Back in 2015, Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns were slated to main event WrestleMania 31 as “The Beast” put his WWE Championship on the line. The match started off as a back-and-forth battle between Lesnar and Reigns, but when both men struggled to regain their footing, Seth Rollins rushed down to the ring with his Money in the Bank briefcase. 

As Rollins made his official cash-in, the singles match was then elevated to a triple threat. After evading an F-5 from Lesnar (with the aid of Reigns’ spear), Rollins delivered a curb stomp to Reigns to capture the pinfall and begin his first reign as WWE Champion.

After Lesnar successfully defended the WWE Championship against Rollins and John Cena at the 2015 Royal Rumble, Rollins believed a major cash-in would recharge his momentum. “I thought it was a great opportunity to create a moment unlike any we’ve ever seen. I thought it was a great way to build myself, but also to build Roman [Reigns] and give him somebody to chase. I just didn’t think the time was right, I didn’t think the audience was ready for that victory, and fortunately for me, I think people saw it that way as well.”

While Rollins had the plan laid out for months, he wasn’t notified of its approval until mid-way through WrestleMania 31, after he had wrestled Randy Orton earlier that night. Up until the moment his entrance music was played, Rollins says he was convinced the company was going to backtrack on his idea. Luckily, they didn’t, and an iconic pro wrestling moment was created.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit “Mark Andrews: My Love Letter to Wrestling” with a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.