The Controversy Surrounding WWE's WrestleMania 34 Main Event, Explained
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WWE going back to the Roman Reigns vs Brock Lesnar well yet again for SummerSlam 2022 has fans thinking about all the matches they’ve already had. Few rivalries have gone this long with controversial moments associated with their work. WrestleMania 34 flies under the radar among the most controversial WrestleMania endings of all time.
The match ended in a chaotic fashion, with many variables adding to the controversy. Fans watching in real time witnessed it playing out, adding to the controversy of an already polarizing build. The post-match stories of the backstage side made it even more shocking by seeing more stories created. WrestleMania 34 deserves another glance back at what caused Brock vs Roman to have such controversy.
Fans Didn't Care To See Roman Reigns Vs Brock Lesnar Again
WWE went to the Roman Reigns vs Brock Lesnar well too many times, but the early issue was that fans didn’t want it at all. Supporters of Roman enjoyed his rivalries against other names like Seth Rollins, Braun Strowman, and Drew McIntyre throughout the years. Vince McMahon envisioned Lesnar vs Reigns as his top attraction over seven years ago when their first match came at WrestleMania 31.
RELATED: Every Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns Match, Ranked
Fans turned on the story, but Seth Rollins cashing in his Money in the Bank contract saved the match. WWE hoped that there would be a stronger appeal three years later at WrestleMania 34. Brock was in the midst of a dominant year long Universal Championship reign heading into this match, but he was barely around to defend it. Much of the audience soured on Lesnar’s title run, making it hard to care for him, even if they didn’t like Reigns.
There was a section of fans who were still not accepting Roman as a face and booed him most weeks. Neither man was getting much crowd investment during the build of this match, and it hurt the entire WrestleMania 34 buzz. The audience not caring about the WrestleMania main event is a way to create negative controversy before even getting to the show.
Brock Lesnar Shockingly Beats Roman Reigns
The entire WrestleMania 34 card was a mixed bag that showed why WWE currently splits the biggest show of the year into two nights. Fans were excited about the earlier matches on the card with hits like Finn Balor vs The Miz vs Seth Rollins, Charlotte Flair vs Asuka, and the mixed tag match of Kurt Angle and Ronda Rousey vs Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. Few matches later on the card received strong crowd interaction.
The WWE Championship match between AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura felt like a disappointment, but the other world title match following it received more hate. There were a lot of boos for Roman Reigns during his entrance that seeped into the match against Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship. Negative chants, boos, and even apathy showed that this match was not ideal for the time.
It was part of the story of Vince McMahon trying to force the Roman face push and wanting Brock to be the big obstacle in his way. Negative reaction from the live audience moved to social media with trends showing fans were displeased. WWE came up with a shocking finish of Lesnar retaining, despite everyone assuming Reigns would win, but it didn’t change the perception.
Brock Lesnar Throws The Universal Championship At Vince McMahon
Reports surfaced the day after WrestleMania 34 that there was a lot of unhappiness backstage over the failed main event. WWE 24 cameras caught the most controversial moment in this story and aired it when the documentary about the evening was released. Brock Lesnar threw the Universal Championship at Vince McMahon in anger and walked out of the gorilla position.
McMahon cursing back at Brock was the end of what we saw, but there was more to the story. Shane McMahon reportedly confronted Lesnar backstage after this moment to stand up for his father until others got in between them to prevent any physical action. Any other night could have seen this escalating into a fight, but the large group of people backstage stopped it.
WWE continued the Brock vs Roman Reigns feud with another Lesnar win in Saudi Arabia and eventually ended this chapter of the story at SummerSlam 2018. Reigns finally winning the Universal Championship didn’t even feel like a big moment after this program missed the mark. WWE is risking more failure by going back to the feud in a controversial manner today, but it is hard to envision it passing WrestleMania 34 in that polarizing regard.
