Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar: 5 biggest mistakes in their long-term WWE rivalry

Roman Reigns versus Brock Lesnar has been a defining rivalry in the current WWE product. They have a storied history of seven years and counting. The rivals will write the latest chapter of their saga at WrestleMania 38.

WWE's commitment to such long-term storytelling is a rare affair, but they have persisted with the Reigns-Lesnar rivalry. The two superstars have repeatedly locked horns in high-profile matches, most of them for the right to be called world champion.

However, such a long and intense rivalry is difficult to book, and it goes without saying that it hasn't been flawless. There have been multiple ineffective and underwhelming moments, with the worst of them ticking a lot of fans off.

The rivalry has been hit-and-miss throughout its run. In that regard, here are five of the biggest mistakes WWE made while booking Roman Reigns versus Brock Lesnar.

#5. On our list of negatives in the Roman Reigns versus Brock Lesnar rivalry: Not having them meet in the 2016 Royal Rumble

Brock Lesnar faced multiple top superstars in the Rumble except for the champion

Having Roman Reigns defend his WWE World Heavyweight Championship at the 2016 Royal Rumble was a good idea. However, WWE bottled it by having him taken out of the match for most of the time, robbing fans of seeing his encounters with some top stars.

Given how Lesnar and Reigns traded blows on the shows before the pay-per-view, it was infuriating to see the two not meet in the Rumble match. The cringeworthy "One versus All' narrative WWE forced down fans' throats also never transpired.

The Big Dog was in the match for a fraction of the 59 minutes the timesheets showed due to a kayfabe injury suffered earlier in the contest.

#4. The steel cage match in Saudi Arabia

The feud should have ended in Saudi Arabia, but WWE had other ideas

Fans were sick of Roman Reigns getting yet another Universal Championship match against Brock Lesnar in 2018. Despite it being a rematch from WrestleMania 34, the WWE Universe wasn't pleased with another showdown between the two titans.

However, WWE booked a Steel Cage match between Reigns and Lesnar to be held at the Greatest Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia. Fans thought that finally, The Big Dog would win the championship after coming up short so many times. Instead, there was yet another swerve to the whole angle.

The Big Dog speared his opponent through the cage which sent both of them crashing out of it. However, it was Lesnar who hit the floor first, thereby retaining his championship once again.

#3. The lackluster build to their WrestleMania 31 match

Roman Reigns won the 2015 Royal Rumble match to an extremely adverse reaction. The WWE Universe was hardly looking forward to his world title match against Brock Lesnar. The underwhelming booking of the feud only added fuel to the fire.

Fans heckling Reigns didn't help, but the feud was extremely mediocre and didn't feature any exciting moments. The lowest point was during the go-home segment on RAW, where the champion and challenger played tug of war over the WWE Championship. It is evident that the feud was unsatisfactory, considering that a random pulling of the title is all fans remember.

#2. Sacrificing a Lesnar vs. Lashley match

How in God's name did WWE think that yet another Roman Reigns versus Brock Lesnar match was what fans wanted to see over a fresh one?

Bobby Lashley had a ton of momentum on his side in July 2018. The All Mighty was being primed for a championship match against Lesnar. However, Reigns was still in the main event picture, making the company book a match between the two.

The most annoying thing about the entire situation was that the company raised fans' hopes by having Lashley beat The Big Dog clean at Extreme Rules 2018. However, the very next week on RAW, the rivals met for a rematch with a championship match against The Beast at stake.

Instead of The All Mighty cashing his ticket to SummerSlam, it was Reigns who pinned his opponent to get yet another opportunity. Sigh.

#1. Their entire program for WrestleMania 34

Lesnar vs. Reigns at WrestleMania 34 was one of the worst main events ever

Bobby Lashley being sacrificed is a worthy winner on this list, but it's not quite the conclusion. That would be Roman Reigns' WrestleMania 34 feud with Brock Lesnar, which was an absolute farce from start to finish.

The two men who beat The Undertaker at WrestleMania were set to lock horns at the 34th edition of the event. If you thought their WrestleMania 31 match had no hype, it was even worse three years later.

Everyone and their mother had bet on Reigns getting his revenge and winning the Universal Championship. However, WWE threw a spanner in the works and had Lesnar retain after hitting a sixth F5. It was a complete disaster class and one that critics labeled one of the worst WrestleMania main events of all time.