At this point, we could recall the WrestleMania 34 main event with our eyes closed because the images are so ingrained into our brains. A bloody Roman Reigns fell to a sixth brutal F5 and didn’t kick out. However, very few people saw this coming including the fans and backstage personalities.
But this was not the plan all along and many people backstage thought Roman Reigns would be winning the Universal Championship. This swerve on more than just the fans could have even translated backstage to a confrontation between Brock Lesnar and Vince McMahon which might have been a work as well.
Dave Meltzer discussed this fact on Wrestling Observer Radio and it was still made pretty clear that Roman Reigns is still earmarked to capture the Universal Championship eventually. Of course, Bruan Strowman is also a likely candidate seeing how popular he is. But in the end, it all comes down to what Vince McMahon decides to do which seems to be an ongoing theme whenever you’re discussing any aspect of WWE.
“Right now the idea is it’s Roman Reigns so the championship or Braun Strowman if Vince makes the call and Vince changes his mind all the time. He’s never married to it and it doesn’t happen until it happens. But nobody knew [about the finish at WrestleMania for the main event]. When I saw nobody I mean I’m sure 5 or 10 people knew, the writing team was told — everybody was told that the finish of the match was when Roman Reigns and ended up getting F5’ed he was supposed to spear him and pin him.”
Meltzer then revealed that even after Brock Lesnar surprised everyone the working might have carried on even after he went backstage.
“Now obviously it was an F5 so everyone knew that [Brock Lesnar] didn’t shoot on him but everyone was confused when it happened. There were a lot of people thinking a lot of different things especially when Lesnar comes up and throws the belt at Vince which I don’t even know what that was. I think that was to work the people back in the Gorilla Position. Which always to me once you start to do that you’re kind of like WCW and that’s a bad hole to get through.”
Anything can happen in WWE, especially when you’re talking about Brock Lesnar. The referee for their match wasn’t even told until the opening moments of the contest to supply a ton of surprise both backstage and throughout the entire WWE Universe when The Beast Incarnate toppled The Big Dog. It might only be a matter of time before Reigns finally wins the Universal Championship but it will happen when Vince McMahon is good and ready.
If you use any portion of the quotes in this article please credit Wrestling Observer Radio with a H/T to Still Real To Us for the transcription
