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With less than a week to go until another Universal Championship challenge against Brock Lesnar, Roman Reigns is currently in a bad way. He took a face full of pepper spray from Paul Heyman, then was physically ravaged by The Beast Incarnate. The Big Dog's outlook is bleak for this Sunday. At a time like this, perhaps it would serve him well to reflect on some of his more positive moments from SummerSlams past.
Reigns has wracked up a list of impressive claims on the second biggest WWE show of the year. He's defeated some of the biggest names in the business, speared a couple of behemoths, and even bloodied a monster. His list of accomplishments is growing, so we'll look back on a few of his finer moments from this event.
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#5 Bloodying Braun
The first moment on this countdown came from SummerSlam 2017. It barely made it on the list, because it's technically a botch. Maybe it shouldn't be celebrated anytime a wrestler legitimately hurts another, but this spot was so memorable because it added an entertaining visual to an already violent match.
Braun Strowman just finished dispatching WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar via repeated destruction with the ringside tables. The medics strapped him to a gurney to receive treatment backstage and the action between the other three competitors in this 4-way match resumed. Roman needed an equalizer against the man who just flipped a announce table onto a former UFC Heavyweight Champion, so he struck Strowman with steel steps.
One of the blows to Braun caught the big man a little too snug on the temple. He wore a smear of blood on the left side of his head throughout the rest of this match, an image the production team made sure to focus on every chance they had.
#4 Putting Away Bray
Roman Reigns almost won the Money in the Bank Briefcase in 2015. What prevented that guaranteed contract for a future World Title Match was the mid-match interference by Bray Wyatt. On top of Bray becoming the new thorn in his side, Luke Harper also reunited with his former Family leader. This lead to a tag match at SummerSlam 2015, with Dean Ambrose appropriately joining Roman’s side.
This was an overall fun contest that had some out of the ring carnage in the beginning, but it’s the big finish that gets the spotlight for Reigns. After taking a Dirty Deeds from Ambrose moments prior, Roman took out The Eater of Worlds with a Spear in the middle of the ring. Reigns has his share of detractors, but Spears like the one he gave here are always a surefire way to pop the crowd.
The partial Shield team celebrated their victory, even though this wouldn’t be the end of the feud with Wyatt. Roman and Bray kept their rivalry going a few more months until October’s Hell in a Cell. They collided inside of that ominous structure and it was Reigns that emerged victorious yet again.
#3 Wild Brawl With Rusev
Before Roman Reigns could fully get through the ropes and enter the ring for his United States Championship Match at SummerSlam 2016, Rusev attacked him and took the fight to him prematurely. Fueled by his anger that his wife was shoved face first into a wedding cake just a few weeks before, The Bulgarian Brute wasn’t going to wait for the ring bell.
Rusev got a few of the early strikes, including a shot to The Big Dog’s cranium with the steel steps. As Roman battled back and seemed to get the upper hand, a team of officials tried their best to separate the two. It looked like the fight had ended, but Reigns had one more move left in his arsenal.
As Rusev tried to walk to the back under his own strength, Roman charged at him one final time to deliver a gut-wrenching Spear at the bottom of the ramp. Even though the match never happened, this was more than enough of a highlight to leave an impression.
The two got a chance for a proper contest at the following month’s Night of Champions and it was then that Reigns captured the United States Championship.
#2 A Statement Win
When Seth Rollins abruptly ended The Shield via steel chair on the June 2nd, 2014 edition of Raw, it was blatantly obvious who the chosen one was from that trio. Roman went on to wrestle in the WWE Championship Ladder Match at that same month’s Money in the Bank pay-per-view then competed in another WWE Championship 4-Way contest at June’s Battleground.
Roman was already in a top spot on the roster but had yet to truly earn it in the eyes of many fans. What he needed was a chance to show that he belonged in the main event. His first singles match at SummerSlam was that opportunity and it happened opposite of Randy Orton.
This was a fairly straightforward but solid match, captivating the crowd and building to an uproar by the time the finish arrived. That finish was a Roman Spear after deflecting a punt to the skull. The crowd erupted big time for Reigns, is the perfect climax to a spotlight bout.
If this had been the first of several months of singles wins in hard-fought matches for The Big Dog, he just might have proven himself definitively in the eyes of the WWE Universe. Sadly, Roman Reigns underwent hernia surgery just before the following month’s Night of Champions event. He didn’t return to action until a run-in in the WWE Championship Match at TLC in December, just in time to be re-inserted into the WrestleMania main event buildup that began in January.
#1 Spearing Brock Lesnar through a barricade
Returning to the 4-way Universal Championship Match from SummerSlam 2017, Roman's biggest moment in that match came when Samoa Joe had the upper hand on Brock Lesnar outside the ring. Joe had his Coquina Clutch locked in on Lesnar, squeezing the life out of him. It might've been lights out for Brock, but Roman charged at the men for a Spear.
Joe was able to sidestep the incoming attack. However, Brock took the full force of the Spear as both he and Roman collided through the barricade behind them. It was a stunning visual that set up even more devastation from The Monster Among Men mere moments later.
Despite being taken out of action, Lesnar returned to the ring in the final minutes. The last string of action occurred between him and Reigns, but it was an F5 that would be the final blow. Roman took the fall from Brock on that night, although it would not be their last encounter.
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