When Roman Reigns claimed his WWE opponent ignored his ideas in real life
Roman Reigns has participated in several long-term WWE rivalries over the last decade, with Brock Lesnar arguably being his greatest on-screen enemy.
Their first in-ring battle came in the WrestleMania 31 main event, where Seth Rollins emerged victorious after cashing in his Money in the Bank contract. They also closed the show at WrestleMania 34 and WrestleMania 38.
In 2017, Reigns spoke on Chris Jericho's Talk Is Jericho podcast about Lesnar's apparent reluctance to cooperate backstage. He also referenced how his current ally, Paul Heyman, was looking out for The Beast Incarnate at the time:
"I'm never scared," Reigns said. "But it was just weird. It really was. It was last minute. It was one of those deals where it wasn't a lot of talking, [Lesnar and Heyman] didn't seem open to ideas because, essentially, in their minds, and when I say 'their minds' I say Brock and Paul, which, that is a powerful pairing right there." (H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcription)
3/29/2015
Seth Rollins cashed in to defeat Roman Reigns & Brock Lesnar to win the WWE Championship at #Wrestlemania XXXI from Levis Stadium in Santa Clara, California
#SethRollins #TheArchitect #BrockLesnar #BeastIncarnate #RomanReigns #TheRomanEmpire #WWE #WWETitle #WWEHistory https://t.co/P1FTl1hb1A
Although Reigns initially had trouble communicating with Lesnar, their WrestleMania 31 encounter exceeded expectations. Two-time WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart later described the bout as an "instant classic."
How Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns could have been booked
At the time, Paul Heyman represented Brock Lesnar as his on-screen advocate. Behind the scenes, the former ECW owner also had a say in his client's matches and segments.
Roman Reigns vs Brock Lesnar!
How it started How it ended
2015 WM31 2022 WM38 https://t.co/ELKdGgxafK
Roman Reigns added that Heyman and Lesnar wanted him to suffer a severe beating at WrestleMania 31:
"Those two, they're something else. They wanted to kill me. They were convinced however many people were there, eighty [thousand], whatever, they wanted to see me get crushed. They were there and they just want to see Roman get his a** beat. And I can't disagree with them, but brother [has] got to fight. Hey, you can kick my a** all you want, but I'm going to fight."
In 2020, Heyman began appearing on WWE television as Reigns' Special Counsel. The two have formed a formidable partnership since then, with Heyman's character even siding with The Tribal Chief over Lesnar.
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