WrestleMania is where the best of the best collide and, in WWE, few come better than Roman Reigns. ‘The OTC’ has now headlined the company’s biggest show a staggering 11 times across his iconic career.

To put that number into perspective, even the legendary Hulk Hogan only appeared in eight ‘Mania main events. Roman currently has the record all to himself by some distance, and it is hard to see anyone else getting close to him currently.

Whether it be era-defining title matches, special tag team attractions or matches that fans truthfully didn’t want to see, Reigns certainly has a mixed bag to look back on in terms of his WrestleMania resume. Below is a look at all 11 of his ‘Mania headliners, ranked from worst to best.

11

Roman Reigns vs Triple H (c) – WWE World Heavyweight Championship (WrestleMania 32)

A prime example of WWE actively battling to get Reigns accepted by fans, WrestleMania 32 saw the company position Reigns as an all-conquering babyface despite being disliked by the overwhelming majority of the audience.

In what was viewed by most as simply a procession, Roman defeated Triple H after almost half an hour of uninspiring action. Most of the crowd at AT&T Stadium showed apathy towards Reigns after his pinfall victory. At the time, fans didn’t want to see Reigns pushed so strongly – and their lack of support for him definitely hurt the feel of his big matches.

10

Roman Reigns vs Brock Lesnar (c) – WWE Universal Championship (WrestleMania 34)

This list began with a match that was outright rejected by those in attendance, and this contest was no different. However, if you look past the circumstances surrounding it, ‘Mania 34 actually saw quite the hard-hitting affair between The Big Dog and The Beast Incarnate, with Lesnar nailing his opponent with six F-5’s to retain the title.

After crowning Roman didn’t receive the desired reaction against Triple H in Texas and his victory over Undertaker only made him more resented by the fans, WrestleMania 34’s main event was treated with sheer disinterest by those in attendance. The reaction was a shame as it nullified what was otherwise some strong action, but there was no getting away from the fact that most viewers expected Reigns to win, meaning Brock’s eventual triumph was met with ironic cheers. Not the reaction the company wanted on the biggest night on their calendar.

9

Roman Reigns vs The Undertaker (WrestleMania 33)

When Reigns vs The Undertaker was set up for WrestleMania 33, fans had already grown tired of his Big Dog babyface character in the biggest spotlights. With the WWE and Universal Championships on the line at the event, it wasn’t certain that his clash with The Deadman would go on last. However, the company’s desire to push Reigns as their biggest star meant he closed the Show of Shows for the third straight occasion, this time in a no-holds-barred match against a WrestleMania legend.

As it turned out, having a 52-year-old Undertaker wrestle for 23 minutes wasn’t the greatest spectacle. Those in attendance didn’t want to see Reigns at the best of times and their reaction to the match reflected that. Certainly not one to go back and watch.

8

Roman Reigns (c) vs Brock Lesnar (c) – WWE Universal Championship and WWE Championship Unification Match (WrestleMania 38)

Not tarred by outright rejection from the audience, WrestleMania 38 closed with a title unification match between WWE Champion Lesnar and Universal Champion Reigns. Admittedly, the fact that this was the third WrestleMania main event shared between the two meant that most had grown tired by the combination by the time 2022 rolled around, and this was before they faced-off once more at that year’s SummerSlam. However, there’s no doubting the historical significance of ‘Mania 38’s closing match.

The clash was somewhat hampered by Lesnar unfortunately picking up an injury midway through, but the pair still delivered a stellar contest, which elevated Reigns to an even higher level, as he added the WWE Title to his name and became the undisputed king of modern wrestling. It was a highly respectable match to go along with an iconic result.

7

Roman Reigns and The Rock vs Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins (WrestleMania 40, Night One)

One of only three tag team matches to ever headline ‘The Show of Shows’, this all-star tag team match closed the opening night of WrestleMania 40 and proved the perfect set up for the Reigns vs Rhodes title match that would happen 24 hours later.

Featuring The Rock’s first WWE in-ring appearance in eight years, the match wasn’t a technical classic. With that said, the crowd were fiercely invested from the start and the contest certainly felt like one worthy of headlining the biggest show of the year.

The Rock’s pinfall victory over Rhodes added an extra layer of storyline depth to ‘The American Nightmare’s’ rematch with Reigns the following night.

6

Roman Reigns (c) vs Edge vs Daniel Bryan – WWE Universal Championship (WrestleMania 37)

WrestleMania 37 saw Reigns enter his first ‘Mania as The Tribal Chief. Originally, he was scheduled to take on Royal Rumble winner Edge in a one-on-one affair, but, as was the case seven years earlier, the title match was changed into a triple threat due to the overwhelming popularity of Daniel Bryan, and this presented two legitimate threats to Reigns’ Universal Championship run.

With ring generals like Edge and Bryan, the three-way contest was always likely to be a memorable one, but the trio exceeded expectations to deliver an iconic match. It provided fans with strong action, and the visual of Roman stacking one opponent on top of the other for the decisive pinfall showed the world that Reigns wasn’t ready to lose his spot on top, something viewers would get used to over the next two WrestleMania events.

5

Roman Reigns (c) vs Cody Rhodes – Undisputed WWE Universal Championship (WrestleMania 39)

Expected to lose his title in front of over 67,000, the Tribal Chief’s win here was one of the most shocking victories in history and proved to us all that nothing is certain in wrestling. However, the cheap finish which saw Solo Sikoa interfere to help Roman retain the title was not popular with fans, hurting the overall reception of the match.

In fairness to both men, the match was of high in-ring quality. Unfortunately, its flat ending spoiled much of what had gone before. Thankfully, WWE would promote a rematch with a far more satisfying conclusion 12 months later.

4

Roman Reigns vs CM Punk vs Seth Rollins (WrestleMania 41)

Credit: WWE

Three cornerstones of the modern era mixed it up in the main event of WrestleMania 41.

Reigns, Punk and Rollins delivered an absorbing Triple Threat match built around the storyline intrigue of the who Paul Heyman would side with at the end of the night.

‘The Wise Man’ would ultimately turn on both Reigns and Punk, forging a new alliance with Rollins that would be a featured part of WWE programming for months afterwards.

Every element of the bout landed successfully, resulting in a supremely entertaining headliner.

3

Roman Reigns vs CM Punk (c) – World Heavyweight Championship (WrestleMania 42)

Reigns faced off with Punk for a second-straight year, this time with the World Heavyweight Championship on the line.

The pair put on a classic encounter, with Reigns taking the victory after hitting Punk with a spear.

WWE Chief Content Officer Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque later called the match “the best he’d ever seen.” We don’t rate it quite that highly, but it was an outstanding bout.

2

Roman Reigns vs Brock Lesnar (c) – WWE Championship (WrestleMania 31)

In 2015, fans had doubts over Reigns’ ability to ascend to the main event spotlight, but they hadn’t yet been worn down by his unrelenting push to the top. While most didn’t want to see him get his hands on the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in Santa Clara, the in-ring action made many realise that The Big Dog could more than hold his own between the ropes, regardless of the ongoing battle between the company and the fans over his success.

Had Roman won, it may have tarnished just how good this match was in the eyes of his detractors, but, given that Seth Rollins’ Money in the Bank cash-in provided a welcome end to the hard-hitting match, many will gladly admit that this was quite the spectacle. Being Reigns’ first ‘Mania main event, this was certainly a promising start to his time as a top star.