Brock Lesnar Maintained Air of Invincibility Despite Loss at WrestleMania 31

Losing the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 31 didn't make Brock Lesnar any less of a monster. WWE found a way to keep his fangs intact and his claws sharp despite moving the title off his waist.

The company is now still armed with an imposing, enthralling force. Lesnar didn't need to look mortal for Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns to leave WrestleMania bigger stars.

In reality, three men walked away winners in the main event.

Over the past year-plus, WWE portrayed Lesnar as a force of nature. Playing up his daunting frame and his beastly aura, the company had him carve out a path of destruction.

This was the man who demolished Big Show at the 2014 Royal Rumble and manhandled Mark Henry. At last year's WrestleMania, he left an entire audience in shock by defeating Undertaker at WrestleMania, handing him his first loss after 21 wins at the event.

That alone would have made Lesnar seem like a superhuman battling regular folk.

The company kept adding to the idea that he was a monstrous powerhouse like no other. He not only dethroned John Cena at SummerSlam but dominated him from bell to bell.

A broken rib wasn't enough to take the title off Lesnar this past January. And once WrestleMania 31's main event began to unfold, it seemed that nothing short of an earthquake swallowing him up would prevent him from being champion forever.

Reigns' fist opened a gash on Lesnar's cheek. That only angered The Beast Incarnate.

Credit: WWE.com

The champion went on a tear that saw him suplex Reigns so much that one had to wonder if WWE was showing the same replay over and over. He hammered the challenger with clotheslines. He flung Reigns around with a snarl on his face.

The bout became a showcase of Lesnar's power and mercilessness. Every strike came off as a haymaker. Every power move served as a reminder that Lesnar is a scary, scary human being.

When it was Reigns' turn to go on the offensive, the narrative of the match was that even the hardest blows only stunned Lesnar.

Reigns slammed the champ's head into the ring post, splitting open his head. With blood smeared on his face and sticking to his chest, Lesnar didn't go down. Reigns nailed him with a series of Superman punches which only brought him down to one knee.

Credit: WWE.com

It felt like we were watching bullets bounce off a superhero's chest.

WWE clearly had the idea that both combatants would leave the match looking strong. Lesnar couldn't put Reigns away, but he sure wasn't going down for a count of three without someone hitting him with a truck. 

The ending furthered this plan. 

Rollins didn't beat Lesnar. He simply waited until he was out of frame momentarily and took out a fatigued Reigns instead. As Aubrey Sitterson, known for his Straight Shoot podcast, points out, that scenario was a plus for everyone involved:

Lesnar hasn't been pinned since 2013. And even the last two times someone did pin him, it took a chain wrapped around a fist and a head-first collision with the ring steps to do so.

Protecting Lesnar once more by having his latest loss come with an asterisk allows WWE to maintain part of what makes him special. What Undertaker was at WrestleMania for 21 years, Lesnar is on any night: unbeatable.

That opens the door for the company to further milk his mystique. Had he lost straight-up, there wouldn't be nearly as much spark to his next bout.

Now he still feels like he's on an undefeated streak. He's still the fearsome beast who's the favorite in any contest he's in. Put him in a rematch with Reigns, and fans will wonder how he will possibly go down. Have him face Sheamus, Randy Orton or perhaps The Rock next year, and the story of the Goliath shaking off what David slings at him continues.