Would you rather see the Rock or Reigns take on Lesnar for Wrestlemania 31?

[MartialHorror]

Allegedly, Triple H wants Reigns to be the man to fight Lesnar at the next Wrestlemania, while Vince wants the much safer choice of the Rock. Personally, I think it should be Reigns, although I can't blame Vince for being wary on taking a risk there. Reigns has yet to tear down the house in a singles match, with everyone agreeing his bouts with Orton have been 'meh' at best. The Rock at least is a reliable performer, even if he's not going to be as good as he used to be.

The problem is the Rock was presented as being Cena's equal, but Cena eventually did come out on top. Cena was made into Lesnar's bitch, so it wouldn't make sense for the Rock- who hasn't wrestled as much as Cena within the past few years- to defeat Lesnar or even put up a real fight against him. For this to work, the Rock would need to re-establish his presence using other feuds, which I doubt would happen.

Reigns, on the other hand, has been presented as an unstoppable force. I could totally buy him being the man to give Lesnar the fight of his life. Yet there's a lot of time between now and wrestlemania and Reigns could always run out of steam by then.

But who would you prefer?

 

[Brushfire]

I'd rather Roman Reigns. And while you could say my opinion is bias as a fan of Roman Reigns, it's perhaps not that surprising that I'm also a fan of The Rock. The reason I'd prefer it to be Reigns v Lesnar is as simple as they need to continue to build new stars, and although Reigns doesn't look anywhere near top main event level right now, he's definitely being booked as such and he's over as hell with the fans (the matter of his moveset and mic skills are for another thread). A win over Lesnar on the biggest stage would do wonders for his career, definitely a lot more than it could for Rock, another part-timer.

The smarter booking here in the long run is definitely Reigns v Lesnar, even if Rock v Lesnar is the biggest draw.

 

[Sundar]

Reigns is very limited on the mic and in the ring. Imagine Heyman and Reigns cutting promos in the weeks leading up to WM31, it would be very awkward indeed. As awesome as Brock Lesnar is, he is no Shawn Michaels or Kurt Angle. He is not the kind of guy that can put on a great match with just anyone. He needs someone who is quite good in the ring in order to do so. So even though Reigns vs Lesnar would be more sensible in that it would establish Reigns as the next top star there is a strong possibility that it could end up being even worse than Goldberg vs Lesnar. My solution is that when Zeb Colter comes back, he should stay face and align himself with Reigns.

I don't know why you say Cena eventually came out on top against Rocky, they're 1-1. Rocky still has his rematch from WM29 and don't forget, he also never had his rematch against Brock from SS 2002. That was the match which established Brock as a top guy. Considering how it could very well be the last WM match or even the last WWE match for both men, it would be nice to see Rocky get his win back and both men shaking hands and hugging before leaving. It would make for a classic WM moment in my opinion. The promos would be great as well since Heyman and Rocky are the absolute best of all time. The only problem is that it would be a waste to not use Lesnar's run as a launching pad to create a new star.

 

[MartialHorror]

Reigns is very limited on the mic and in the ring. Imagine Heyman and Reigns cutting promos in the weeks leading up to WM31, it would be very awkward indeed. As awesome as Brock Lesnar is, he is no Shawn Michaels or Kurt Angle. He is not the kind of guy that can put on a great match with just anyone. He needs someone who is quite good in the ring in order to do so. So even though Reigns vs Lesnar would be more sensible in that it would establish Reigns as the next top star there is a strong possibility that it could end up being even worse than Goldberg vs Lesnar. My solution is that when Zeb Colter comes back, he should stay face and align himself with Reigns.

I don't know why you say Cena eventually came out on top against Rocky, they're 1-1. Rocky still has his rematch from WM29 and don't forget, he also never had his rematch against Brock from SS 2002. That was the match which established Brock as a top guy. Considering how it could very well be the last WM match or even the last WWE match for both men, it would be nice to see Rocky get his win back and both men shaking hands and hugging before leaving. It would make for a classic WM moment in my opinion. The promos would be great as well since Heyman and Rocky are the absolute best of all time. The only problem is that it would be a waste to not use Lesnar's run as a launching pad to create a new star.

Oh yeah, you're right about Cena Vs Rock. But that does mean they are more-or-less treated as equal.

