If you are not excited for WrestleMania XXXIV (you're crazy), then watch this match. If you are excited for WrestleMania XXXIV, WATCH THIS MATCH! Why am I not in New Orleans!?!
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WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns - WrestleMania XXXI
"Think shoot, but work" - "Stone Cold" Steve Austin
I have not spoken about that mantra much, but the first minute of this WAR epitomizes the essence of great pro wrestling: "Think shoot, but work." How many pro wrestling matches have we seen Brock Lesnar start by bullrushing his opponent, double legging him and then driving him hard into the corner. Roman looks to head him off at the pass. This looked like two rams colliding and locked in a heated clash for supremacy. It was chaotic. It was organic. It had me three years later pumping my fist. The way Brock ended up manhandling Roman in the corner was great. Brock comes out with a mouse under his eye that gets worse & worse as the match progressing and blood dribbling down from his cheek. Brock phases Roman and then chucks him out of the corner. F-5!!!! BOOM! Playing right off the Cena Summerslam 2014 match. The key to Lesnar's lopsided defeat of Cena was that early F-5. Cena had some hope spots but he never recovered and Brock ran away with it in a squash. Here it was the same thing. I will say Brock looked in phenomenal shape in this match. His throws looked amazing. There was great variety like the Fisherman Suplex throw and the overhead Belly to Belly from the apron to the ring. Just insane strength. He commanded that ring. I thought Roman's hope spots were incredible. Everything had zip on it. The back elbow and then those two HUGE punches to the mouse under Brock's eye. Brock had some great strikes as well some really great kneelifts. My favorite spot of the match which is the spot I remember the most from this match is when Roman catches Brock charging with a knee. Then Roman CRACKS Brock in the mouth hard with a knee drawing blood from Lesnar's mouth. This just serves to piss The Beast off. Brock catches Roman's leg on the apron and proceeds to OBLITERATE Roman with a lariat that would make Stan Hansen proud. I mean HOLY SHIT! What a LARIAT! He smoked Roman! What I love about this is that was a major turning point. There were no more hope spots after that. It was just pure decimation. I am going to bring my complaint now. So Brock having conquered Roman looks to put him away with the F-5 and Roman kicks out and defiantly smiles & laughs. There were a couple times before this where Roman was using the sarcastic smile/laugh to put over his defiance/resilience. I just don't like this as an artistic choice. I think it undercuts the match. If you are going to do defiance, do it like Hashimoto, BOW UP & BELLOW!
I thought the transition to Roman's comeback was pitch perfect. Roman was too deep in a hole. He needed some luck, something extra. It came in form of a shove into the post. Brock gets lacerated. Brock is just a mess, bleeding from the mouse under the eye, from the mouth and now from the forehead. I have said it before and I will say it again and I will let ring from the mountaintops, Brock Lesnar is the BEST SELLER in the WWE right now. That's where he makes his money. The way he sells the Superman Punches are amazing. He sells discombobulation so well. The way he flays. It generates so much excitement. You cant help but get on your feet, pump your fist because it feels like something crazy is about to happen. The Spears & Superman Punches were great. Catching Roman in the Superman Punch & the DEFIANT F-5 COMPLETE WITH BEAST ROAR WAS INCREDIBLE!!!! BROCK LESNAR IS ALL MAN!
At this point, Seth Rollins cashes-in Money In The Bank. I liked the finish a lot with Brock catching Rollins in the F-5, Reigns Spearing Brock while he had Rollins on his shoulders and then Rollins hitting the Curb Stomp on Reigns to win. I like the finish in the sense that if you are going to do the Money In The Bank Cash-in this was the best possible finish, but I would have much rather seen Brock vs Roman get a proper finish because it was an amazing, ultra-violent bout.
The Rollins stuff & the Roman laughing brings this down a smidge, but this is an awesome match. It is the Cena Summerslam 2014 match with the violence turned to 11. These two beat the holy hell out of each other. Watching it back I didn't think the heat segment went too long which was my complaint when I watched it live. I thought the hope spots from Roman were great and well-timed. I thought Lariat on the Apron was a great turning point to Brock's Finish run and the Post shot was a great transition to Roman's finish run. From the post-shot to the F-5 of Defiance is some of the best pro wrestling ever. Brock Lesnar is The Man! ****1/2
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