moves collectively across the entire match? The only real saving grace is the Rollins cash in which is pretty fun and must have been sick to watch live but is such a minor part of the match I can't really rate it all that high."

[4.0] "The majority of this match is what these two usually did. Which is to say it was boring and it sucked. It's ONLY remembered fondly for Seth's cash in which saved the show, albeit briefly. At this point in time NO ONE wanted Roman Reigns anywhere near the main event. He wasn't ready both in the ring and on the mic but dadgummit Vince and Michael Hayes knew better than the fans and they were going to tell them what they wanted."

[9.0] "Yeah the heist of the century is what this match is associated with and both these guys were doing real shitty work at the time... but Reigns and Brock have great in ring chemistry and put together a really great match even without the interferance. That moment late on where brock gets cut open and Heyman looks like he just saw a ghost is so good. The whole match is brutal and paced wonderdully, and considering it was a last minute call the execution of the cash in and finish is remarkable"

[9.0] "This is one of the best Wrestlemania main events of all time. A brutal match followed by the greatest Money in the Bank cash-in ever! Everything about this worked. Lesnar's brutal assault of Reigns for almost the entire match was something to remember. He literally throw Reigns around the ring like a bag of trash, took his gloves off and slapped him multiple times, showing the ultimate disrespect. All of a sudden Brock is busted open and Reigns looks like he's about to humble the champion but he just can't get it done. Eventually both men are down, it looks like they're both one big move away from winning it all and at that point Rollins music hits and not only he steals it, he does it by pinning the challenger, his Shield brother, Roman Reigns. This match was CINEMA and one that pro wrestling fans will remember forever. ****1/2"

[9.0] "The build up for this match was absolute garbage and no one wanted to see this match. The match was doomed for disaster, but Lesnar and Reigns not only delivered the Match of the Night, but also one of the best matches of the year. Lesnar absolutely dominated Reigns and beat the shit out of him in an extremely physical affair. Reigns had a mini comeback towards the end, only to receive an F5. As both wrestlers were down on the mat, Seth Rollins cashed in his Money in the Bank contract to make this a Triple Threat match. Rollins quickly won the match and became the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion. The cash in was unbelievable, as everyone thought Reigns would win. Michael Cole perfectly described it as the "Heist of the Century", as Rollins created one of the most iconic WrestleMania moments ever. Him swinging the belt after the victory was a very cool visual too. An incredible fight with an iconic ending, will be remembered for ages to come. [****1/2]"

[9.0] "A near-perfect main event to WrestleMania that was incredibly physical before the bell, and ended in one of the best ways I've ever seen 3 men be simultaneously elevated by one main event contest. Reigns looked like a star, Lesnar was brutal and efficient, and Rollins was the ultimate opportunist. The best Money in the Bank cash in, not even a contest. [****.75]"

[7.0] "Again, I am might in minority that I didn't enjoy this main event that much overall, other than infamous and iconic heist of century of Seth Rollins really saved it from potentially a mid match of Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar. In prior to Seth Rollins cash in, this match is just a decent 3 stars at best, this really says a lot about overrated mid feud for two overpushed bores Roman and Brock. Seth Rollins heist of century deserves a 5 and even 6 stars. [***1/4]"

[9.0] "[4, 5 Stars] I'd missed hearing the old Reigns music and wish that the bastard Lesnar could have been around more back then because the belt fit him too well. For a long time I thought this match was overrated because of the Heist Of The Century, and in fact it is a bit overrated, but wow, this is a big Mania main-event, it's even the definition of a Wrestlemania main-event. (****, 5)."

[10.0] "An iconic moment and one of the greatest WrestleMania endings ever. Lesnar and Reigns were tearing into each other in a brutal, hard hitting war and I genuinely enjoyed seeing Roman getting his ass kicked. Then Rollins cashed in to create pure chaos. The energy in the stadium was unmatched and every second felt monumental. A perfect mix of storytelling, shock, and spectacle."