 

[rbv13]

Brock Lesnar vs. The Rock up on a Wrestlemania marque would arguable be the biggest attraction in the history of the business. Two men with treasured history within pro wrestling that have stepped outside the box and reached heights that only a handful of other have even come close to. This match up brings the mainstream media attention they crave, it brings nonfans, it brings old timers back and despite the “part time” status should be enough to keep any current fan satisfied. This is the money maker match that should define WMXXXI.

I do understand where Triple H is coming from with wanting Reigns in this position. They do need to look forward and if Brock vs. Rock goes down how in the hell are they going to continue to top themselves. They would have to give us Austin vs. HBK in Texas the following year to even come close. Plus it would prove they completely suck at building new “mega stars.”

 

[That N Word]

I think it Rock/Brock should be the backup plan. I think that if Reign's doesn't get it together then they should give the spot to Ambrose and wait about 3 or 4 years with Reigns (ala Austin/Rock.) But if he improves before Mania then the plan should still be Brock/Reigns. I know Reigns is great in the ring but he is not allowed to use his NXT/FCW moveset or his mic skils from there because of his charactar. If he was nobody would doubt him. But I think that if Reigns fails before Mania don't depush him just slow it down and push him like they did Rock in WWF and make Ambrose the guy until then. But the plans should be Reigns/Brock for the belt and Ambrose having a big match as well (Triple H,Wyatt,Cesaro,Kane,Orton,Batista.) But if Reigns doesn't get it together the plans should be Ambrose vs (a heel) Cena or Ambrose vs. Triple H ( in the passing of the torch match) ,Reigns vs Rollins ,and Rock vs Brock

 

[MartialHorror]

Another issue: Will fans be pleased if the biggest match of the biggest show is between two part-timers whom fans have turned on in the past for being part timers? The back-stage heat would be intense, lol.

 

[King502]

What is so great about roman reign I don't see it yes he has the look and that all rollins and Ambrose r both way better So the rOck vs brOck will sell tickets and will attract ppl from the marquee

 

[Aquaman6686]

Neither. No matter what WWE thinks, Roman Reigns is nowhere near ready to headline WrestleMania, and there's not a chance in hell he'll be ready by April. He needs at least another year, year and a half. And the time for Rock vs. Brock II was SummerSlam 2012, and WWE missed their opportunity. Brock should not be champion by WrestleMania, and should be involved in a match with somebody else, not Roman Reigns and not The Rock.

 

[L@RISANO]

Allegedly, Triple H wants Reigns to be the man to fight Lesnar at the next Wrestlemania, while Vince wants the much safer choice of the Rock. Personally, I think it should be Reigns, although I can't blame Vince for being wary on taking a risk there. Reigns has yet to tear down the house in a singles match, with everyone agreeing his bouts with Orton have been 'meh' at best. The Rock at least is a reliable performer, even if he's not going to be as good as he used to be.

The problem is the Rock was presented as being Cena's equal, but Cena eventually did come out on top. Cena was made into Lesnar's bitch, so it wouldn't make sense for the Rock- who hasn't wrestled as much as Cena within the past few years- to defeat Lesnar or even put up a real fight against him. For this to work, the Rock would need to re-establish his presence using other feuds, which I doubt would happen.

Reigns, on the other hand, has been presented as an unstoppable force. I could totally buy him being the man to give Lesnar the fight of his life. Yet there's a lot of time between now and wrestlemania and Reigns could always run out of steam by then.

But who would you prefer?

the Rock vs Brock Lesnar is a sure money match like Cena vs Rock was a couple years ago. That said; I'd be wary of Rocky surviving after his last in-ring action ended in an injury and Brock, whilst a safe worker, is still known to be a bit stiff also.

Roman Reigns vs Brock Lesnar is the big rumour, but as we can all see, fan of Reigns or Anti-Reigns, he still has some work to do in both In-Ring and Mic work for the next 6 months, give or take. If he does improve as required, then he would be a logical choice since his booking has made him somewhat of an "Unstoppable Force" for quite a while, especially in Singles matches.


Besides those 2; I'd say John Cena could be another option, unpopular one, I might add, and can take part in a re-do of the Batman vs Bane type storyline.

And whilst I'd have to really suspend disbelief, Daniel Bryan is another guy that I believe the WWE Universe would get behind in a classic David vs Goliath match-up vs the Beast Incarnate.

 

[Kodo Sawaki]

Depends on what do they wanna do

If they wanna build new star then its better to go with Reigns. Somebody should get that rub from beating Lesnar, Reigns beated Survivor Series and Royal Rumble record with most eliminations allready so he is on his way. If they build him properlly could be good.

