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The WWE Universe is fortunate enough to witness "dream matches" regularly. Fans recently saw Bobby Lashley vs. Brock Lesnar at Royal Rumble 2022 and Seth "Freakin" Rollins vs. Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 38.
Unfortunately, sometimes dream matches cannot live up to sky-high expectations. AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 34 is an example. The bout was, by no means, unwatchable, but fans were expecting too much from the superstars.
Other times, WWE knocks it out of the park, and the matches surpass expectations. A few fans were left complaining upon the conclusion. This listicle explores 4 blockbuster show-downs that exceeded fans' expectations.
#4 AJ Styles vs. Shane McMahon wowed the WWE Universe at WrestleMania 33
For many hardcore wrestling fans, Shane McMahon was not a suitable opponent for the Phenomenal AJ Styles. Randy Orton, John Cena, and The Undertaker would've been better options, but WWE had other plans.
However, Shane O’Mac and Styles stole the show in the opening match of WrestleMania 33. It may have been the best encounter of the evening. Their hard-hitting, back-and-forth contest was filled with high spots with the crowd on the edge of their seats.
The Prodigal Son took his foe to the limit, even trying to execute a Shooting Star Press from the top rope and a failed Leap of Faith on the announcer's table. However, the Phenomenal One was the better man that night as he nailed Shane McMahon with a Phenomenal Forearm for the three-count.
#3 The Shield vs. The Wyatt Family at Elimination Chamber 2014 rocked the WWE Universe.
It is rare for two dominant factions to co-exist simultaneously in WWE. The Wyatt Family and The Shield ran roughshod over the locker room in 2013. They went their separate paths, but their trajectories collided in February 2014 when they met at Elimination Chamber.
The two trios engaged in an all-out war. There was no holding them back as their disdain grew out of control. Seth Rollins landed on his feet off a top-rope German suplex by Luke Harper. Dean Ambrose and Bray Wyatt fought all over the arena and into the crowd, eventually eliminating Ambrose from the match.
Harper and Erick Rowan put Rollins through an announcer's table with a modified double Chokeslam. This left Roman Reigns to fight the Wyatts himself. The Big Dog fought bravely, but a Sister Abigal put the powerhouse down for the three-count.
The six men involved were still comparatively new and inexperienced on the main roster, but they put on a fantastic show which exceeded expectations.
#2 Brock Lesnar vs. Goldberg (c) for the Universal Championship. (WrestleMania 33)
At WrestleMania 20, Brock Lesnar and Goldberg collided in a dream match that was hijacked by the live crowd. Twelve years after their WrestleMania 20 debacle, the Hall of Famer returned to conquer the Beast in less than two minutes at Survivor Series 2016. It was a massive shocker, but their rivalry was far from over.
WWE had long-planned to book the definitive encounter between Lesnar and Goldberg at WrestleMania 33. However, the powers-that-be made the questionable decision to put the Universal Championship on the WCW Icon. The move resulted in fans turning on the 55-year-old and cheering for The Beast Incarnate.
Lesnar and Goldberg surpassed all expectations and re-wrote history. Their five-minute thriller was a nice shot of adrenaline that kept fans going through a seven-hour show.
Goldberg took the fight to Lesnar in the beginning, hitting his foe with multiple Spears before driving his opponent through the barricade with the most impactful Spear. A jackhammer wasn't enough to put the Beast down, either.
However, the match's highlight was Lesnar's insane leap-frog to dodge a Spear, sending the WWE Hall of Famer into the turnbuckle. From there on, the Conqueror took Goldberg to Suplex City before finishing him off with an F5 to win the Universal Championship.
Given that both men, especially Goldberg, were past their prime and there was a potential revolt from the crowd, the two rivals put on a fantastic show.
#1 Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Roman Reigns for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. (WrestleMania 31)
In January 2015, Roman Reigns won the Men's Royal Rumble match and booked his ticket to WrestleMania. However, the raucous crowd in Philadelphia booed the Big Dog out of the building because their favorite Daniel Bryan was eliminated too soon. Fans weren't accepting Reigns as their hero, and resentment grew exponentially on the Road to WrestleMania.
Reigns was heavily booed at Levi's Stadium while fans cheered for Lesnar. But even amid a raucous crowd, the Big Dog held his own against the mighty Beast and took him to the limit. Both Lesnar and Reigns told a fantastic story. The 2015 Rumble winner came in as the underdog and looked to end the tyrannical reign of the Beast Incarnate.
During the match's climax, Seth Rollins cashed in his Money in the Bank contract and inserted himself into the mix. Rollins Curb stomped Lesnar to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship and pulled off, in Michael Cole's words, "The Heist of the Century."
WWE successfully averted disaster by making Rollins the champion. But Reigns and Lesnar stole the show in one of the most memorable main events in recent memory.
Recommended: Why Seth Rollins & these WWE Superstars hate getting booed by WWE fans? Watch to find out!