[9.0] "This was for Lesnar's WWE Heavyweight Championship. A great match that has some problems. Great aggression from the jump from both guys. Brock Lesnar being busted open by one of Roman's punches is a good excuse for Brock to keep punishing Reigns after his finisher. People at the time (and even in retrospect) may have despised this version of Roman Reigns, but he shows great fire and is always throwing strikes back at Brock without abandoning an all-time selling performance. Lesnar is mean when in control, and the way he cuts off every attempt at a comeback from Reigns makes it so much better when Roman is finally able to pull through. Great subtle facial expressions from Lesnar when Roman kicks out of the F-5, with him taking his gloves off just making it a moment for the ages. When Roman kicks out of the second F-5, you really feel Brock is gotten to. His decision to take things to the outside is logical but backfires into a pouring of blood that Lesnar sells like a legit concussion. I have a bit of a gripe with Roman's superman punches. I've always felt like it is a move that looks better when leaner wrestlers do it. Nonetheless, Reigns' comeback is great. But then comes the real problem, the one keeping this from reaching all-time greatness. His name is Seth Rollins. It cuts off an awesome match for the sake of "a moment". Rollins' intervention is short enough to not be disastrous, but it is a notch in what could have been a perfect bout."

[10.0] "I can never forget this match. I still have the highlights video stored in mobile just to go back and watch this magic. Loved the entire segment along with entrances, and ofcourse The Heist of the Century!"

[6.0] "First of the endless series of Matches between Reigns and Lesnar. This first confrontation is nothing special, the two do not have great chemistry and between a Reigns not yet ready for a stage like that from all points of view it certainly does not elevate Lesnar who I have always found acceptable and nothing more as a performer. The absence of a special stipulation will be a condemnation to this never-ending rivalry until the end. Luckily the cash of the century of Rollins (even if a little predictable), saves enough the situation that was becoming dramatic with the ovation of the heel Lesnar against the predestined big dog Reigns. In short, iconic ending but the match up to that point was quite bad."

[7.0] "Suplex city, bitch. Brock in the beast mode really delivered and high-paced format in first few minutes prevented it from signs of a lackluster. However (hot take warning), Rollins participation didn't elevate this match as an overall. Cool moment, but should be mostly consider as a separate part."

[6.0] "It is the correct match to give a Rollins the spotlight that deserves, but the match is basic in the first part with a questionable and boring chemistry between Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar. The match goes well with Rollins' entrance and his opportunistic attitude ***1/2"

[7.0] "The heist of the century, this match was good. Entertaining from start to finish, although it started off boring with Brock dominating Roman, but then the tides changed and Roman started to get the upper hand, and out came Seth with the MITB Briefcase. By FAR the best MITB cash-in we've ever seen, just brilliant."

[10.0] "Perfect. Brock Reigns was perfect. Rollins with the heist of the century was perfect. Everything was perfect."

[8.0] "This is an outstanding match, just a hard hitting slugfest from beginning to end. This match had zero hype behind it throughout the build up, but it massively exceeded the lows expectations fans had for it. The ring post spot is iconic, and in my opinion Post UFC Brock Lesnar in All Japan would have been electric. And the finish with Seth Rollins cashing in his MITB briefcase was the perfect finish to this match and for most people the greatest cash in of all time. Although in my opinion Edges cash in on John Cena was the best one. Regardless this was a phenomenal ending to an amazing wrestlemania."

[9.0] "easily the best out of their mania trilogy (Brock and Roman i mean), they just did the same match again but without any of the magic they had here. this was basically brock/cena at summerslam but with a much more exciting finish. the crowd, as much as they hated roman, really got into his comeback and seth's interference was just the icing on the cake. easily top 3 most iconic mania endings ****1/4"