Rock vs Brock would be huge bussiness making. Just that match alone could oversell Mania like crazy. With all overexposure both of them could get would be pretty nice business decission for WWE to make that match.

Trouble is one thing: none of them is ready. Rock would do great in promos but he broke himself against Cena. Can you imagine what would he do against, lets say, 15 suplexes? Reings would do decent in promos and if he is build up properly I could see him as crediblle opponent. But I dont think he is nearlly ready for Brock. He would sustain beating well but dont think he would make quality opponent. He was good in Shield but in singles he is average. But he is improving so he might do just fine.

My vote goes to Reigns just because of one thing: He needs it far more. Bussinessvise Rock vs Brock is a sure win because it would sell better but Rock doesnt need it almost at all except for collecting paycheck. Reigns on the other hand needs it if they want him to be big star. So my vote is Brock vs Reigns.

One other thing that everyone seem to forget is: Reigns is Rocks cousin. Dont think even Rock would just stall his family member on his way to become big star. More likely he would help him in order to do so. If Rock is involved would be for Reigns to get a rub somehow.

 

[Charismatic Enigma]

Having the Rock come back to face Lesnar would be totally pointless, there's no payoff. The entire reason for building Brock up as an unstoppable monster is to result in a massive payoff at a later date (whenever that may be, not necessarily WM). The Rock is already made, his purpose now is to be a special attraction from time to time. This whole year of dominance, ending the streak, demolishing Cena, would be for naught if he faced the Rock, here's why: The Rock is not going to allow Lesnar to demolish him the way he did Cena.

The Rock (rightly so) has to look out for the Rock. So…at best you'd get a balanced match with Lesnar getting the win, or at worst Rocky goes over, but neither outcome is any good. Lesnar is a made man, and anyone that gets the rub of going over him at this point is going to get a rocket to the top of the card strapped to their back. It's a rare opportunity that would be squandered on most of the roster, Reigns could maybe be the guy (and would certainly be more appropriate than Rock) but this could work for a variety of other guys, if pushed correctly, Bryan, Ryback, Cesaro, even Rollins or Ambrose. But now more than ever WWE really needs to get ready for some proper long-term booking, which means that if the plan is really for Lesnar to head in to Mania as champ, whoever his opponent is going to be needs to be built up from this second forward, maybe not even losing a single match. The good thing is, if the intention is Reigns and for whatever reason it doesn't work out, you just have Bryan come back and win the Rumble.

 

[Dagger Dias]

Reigns, easily. I didn't like Rock VS Brock the first time so I have no interest in that match whatsoever. With the monster push Lesnar has gotten defeating Undertaker at Wrestlemania and taking the World Heavyweight Championship from Cena, if he is still the champion by Wrestlemania 31 then he needs to face Reigns. Facing The Rock would be stupid, especially if it's a title match. If they want to go the route of having two huge names face each other to help generate more interest in the show that's one thing (why anyone wants to see that match is beyond me), but do NOT put them in a world title match. That spot needs to go to guys like Reigns who actually have something to gain from winning the match. Reigns facing Brock for the world title at Wrestlemania 31 is a scenario I am not against, it would be a career making moment for Reigns if he won.

 

[mral82]

I choose Reigns as Brock vs Rock at The Rumble w/ Rocky losing like Cena did at SS n Taker at WM. Rocky the tells Reigns he's gonna get back at Brock by him being Roman's Manager or whatevs. Reigns vs Lesnar will end w/ Reigns winning but Brock basically taking out Reigns per The Authorities Request where Seth Rollins cashes in and becomes the NEW WORLD HW CHAMP out of WM. A MITB Cash In 1st to become the only man to successfully Cash In at WM. Rollins will walk out Champ either way as he is The Architect. Rocky or Roman will be cashed in.

 

[Nate DaMac]

From strictly a quality standpoint Reigns, as he is right now, vs. Brock would suck ass. I'm a fan of Reigns and although it pains me to even say this, his moveset would be ineffective against someone like Lesnar. I'm not saying he doesn't know any "movez1!" so calm down, mouthbreathers. He has a great variety of work punches but those aren't going to be very believable against a guy like Lesnar.

He's been great in multi-man matches but he doesn't have very much experience in main event style singles matches. Working with Orton didn't really do him any favors other than giving him a credible win (not a knock on Orton, but he's never been one to go to great lengths to make someone look good.)

