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WrestleMania 40 Night 1 results, grades, analysis: The Rock, Roman Reigns defeat Cody Rhodes, Seth Rollins

In Sports
April 07, 2024

Our last match of the night was arguably the biggest tag team match in WrestleMania history, with Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins taking on The Rock and Roman Reigns.

Rhodes, Rollins and Reigns are pulling double duty at this year’s WrestleMania and this was The Rock’s first true WrestleMania match in 11 years.

If Rhodes and Rollins would have won, The Bloodline would have been banned from ringside for Sunday’s Undisputed WWE Universal Championship match between Rhodes and Reigns. Since The Rock and Reigns won, the match will be contested under “Bloodline Rules.”

Of all the (very long) entrances, The Rock’s was clearly the most over-the-top — in a good way, of course. Rhodes’ mom and father-in-law were seated ringside, which was significant considering the build of this match.

Once the bell rang, the four men engaged in a long staring match. Ultimately Rollins and Reigns are picked to start the match off. The first move was a collar-and-elbow tie up more than two and a half minutes after the bell rang. Reigns overpowered Rollins as the pace remained slow. Once things picked up, Rollins gained the upper hand and tagged Rhodes in.

Rhodes and Reigns went back and forth before engaging in a brief “test of strength.” Rollins returned to the action and then Reigns tagged in The Rock for the first time.

Following the earlier Reigns-Rollins blueprint, Rock overpowered Rollins after a collar-and-elbow tie up but Rollins utilized speed and counters to even the playing field. After building momentum, Rock taunted Rhodes to come into the ring — and he obliged.

Rhodes, and eventually Rollins, beat down on Rock and Reigns for a short time before the four stared each other down again and the battle spilled outside the ring. Rhodes and Reigns worked up the ramp while Rollins and Rock kept the action near the commentary area. Rock threatened the referee not to count anyone out before he and Rollins entered the crowd.

After chaos involving all four men outside the ring, Rock and Rollins returned to the ropes, but a sneak attack by Reigns resulted in Rollins selling a knee injury. Rock and Reigns turned their attention to Rollins’ knee and isolating the WWE heavyweight champion, handicapping the babyface team.

As Reigns taunted the crowd, Rollins pulled off a neck breaker and appeared poised for a hot tag to Rhodes, but Rock pulled him back and hit him with a low blow — furthering the story of Rock abusing his power as a TKO board member to cheat.

Yet another attempt at the hot tag was foiled as Reigns pulled Rhodes from the apron and Rock locked Rollins in the sharpshooter. Rhodes, tossing out the rulebook, interfered to slap the Rock and force the hold to be broken. Rollins then capitalized with a stomp on Rock before both men tagged in their partners.

Rhodes built momentum with a scoop slam, disaster kick and Cody cutter to land a near-fall. Rhodes went for another cutter but Reigns countered with a “superman punch” for a near-fall of his own.

As the pace picked up, Rhodes landed a top-rope cutter and Rollins a frog splash, but Reigns kicked out at two. Rollins and Rhodes landed a series of superkicks, a stomp and “crossRhodes” on Reigns but Rock pulled the referee out of the ring.

With the referee briefly incapacitated, Reigns took out Rhodes with a low blow, but Rhodes kicked out.

Reigns locked Rhodes in a guillotine choke and Rock prevented the hold from being broken. Rollins came in for the save and after Rock tagged in, he turned his attention to Rhodes mother and father-in-law, taunting them with his custom weight belt.

Rock’s taunting allowed Rhodes to quickly recoup for a “bionic elbow” and, as Rock went for the “people’s elbow,” a cutter. On the cusp of landing his finisher on Rock, Rhodes was taken out with a “superman punch.”

With Reigns lining up a spear on Rhodes, Rollins saved his partner and Reigns inadvertently speared Rock. Both Rhodes and Rollins landed pedigrees, but The Bloodline members kicked out and the action moved outside the ring again.

Rollins took out Reigns with a top-rope crossbody and Rock’s attention was on Rhodes in the announce area. A brief distraction allowed Rhodes to put Rock through an announce table with a “Rock bottom” and Reigns speared Rollins through the barricade to the timekeeper’s area.

Rhodes moved Rock back into the ring, but Reigns hit him with a drive-by kick. Reigns tagged in and went toe-to-toe with Rhodes. Rhodes went for a trio of “crossRhodes,” but on the third he was hit in the back with Rock’s weight belt, turning the tide in the heels’ favor.

Rock hit Rhodes with a “Rock bottom” and the “people’s elbow” before picking up the win.

The Rock and Roman Reigns defeated Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins in 44:38

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