[9.0] "This match is insane, I can't believe how good it was, I popped for everything, this is awesome. This wasn't an unanimous main event, both guys are somewhat questioned going to this, specially Reigns, who was booed, Lesnar still have a huge support by the crowds, but lots of people were actually rooting for Seth Rollins to cash-in and 'save' WrestleMania. The fact is that, Roman and Brock delivered everything, this one felt brutal ever since the beginning, when they didn't hold back anything and started to brawl, and Roman immediately made Lesnar bleed. The scars don't lie, Lesnar bled at the beginning, and later on the match his mouth was also bleeding, it shows how stiff the match was, it was basically a shoot-style match, which is unreal. I loved the knee strike by Roman, countered by a nasty clothesline by Lesnar... when Brock took off his gloves and started to slap Reigns, that was also a very good moment. The whole match felt super dangerous, and they did it with only 16-minutes, without counting the time for Rollins cash-in, so it's even less, but everything looked extremely brutal and violent. On the outside, Roman pushed Lesnar into the ring post, and he got legitimately busted open, that was incredible, and when back to the ring, Roman even did some headbutts on him as well, and this started the ending stretch, which had amazing nearfalls, specially by Reigns, and Brock couldn't believe it. This is just phenomenal, the 'Heist of the Century' is definitely one of the greatest moments of all time, but the irony is that it actually harms the match, because of how awesome it was until that point - {****1/2}"

[9.0] "[4.5*] This match was very simple in terms of structure but also so goddamn good in terms of quality. It started-off as stiff as a north-american company match can get, it looked like an AJPW fight. Brock dominated Roman, the whole Suplex City stuff, while Roman was laughing and asking for more like a menace. He keeps selling his ass off for Brock until it is time for his big comeback. This part also rules because Lesnar is a phenomenal seller when he wants to. They went to the outside and Brock got busted open, which I really do not think was planned, but ended up adding so much heat to the match. It had a couple of finisher exchanges and awesome nearfalls until Seth made one of the greatest cash-ins of all time. W Mania ME."

[9.0] "What a swerve. No one wanted this match yet it's the highlight of the entire 2015. Brock and roman were already throwing bombs. And Seth Rollins cashing in made it even more awesome. Great Main event"

[10.0] "The initial Match is fantastic but it is really perfected by the greatest Money In The Bank Cashin of all time. It really felt like Seth had stolen a win here."

[8.0] "Brock and Roman beat the holy hell out of each other. Stiff strikes, Roman taking punishment, Brock getting busted open the hard way. Of course, Seth cashing in his MITB contract in one of the most iconic closing moments in Wrestlemania history. Awesome match."

[9.0] "A fantastic main event to a really solid WrestleMania, Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns go one-on-one for the WWE World Heavyweight Title, and Seth Rollins cashes in. The first part of the match was still really good, with Lesnar being his super dominant self. Despite the fact the crowd weren't really getting behind him, I will give props to Reigns for taking that punishment, and I also like the story being told with Reigns showing resilience and defiance against Lesnar. I loved the usage of blood too, by the way. The match really picked up when we got Reigns' comeback, and then went into overdrive when Rollins cashed in and performed "the heist of the century". This one is remembered for good reasons."

[9.0] "First part of the match was really good. Lesnar had a complete domination, and most importantly was very methodical, with many ways of suplexing and hurting Reigns, this is much better than what he usually does when he is lazy. This domination also didn't give the public the chance to boo Reigns, which is also a good thing for the quality of the match. The come back of Roman was also well made, at the right moment when Lesnar's control HAD to end. Obviously, second part of the match with Rollins cash-in was brilliant, it was already chaotic right after the 2 spears of Reigns, but this intervention made everyone go crazy. In the end, a compelling 16min match, never boring (make people care of Brock vs Roman is a real achievement), ending with the right winner. One of the really great main event of WM."

[8.0] "I think the collective rejection of Roman Reigns at the time tainted what was a genuinely good match when it was just Lesnar & Reigns. The best match they would have until the last man standing match 7 years later. I'd rate the first half of the match 7/10. Seth's cash in elevates this no matter how you look at it, it established a new circumstance for Money In The Bank cash ins that had never been done before and expertly avoided the rage that would have come with Reigns winning."

[10.0] "Was not expecting the Heist of the Century to actually IMPEDE my enjoyment of the match (ever so slightly), but it is undeniable how much of a thrill that moment was. Let it never be forgotten that before Seth's iconic cash-in, Roman-Brock I was leagues ahead of anything the two men would do in their subsequent rematches. Perhaps Brock's greatest-ever performance coupled with a electric crowd into every move, commentary that doesn't get in the way and this was one of the most well-executed main events in company history. (****3/4)"

[10.0] "This was the match that no one wanted because the build up was insanely bad and everyone thought Brock was going back to the UFC and had to drop the belt to Roman who was the new face of the company that no one wanted, but Brock revealed he had resigned with WWE so the stakes were higher and surprisingly both men actually had such a phenomenal match, but no one still didn't want neither men to win so what happened, Seth came to cash in his MITB contract and we got one of the best WrestleMania endings ever with Seth committing "The Heist of the Century". Overall one of the best WrestleMania main events ever."