Now maybe 6 months from now Reigns will have piled up some experience working with some top tier talent (Rollins, Wyatt, Triple H, etc.) and he'll have figured out his thing. But right now, Rock is a much, much better worker of the two so the match would be better with Rock rather than Reigns.

From a storytelling standpoint, Reigns all the way. Rock's "Started from the bottom" shtick is so played out and so far removed from the character that he was great at portraying that I have very little interest in seeing him anymore unless he drops that nonsense.

 

[mr_dna]

Why not have rock come back and help Reigns maybe have a tag match or something at SS . Rock could help him on the mic give him a massive face rub .

Rock don't need to come back and wrestle really maybe a Tag match with Reigns could work to help build him and his star power could easily give Reigns a great push as a face

 

[Jonyboyuk2]

People have said that Reigns should have to wait 3/4 years like the Rock and Steve Austin.

Firstly, Austin was only 2 and a half years in when he went BIG TIME. Secondly, The Rock debuted at the 1996 Survivor Series. At the 1998 Survivor Series he won his first WWF Championship which was only 2 years.

Roman Reigns debuted at Survivor Series 2012. In April 2015, he would have been with the WWE 2 and a half years.

I see no problem with him taking on and defeating Brock Lesnar!

 

[Terry Gyimah]

Honest opinion Reigns is no where near being "The Guy" right now because yes sure he has the look to be the "top guy" in this business but what hinders Reigns honestly is his mic work and not to mention he is very limited in the ring as well but who knows maybe with time he will vastly improve but in 6 months I can't honestly see him improving a lot between now and then

Personally Ambrose should be "The Guy" because out of the 3 former Shield members Ambrose is probably the most over in terms of all of them in terms of popularity but also in the ring Ambrose is not limited, his moveset is actually very vast and not to mention his mic work/charisma is through the roof already and yes sure he doesn't have the look of a main eventer but he damn sure has the ability of one that's for sure

But personally from a marketing standpoint anyway, Rock vs Brock on paper is and probably would make a better match-up in terms of not only quality but from a PPV buyrate as well

 

[Hem]

Well if I look at it in terms of what the better match would be I'd pick Brock Vs. Rock. I don't think Roman is that good in the ring or the on the mic to take on BROCK LESNAR especially when Lesnar is the biggest deal in the company. I especially don't think Reigns should do it within a year of his major singles run.

I don't think that the Rock should face him either because both part timers fighting for the championship doesn't sound to great but damn how good would it be if Rollins cashed in on the winner of this match and won the title..

 

[dob111283]

Brock Lesnar vs. The Rock up on a Wrestlemania marque would arguable be the biggest attraction in the history of the business.

Uh, no it won't. WWE hasn't come close to matching the ratings from the Attitude Era.

 

[OYDK]

Honestly, at this point in time, I have no interest in seeing either of these matches unless either

A) Roman Reigns can get his shit together and begin performing like the next big thing everybody seems to think he is before Mania season
OR
B) Rock vs Brock is not for the WWEWHC

First I'd like to say I used to be a huge mark for Roman Reigns, but the guy's getting real stale, real fast, and unless he can learn how to handle the mic or put on a 4 star match, than I see no reason why Reigns should get the rub here. Don't get me wrong, I still have hope for Roman, but it seems like just too much, too soon for the guy and maybe his Mania moment will have to wait until next year. Who knows though, maybe he'll prove me wrong and really start bringing it

As for The Rock, I don't see the payoff in having this match, period. Worst case scenario, The Rock wins the WWEWHC and retires the next night, wasting a golden opportunity to put someone over Lesnar who can really benefit. Best case scenario Brock defends his title and decides to re-sign with the WWE but still only makes 3 appearances a year... Not much upside there. However if these two went at it without the title on the line, I'm all for that.

 

[tehblogger]

Faced with the choice, I have to go with Roman Reigns for a few reasons.

1) WWE needs to build new stars, and quite frankly given how strong Lesnar's been booked, even a close loss would still help Reigns, whilst a win would make him THE GUY

2) Reigns IMO isn't ready now, and definitely not ready to go over, but there's plenty of time between now and then for him to improve.

3) We've seen Rock vs Brock before, while Brock vs Reigns is at least new.

That said, I think the guy in prime contention to face Brock at Mania right now is actually Dean Ambrose. He's physically big enough to make it look credible (unlike Bryan) and the promos between him and Heyman would be out-of-this-world amazing (unlike Reigns, Bryan, or anyone bar the Rock, really). I think it would work best in some kind of gimmick match that plays to Ambrose's crazy-guy strengths, and again, Ambrose would not need to win to be elevated.

