When ex-WWE referee believed 45-year-old concussed during iconic Roman Reigns match
Roman Reigns may be the most talked about wrestler in all of the pro-wrestling world today, but the WWE Superstar was despised at one point. This was especially evident when he controversially rose to superstardom in 2015 as a babyface and wasn't well-received by fans.
Mike Chioda, who was in the ring on duty for the main event of WrestleMania 31, recently recounted Brock Lesnar's insane selling to elevate a young Roman Reigns.
In an interview with PWMania, Mike Chioda remembered feeling concerned for The Beast, as the latter was bumping so much for Reigns that he even got busted open, and Chioda thought Lesnar was "concussed":
"Brock sold his a** off, man. I mean, I remember he got gashed open the hard way because he won’t do no other way. He’ll do it the hard way, then anyone will believe it. I’d never seen him f*cking sell like that before. I thought he was actually concussed or he was hurt or dizzy or something like that," Chioda said.
So much so that the ex-WWE referee wound up asking Brock mid-way through the match whether the latter was all right:
"I mean, I was sitting there at one point, and I remember I put on the gloves. And next thing you know, I’m looking at him, and I kept asking him, ‘Brock, you alright brother?’ And he’s selling around the ropes and selling around the outside coming back and selling like a son of a gun." [H/T: PWMania]
Roman Reigns staring down Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 31. This would be their first encounter in what would eventually become a trilogy of WrestleMania main events. https://t.co/OgR5nm66AE
Mike Chioda concluded by saying that because Roman Reigns was being made, Brock Lesnar had to do what he did, being a true "professional." Chioda then went on to call the WrestleMania 31 main event one of the best of his career.
Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns had a lengthy WWE feud spanning over seven years
After Seth Rollins stole the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 31 by cashing in his Money in the Bank contract, Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar went their separate ways. Despite receiving a ton of heat for a lackluster build, their bout on The Grandest Stage in 2015 to this day remains iconic.
For the next seven years, they faced off several more times, including two more WrestleMania main events in 2018 and 2022. After a year's gap, Brock Lesnar returned in 2021 for a year-long program with The Tribal Chief.
Their final bout took place at SummerSlam last year, where The Head of the Table finally defeated Lesnar in a Last Man Standing Match. The Beast might just be Reigns' most important rival of all time.
@WrestleOps @WWE Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns SummerSlam. Classic. Nothing tops this mayhem🔥👏 https://t.co/TTU3l1Man6
WWE finally has in their hands the top star that they were grooming from the get-go, Roman Reigns as The Tribal Chief is now adored by millions. Elsewhere on WWE TV, his fellow Shield brother Seth Rollins rules as the new World Heavyweight Champion.