[9.0] "I remember watching this live and I didn't really remember anything but the ending, so I came into this match expecting it to not be very good. Surprisingly, my expectations were shattered and I think this is probably one of the best Wrestlemania main events ever. It's exactly what it needs to be. Hard hitting and messy. I usually don't like Lesnar spamming suplexes but here it worked because Reigns took some really nasty bumps for it. Lesnar can't escape being beat up on too, and in fact gets busted open which really increased my enjoyment of this. Seth's cash in is what really pushes it over the edge for me though, its so perfect."

[10.0] "A top 5 Mania main event for sure. The first match in the endless rivalry between Reigns and Lesnar and its also their best. Lesnar gets busted open hardway early on, which was very rare at the time, and the two men have an excellent hard hitting match until the heist of the century ( one of Michael Coles rare amazing calls during the time he had Vince shouting in his ear) Seth Rollins cashes in his MITB contract making it a triple threat and stealing away the WWE title from his former brother, solidifying himself as a main eventer for the rest of his career. As with most of Mania 31 the match is so good you forget about the abysmal build leading up to it."

[10.0] "I mean come on The greatest main event of any Wrestlemania since 28 in my opinion. Brock and Roman went out there just beat the fuck out of each other in a crazy Hard hitting match that was just about to climax when Seth Rollins came in and cashed in and stole the title from under both their noses. The Brock Roman match by itself gets probably a 4.25/5 but with the iconic Rollins cash in it makes this 5/5 stars"

[10.0] "This was the match that made me realise that reigns was a main event level guy he took a beating and his comeback is very good. Brock is the best booked champion in WWE history and felt unbeatable and roman was the best and wasnt even close to him in the beginning then his comeback is so good and comes at the right time. Having to use multiple spears and superman punches and still not being enough highlights how tough brock is. At this point this match is already an all timer then the cash in happens and it just enhances an already great match to cap off a superb mania and makes Roman and Seth into main event players."

[9.0] "This was a match that absolutely nobody wanted to see, but ended up being a complete banger. Brock started off by dominating Roman, tossing him around with Suplexes and F5s. Roman would not stay down and was starting to make a comeback, then Rollins did the heist of the century and cashed in money in the bank, hit Roman with a Stomp and won the title."

[7.0] "Seth Rollins cashing in and winning the title was absolutely the right decision and an all-time great Wrestlemania moment, and it also rescued this match, because before that happened it was a pretty boring series of Lesner hitting the German suplex over and over and over again, like a kid playing a video game that he doesn't really know so he just keeps spamming the same move over and over..."

[10.0] "This is my all-time favorite WrestleMania moment. Even before Rollins came, we had a match that exceeded expectations in a time where people were not on board with Roman Reigns. Lesnar and Reigns told a story of a challenger who simply won't give up, no matter what you throw at him. The match also included a - for that time - very rare bleeding spot which had a big effect on the drama in the final stretch of the match. Roman Reigns, getting beaten for the entire match, then suddenly fights back, busts Lesnar open, the uber-dominant beast is struggling. And then the magic happens. Seth Rollins came off a breakout performance in a Triple Threat against Cena and Lesnar at the Rumble, and was the preferred star to push over Roman at the time for many. But few people anticipated WWE would let the IWC darling crash the next John Cena's Mania main event. So from the moment he comes out, this is pure goosebumps, everyone is on their feet, this never happened before, what will happen? The execution of the final stretch is great. Rollins curb stomps Lesnar who almost immediately gets up again. Rollins tries for another but Lesnar counters, showing that Rollins, the architect, cannot beat Lesnar fair and square, not even after cashing in on a weakened Lesnar. But then Reigns, almost inadvertedly redeeming himself, spears Lesnar who carried Rollins on his shoulders (perfect camera direction here, you can't see Reigns incoming), letting the architect steal the win by curb stomping and pinning the guy who he backstabbed a year ago. I think for those who did not watch this era of WWE at the time, it's tough to comprehend how much of a savior Seth Rollins was in this moment, for pretty much every fan. He saved this match, he saved the event and the entire landscape at this time. It's this moment where leading up to the event, you come up with stupid fantasy booking and say "imagine how great it would be if Rollins would just cash in on Reigns, that would be nuts but they'd never do that", but then... he .. does. Unfortunately he got injured later and we still got our fair share of terrible Roman Reigns main events, but this one will live on as one of the greatest wrestling moments ever."

