Roman Reigns' Top 5 Matches That Prove He's Ready to Be WWE Marquee Star

Leading up to WrestleMania 31, the prevailing narrative among many fans was that Roman Reigns wasn't ready.

In their minds, WWE was pushing Reigns too far, too fast. He was green, not yet polished on the mic and a year or two away from being a marquee-caliber star. 

It's a narrative that has made less sense with each home run performance from The Big Dog.

Reigns outlasted Daniel Bryan to fire a large hole in the anti-Reigns argument. He added more holes when he traded haymakers with Brock Lesnar. He did further damage to that argument with strong showings against Bray Wyatt.

Each time out, Reigns provided more and more evidence that Vince McMahon had found something special in him.

He's getting better as a talker but is still at his best when his lines are limited and he decides to use more fists than zingers. It's not his progress with a mic in hand that has to give WWE growing confidence in him; rather, it's his expanding resume of hits in the ring.

What bouts most proved that Reigns belongs in the center of the spotlight? Which ones boast main event quality and showcase his star power? 

All but two occurred in 2015, a year that has seen Reigns develop into just what WWE hoped he would be.

Honorable Mention

• Roman Reigns vs. Kane: Raw, Aug. 4, 2014 (Last Man Standing) 
• Roman Reigns vs. Randy Orton: SummerSlam 2014 

Before WrestleMania 31, when the wheels on the push-Reigns machine were starting to turn in earnest, Reigns delivered two good performances.

Neither his brawl with Kane nor singles showdown with Orton are classics by any stretch, but they showed that Reigns could impress outside of a tag team scenario. The Kane bout showed him to be comfortable in a more chaotic setting. Battles with chairs and tables clearly suit him.

His match with Orton featured more of a classic pro wrestling story.

The heel pounded the babyface. The hero gutted out a win after a long stretch of punishment. It was undoubtedly a good match but one many attributed to Orton's prowess more than Reigns' skills.

These were more like peeks into Reigns' potential. Full, up-close views of it were on the way afterward. 

5. Vs. Daniel Bryan (Fastlane 2015)

Roman Reigns outdid everything before Fastlane 2015 when he went up against Daniel Bryan.

This was more back-and-forth than his SummerSlam match against Randy Orton. It didn't depend so much on him taking a beating; he was the aggressor more often. Reigns showed here that he can work more than a single type of match. 

He held his own in a more mat wrestling-based contest. He worked a faster pace than he had against Kane and Orton.

And the result was a thriller, the clear top showing of the night. Jason Powell of ProWrestling.net called it "The best singles match that Reigns has had to date."

Given the headline spot on the card, Reigns came through.

Still, doubts remained. Bryan makes just about everybody look good. Producing opposite him isn't a slam dunk bit of proof that one has top-tier talent. 

4. Vs. Bray Wyatt (Raw, Sept. 28, 2015)

Leading up to Hell in a Cell, WWE looked to improve ratings for Raw by bringing in Steve Austin and highlighting Brock Lesnar. Roman Reigns and Bray Wyatt, meanwhile, reminded the company that just how bright its future is.

In one of the more compelling moments on Raw all year, Reigns and Wyatt battered each other in and out of the ring. 

The official match ended, but a brawl ensued that had the audience entranced. The amount of energy that crackled around Reigns and Wyatt as they flung each other around and cracked each other with right hands was impressive. They administered a dose of adrenaline to Raw.

Despite the bout being more fight than official contest, Grantland's David Shoemaker called it a "Match of a Year candidate." It was most certainly electric. And it showed that Reigns can thrive as a key figure in a main event showdown.

3. Vs. Bray Wyatt (Hell in a Cell 2015)

It's one thing to blow fans away like Roman Reigns and Bray Wyatt did on Raw with a surprise brawl, but it's another to deliver in the climax of a long, high-profile feud.

WWE invested hours of programming to tell the story of Wyatt haunting The Juggernaut. The two rivals then made the payoff well worth it. Even with Undertaker and Brock Lesnar seizing the headlines with their brutal, bloody clash, this felt like a main event of its own.

Reigns flourished under pressure.

He helped create great energy throughout this battle. He convinced the audience he was hurt—and of how hard of a fight it was to exorcise this demonic foe. This was yet another top-notch match in a big spot.

Heavy's Elton Jones wrote, "Reigns proved himself once again as a major player."

Jones is right. This has become a habit for Reigns. It doesn't matter what the situation or who the opponent is—he's been firing off big matches when it counts. 

2. Vs. Big Show (Extreme Rules 2015)

Roman Reigns gets bonus points for being a part of a show-stealer with Big Show as his foe.

The World's Largest Athlete does not have a reputation for great matches. His collisions with Brock Lesnar in the early 2000s were his best work. He hadn't had many standout performances after that.

Insert a hungry Reigns. He and Big Show put on Extreme Rules' best offering, a weapon-heavy, hard-hitting battle that felt like the main event despite its place on the card.

The match had Kenny Herzog of Rolling Stone proclaim, "Roman's got me thinking he's big money when it counts."

WWE had to be thinking the same thing. With a lackluster buildup, an underwhelming story and a plodding, past-his-prime opponent, Reigns still came through with something special. That's something he will have to do once the company crowns him its go-to warrior.

1. Vs. Brock Lesnar (WrestleMania 31)

Credit: WWE.com

Roman Reigns' critics will dismiss the greatness of WrestleMania 31's main event as a product of Brock Lesnar "carrying" him or the excitement created from Seth Rollins' surprise entry into the fray.

That first argument is misguided. While Lesnar was on the offensive for a good portion of the fight, the key takeaway from it all is that Reigns looked like he belonged on this grand stage.

This was the biggest match of his career, one that his detractors wished he wasn't in. Even so, he came through.

He felt like a titan on Lesnar's level.

It's hard to imagine many members of the roster that could have been as good of a fit slugging it out with The Beast Incarnate. Reigns' stardom shone that night. And while the story of the match ended up being Rollins' cunning theft of the WWE title, Reigns came away with video proof of his worthiness of a top spot.

Other men might have shrunk in the spotlight. Other men might have let pressure and criticism derail their performance.

Instead, all that seemed to fuel Reigns. Being able to do that, as John Cena has done for so many years, is a vital component in the megastar equation.