WrestleMania 31 was an eventful night in the world of professional wrestling, with Brock Lesnar defending his WWE World Heavyweight Championship against Roman Reigns in the main event. However, in the weeks leading up to the event, a surprising development occurred that shook the wrestling world.
Reports began to circulate that Lesnar had walked out on WWE just five weeks before WrestleMania 31. According to PWInsider, Lesnar left a Monday Night Raw taping in Nashville, Tennessee before the show had even finished. The reason for his departure was said to be related to his business relationship with the company.
During that same Raw episode, there was a segment featuring Paul Heyman and Roman Reigns. Heyman later confirmed on Ryan Satin’s Out of Character podcast that Lesnar had indeed walked out of WWE at that time.
I was there for his (Roman Reigns’) first WrestleMania main event because it was against Brock Lesnar. I was there for the first promo he had to do about his first WrestleMania main event because it was the night after the blizzard and Brock and I came and I opened it up by shaking his hand and telling him that I’ve known your family longer than you’ve known your own family and then when we finally brought it out into the ring, Brock had walked out of WWE five weeks before WrestleMania and we were tasked with Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman in the ring talking about Roman Reigns’ first WrestleMania main event, just the two of us, which history will now show, these parallels between these two men (Reigns & Cody Rhodes) that carry their family legacies, both from the past and into the future. Cody Rhodes’ first promo with somebody about his first WrestleMania main event was with me.
Heyman reflected on the situation, stating that he was present for Reigns’ first WrestleMania main event against Lesnar. He recounted how they were tasked with discussing the upcoming match in the ring, just the two of them, after Lesnar had already left WWE. Heyman also noted the similarities between Reigns and Cody Rhodes, two men who carry on their family legacies both in the past and into the future.
Interestingly, Heyman also revealed that he was present for Rhodes’ first promo about his own WrestleMania main event. This highlights the interconnectedness of the wrestling world, with veterans like Heyman being a part of multiple wrestlers’ journeys and experiences.
In the end, WrestleMania 31 still delivered a memorable main event, with Rollins cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase to become champion. However, the events leading up to the show certainly added an extra layer of drama to the proceedings.