[10.0] "An immortal WrestleMania classic. They went from booking themselves into a corner to maybe the greatest twist they've ever pulled off. The writing was on the wall for a Reigns coronation at WrestleMania 31. We all thought Lesnar was leaving the company and putting the "next guy" over on his way out. They really ended the Undertaker's streak just to give all that heat to Reigns. But then Lesnar re-signed and we went back to not knowing. Lesnar best the piss out of Reigns for most of the match and it felt like a real prizefight. When Reigns came back, it felt like the sure finish. Here we go again, Super Cena but with Reigns. Then Lesnar kicked out of back to back spears and we were back to not knowing a thing. Then came the "Heist of the Century" and that solidified this as a classic. Rollins pulls the title off of Brock without beating him and symbolically pins Roman instead paying off his Shield betrayal beautifully. And in a meta sense, Rollins was over and was a much better choice at this point than Reigns. This main event saved the show. WrestleMania 31 is generally considered one of the best ever, but what if it ended the way that 32 ended? That wouldn't be the case."

[9.0] "While this match is most fondly remembered for The Heist of the Century and for good reason as it was a completely amazing get out of jail free card, but the match that preceded it was also just really damn good. Lesnar absolutely murdered Reigns the whole time and as soon as Reigns was feeling the heat, the cash in happened. Lesnar and Reigns talking in the ring elevated it even more and my god that ring post cut was gnarly but made the match so much more dramatic. One of the best modern Wrestlemania main events, and easily the best match in this god awful feud."

[8.0] "A wonderful ending, with a thrilling moment when Seth Rollins cashes in his Money In The Bank Contract during the main event at WrestleMania. So fucking iconic. (8.5/10)"

[8.0] "Maybe the best cashin of all time. Without that, it would have been an average main event. I don't like "fighter" Lesnar combat style, because it's only F5 and German Suplex. Reigns here was on a Superman Cena level, he was punched and thrown everywhere and was going to comeback in a forced way. Thanks to Rollins we avoided this. I'd give 6 to the first match and 10 to the cash-in, this legendary WM moment made Rollins' career."

[7.0] "I finally rewatched this match. In my memory this match was much better, but here's proof that Brock vs Roman doesn't work. The public starts to buy in as Lesnar destroys Reigns, but when the babyface makes his comeback, it gives people a bit of dismay because everyone is already expecting the standard formula of a sequence of big moves and victory, but thankfully the cash in happens mid-match and transforms what it would be a bum main event (just like WM 34 and 38) into something historic and memorable (***1/2)"

[9.0] "An excellent WrestleMania main event. Reigns takes the hits all the way until he sends Lesnar into the post on the outside. He regains control of the match until an F5 from Lesnar and Seth Rollins arrives for cash in. The finish is very well executed, its exceptional. I love this match. (4*1/2)"

[9.0] "This is probably one of the most underrated matches of both of their careers. This match is one of the hardest-hitting WrestleMania main events and it didn't even need a stipulation. Roman was still a below-average and somewhat dull of a character & promo, but his character work shined here more than ever pre-Tribal Chief. His in-ring talk and his resilience was refreshing to see from a younger Roman Reigns. The outside turnbuckle was ridiculous, and it was surprising the cut didn't end up being worse. That looked like an "X" moment, but of course, Lesnar soldiered on. The cut at the very beginning of the match was also pretty shocking and really cool to see. Roman was not holding back and despite the boring character, he proved he was ready for the main event of WrestleMania. Brock was fantastic in this match as well. There was one true false finish in this match that shocked me still even after knowing the outcome of the match, which was when Reigns had hit the multiple spears after Lesnar had gotten smashed into the pole and Lesnar kicked out. Seems like a large portion of the building thought the match could be over there. Really fun match and the finish adds so much more to the match as well. The little-to-no reaction Roman got during his entrance proved why the Seth Rollins finish was necessary. This match doesn't get enough credit for being a very good match on the portfolio of Roman Reigns."

