Brock Lesnar picked up a shocking victory over Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 34 as WWE once again pulled up short of an elusive Reigns victory over The Beast at its biggest event.
Brock Lesnar defeated Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 34 in a disappointing match.
Credit: WWE.comWWE WrestleMania 34 started with magnificent potential. Halfway through the show, the press box was buzzing with wrestling columnists engaging in spirited, albeit premature, debates as to whether or not this event has entered the pantheon of acclaimed WrestleManias past such as WrestleMania 17, 19 and 31.
But after AJ Styles and Nakamura's so-called dream match fell well short of expectations, and a child became the biggest star in New Orleans, a strange energy overtook the massive crowd as a strange climax infiltrated the Superdome.
WWE announced a live gate of $14.1 million and a sold-out crowd of 78,133 for WrestleMania 34, and a healthy amount of an otherwise well-behaved audience seemed intent on rejecting this match before it even began.
There was no shortage of boos for Reigns, Lesnar and the match itself, and no shortage of cheers for apparent beach ball activity.
Absolute DESTRUCTION by the #UniversalChampion.#WrestleMania @BrockLesnar pic.twitter.com/X6cvCZChx9
— WWE (@WWE) April 9, 2018
A sea of over 78,000 saved its negative energy for last, and while Lesnar and Reigns had more than enough talent to overcome a slow-burning revolt against a familiar main event, both failed miserably as the match built around how many F5 finishers it took to get to the center of mass outrage.
Though WrestleMania 34 typically signifies the culmination of a WWE season, Lesnar's unexpected triumph has raised more questions than answers.
Is Brock Lesnar UFC-bound? Was Dana White telling the truth about Lesnar's imminent arrival, or was he working with WWE to create more surprise when Lesnar prevailed? Did WWE and Brock Lesnar work Dana White? Who's under contract to whom?
Brock Lesnar retained the WWE Universal championship at WrestleMania 34
Credit: WWE.comThe sudden rush of curiosity will certainly supplement Monday's Raw after WrestleMania show, which is perennially one of WWE's highest-rated broadcasts of the year to begin with.
The word "coronation" quickly became an overused term leading up to Reigns entering his fourth-consecutive WrestleMania main event. Just about everybody assumed this would be the night where Reigns finally assumed the victory that seemed like a shoo-in back in 2015 at WrestleMania 31.
But on a night where The Undertaker resurfaced unadvertised, and Asuka's streak saw its stunning conclusion, uncertainties remain ubiquitous within a promotion that—for better or worse—knows how to keep its fans guessing.