Ideally, I think, I'd have Ambrose vs Brock for Mania 31. If they manage to sign Brock to a new contract for another year or two, I'd have Ambrose put in a heroic losing effort, and then have Reigns go over at Mania 32 when he's got more experience under his belt. That said, if Mania 31 really is going to be Brock's last appearance with the company for a good while, then Ambrose going over would also be great.

 

[JJ15776]

Honestly, at this point in time, I have no interest in seeing either of these matches unless either

A) Roman Reigns can get his shit together and begin performing like the next big thing everybody seems to think he is before Mania season
OR
B) Rock vs Brock is not for the WWEWHC

First I'd like to say I used to be a huge mark for Roman Reigns, but the guy's getting real stale, real fast, and unless he can learn how to handle the mic or put on a 4 star match, than I see no reason why Reigns should get the rub here. Don't get me wrong, I still have hope for Roman, but it seems like just too much, too soon for the guy and maybe his Mania moment will have to wait until next year. Who knows though, maybe he'll prove me wrong and really start bringing it

As for The Rock, I don't see the payoff in having this match, period. Worst case scenario, The Rock wins the WWEWHC and retires the next night, wasting a golden opportunity to put someone over Lesnar who can really benefit. Best case scenario Brock defends his title and decides to re-sign with the WWE but still only makes 3 appearances a year... Not much upside there. However if these two went at it without the title on the line, I'm all for that.

This sums up my feelings perfectly.

As of this writing, Roman Reigns is not ready to beat Brock Lesnar for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in the main event of WrestleMania. He just isn't. And he's not getting any closer, he hasn't been getting closer since The Shield broke up. He's got a lot of work to do on the mic, and his ring work isn't anything special. He's got the look, but that'll only take you so far. It was all he needed when he had Rollins and Ambrose to cover up his weaknesses, but you need more than that to be World champion.

If Reigns can step up his game over the next 5 months(he needs to be there by the Royal Rumble), Reigns vs. Lesnar is fine. But I'd be shocked if that happened, based on what we've seen so far. And if they're going to do Rock vs. Lesnar, I'd really prefer it not be for the title. The heel can't walk out of Mania with the title(especially if he's not around all the time, and especially if he's an unstoppable beast, if you're not going to have him slayed at WrestleMania, what's the point of making him an unstoppable beast?), and Rock already got his ceremonial final title run. Make it a non-title match and I'm all in. The promos between Rock and Heyman would be amazing. (Sidenote: lol at people complaining "we've seen this match before!" because it happened 1 time 12 years ago.)

 

[Mustang Sally]

If the only choice is between Rock or Reigns, I'll take Reigns.

I'm uncomfortable with the idea of two part-timers coming in and taking over the main event at Wrestlemania. It send a bad message to the fans.....and a worse one to the locker room, making them realize that despite all their good efforts on a daily basis, management thinks it better to reach outside the organization to build the numbers for the biggest show of the year.

On the other hand, by the time WM31 rolls around, Roman Reigns might not be ready for a showcase on that grand a scale. He's a work in progress, and by WWE's own standards, these works often take a long amount of time to pan out.

At least Reigns is one of the regular WWE performers and....win or lose at WM31....I'd rather have at least one participant in the main event be one of our own guys.

 

[Sean Valjean]

If it ends up being for the world title, then Reigns by far. It just makes more sense in the long run. Rock vs Brock could be good, has a built-in story, and would draw a ton of money, but since both would likely leave after the event, what then?

If the goal is to push a new top star, Reigns is really also the only guy on the roster who looks like a realistic threat to Lesnar. He's big, he's strong, and he's quick, just like Brock is. Roman is also pretty popular, making him the perfect hero to slay the beast. I'd choose him even if my options weren't limited to just him and Rock.

Roman does needs to step up his ring work by incorporating more variety into his offense, but the stuff he does now already looks crisp and impactful. Adding a few more moves isn't a tall order and his mic work is steadily improving. Roman can be ready by Mania with some work. We just need to be patient and let him grow as a performer.

I truly think Brock vs Reigns has the potential to be something special. Just two juggernauts in an absolute war with Brock dominating but Roman hanging in there and taking everything Brock has before throwing some of his own bombs back at him. Winning would give Reigns the rub of a lifetime and a new top star will have been born, which is far more valuable then having a one-off fight between two part-time guys that ultimately achieves nothing going forward.