[9.0] "Legit one of the best booked matches in the history of the sport. This match had a feel like the summerslam 2014 match with lesnar and cena but a tad bit more offense from the baby face. I mean right as soon as the match starts not even a minute in lesnar is bleeding on his cheek and already hit a F5 of reigns. You can definitely see reigns has not quite mastered selling and acting like he has today but still this is a very believable match of the baby face getting BEAT the entire match and as soon as he has a window and a opportunity to capture his first world title his former friend and stable mate comes and takes that all away that was amazing without a doubt the best mitb cash in of all time. I have amazing memories of watching this match live on the night of and each time i watch it i enjoy it just as much as that night this was the perfect night and match for rollins to cash in. And the way he sells it after the match that he actually did pull off a heist the way hes holding the title and running away with it is amazing. This is a finisher spam match but for some reason it feels necessary and works so well here. Both men are bleeding and this is a match that deserves blood in it and adds to it theres honestly nothing bad to say about this match its beautifully done. 4 1/4*"

[10.0] "Just a perfectly booked match, crowd was shitting on Roman, so they had Brock giving him the beating of a lifetime turning Babyface in the process, Roman' selling was great, and, even in the beating, he looked strong. Seth cashing was just icing on the cake, one of the few real surprises of our time as everyone thought it was a done deal that Roman was getting the title first, then finding out that Lesnar was resigning that very week, thus indicating that he was retaining. Great action, great story, great crowd, a perfect match. Not all ***** need to be perfectly balanced back and forth technically sound bouts."

[10.0] "Favourite wrestling match of all time. A perfectly built FIGHT that was crafted in the context of pure apathy into a generational clash. They booked themselves into a corner, unbooked themselves out of it with how good the match was, then blasted the walls of the corner by doing the best cash-in of all time. *****"

[9.0] "Going into it, the WrestleMania 31 main event felt like one of the biggest lose-lose situations that WWE had ever put themselves in. Brock Lesnar, coming off of one of the most dominant years in WWE history, was seemingly about to be force fed to WWE (and certainly not the fans)'s new hand-picked superstar, Roman Reigns. Even getting the fans to care about the match itself when they knew they would hate the outcome felt like it would be an uphill battle, and that's where I want to start. Reigns and Lesnar, despite everything going against them, deliver one of the most brutal and violent WrestleMania matches ever. Even from the initial lock-up, this match felt 'legit' with Brock getting cut in the initial exchange. From there Brock Lesnar drops Roman on his head with suplex after suplex after suplex. Not only that, he delivers some absolutely vicious knees to the body of Reigns, and an especially sickening lariat onto the ring apron. Roman delivers a great babyface performance throughout, constantly smiling and laughing in the face of the carnal beating he was receiving, and kicking out of multiple F5's (also notably matching Lesnar's stiffness on the few moments of offense he was able to get on Lesnar). The climax of the match involves Roman countering Lesnar and driving him into the ring apron, busting Lesnar wide open. The blood added so much to the finish of this match in my opinion, not only for the visual itself, but as a demonstration that Roman had finally found a chink in the armor of the beast. From there Roman unloads on Lesnar with superman punches, FINALLY able to get him off his feat, and then hitting him with 2 spears leading to a fantastic near-fall. Reigns' third attempt at a spear gets countered by a Lesnar F5...and then it happens, WWE finds their answer to how send the fans home happy. Seth Rollins comes out with the money in the bank briefcase, and as Michael Cole puts it, pulls off the heist of the century. Looking back it was a great pivot by WWE, and created an all-time WrestleMania moment to cap off an all-time Mania main event. (****1/2)"