Triple H vs. Roman Reigns: Winner and Reaction from WWE WrestleMania 32

Roman Reigns' expected coronation as WWE World Heavyweight champion came to fruition Sunday night at WrestleMania 32, as he defeated Triple H to become world champion for a third time in front of a massive crowd at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

WWE captured a image of the finish: 

The WWE Universe provided video of the new champion hoisting his belt:

The History of WWE noted the match lasted for 27 minutes and 11 seconds.  One of the highlights of the match was a Reigns spear of Triple H through the barricade, via the WrestleMania Twitter account:

Stephanie McMahon was a key figure in the match, as she took a spear from Reigns and provided a sledgehammer to Triple H, via the WrestleMania Twitter account:

Her entrance was certainly memorable as well, per WWE Universe: 

WWE Broadcaster Kyle Edwards provided an interesting stat regarding the win by Reigns: 

"

Third Rome -- Roman Reigns becomes the 16th @WWE Superstar to win the WWE World Heavyweight Title at least 3 times. #WrestleMania

— Kyle Edwards (@KyleEdwardsWWE) April 4, 2016"

The crowd reaction towards Reigns was predictably negative, as noted by WrestleZone.com and Arash Markazi of ESPN.com:  

The Big Dog and The Game have been at odds for several months, dating back specifically to the TLC pay-per-view. Reigns destroyed Triple H at the conclusion of that show after losing controversially to Sheamus, which set their rivalry in motion.

The King of Kings got revenge in the Royal Rumble as a surprise entrant at No. 30. Vince and Stephanie McMahon forced Reigns to defend the title from the No. 1 slot, but Triple H eliminated him and then tossed Dean Ambrose to become world champion for the 14th time.

Reigns earned a rematch at WrestleMania by defeating both Ambrose and Brock Lesnar in a Triple Threat match at Fastlane; however, he was put out of commission for multiple weeks during the build toward the showcase of immortals when The Cerebral Assassin broke his nose in a bloody brawl.

The former Shield powerhouse returned the favor upon his return to action and made it clear he would continue to make life miserable for Triple H:

Reigns showed further defiance two weeks before WrestleMania when he interrupted a promo by Stephanie and laid out his plans to embarrass Triple H and the McMahon family at the show of shows, as WWE Universe shared on Twitter:

Later that same night, Reigns attacked Triple H again only for The Game to escape via a limousine, which prompted The Juggernaut to offer a stern warning to the champ:

Most fans have tabbed Reigns as the handpicked face of the company for the past couple of years, and the fact he vied for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania for the second consecutive year certainly bolstered that notion.

Because of that, the most common assumption was that Reigns would win and get his WrestleMania moment with confetti and fireworks as top faces generally do.

Even so, there was some level of apprehension that it would happen due to the negative reaction Reigns receives on a regular basis. He often gets a mix of cheers and boos, and he certainly isn't a universally beloved figure.

During last year's main event for the world title between Reigns and Lesnar, Seth Rollins successfully cashed in his Money in the Bank contract. Although that may have been the plan from the start, it could very well have come about due to the similar reactions Reigns received in 2015.

Despite the potential pitfalls, WWE decided to move forward with Reigns as its world champion. That places the onus largely on the booking committee to ensure the crowd reacts precisely how they want the fans to, which usually hasn't been the case over the past couple of years.

The manner in which Reigns was handled in the weeks leading up to WrestleMania did seem to turn the corner in a positive way. WWE must now prove it can maintain that type of momentum over the long haul.

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