[9.0] "I'm kind of surprised at how much I loved this match. Tribal Chief Roman is not my thing and I figured their 2017 match was all that was needed at the time but it is a different dynamic and it really works for me. Here, Cena doesn't think he can outwrestle or outfight Reigns.. he's all mindgames and mirrors.. Trying to get in the head of Roman with his roll ups early on. You still get the big moves but there's an urgency present. My only flaw with the match is they basically did the same finish as 2017. One more hope spot and Roman being more brutal to kill off Cena would have been great."
[7.0] "I honestly can't believe I enjoyed this match. I'm chalking it up to the power of low expectations. Neither of these guys are known for great psychology. Sorry but doing finishers and signatures for 15 minutes is lazy. Anyway, this was a cool back and forth even though I don't think a lot of fans thought Cena would win. Still a lot better than I expected."
[2.0] "Well, basically, that's all I dislike about John Cena and Roman Reigns matches with each other. Raw and bad wrestling, relying solely on their signature moves and clichés that nobody likes. Terminator-like behavior. Many attempts to end the match with a roll-up. Unlike their No Mercy match, Reigns' acting was good here, but it doesn't really save the overall picture. Wrestling still remains empty."
[5.0] "It is overall no different than their No Mercy encounter, very overrated, unspectacular and corny match between two supposed GOATs by IWC. Roman Reigns might be very comfortable and better as a Heel Tribal Chief, but once again when the bell rings he always got carried by actual superior etiles. John Cena has been past prime, although I liked the avalanche AA spot. [**1/2]"
[7.0] "A blockbuster clash that serves its purpose well by putting Roman over and making him look strong. It's slow paced but compelling enough, I liked Cena playing mind games with Roman from the start, acting unserious, showing he has nothing to lose. As usual we get a lot of overacting from both, but the match is surprisingly enjoyable. *** 1/2"
[7.0] "A good main event that suffered from being very formulaic. First off, I did like Cena trying for the roll-ups early on and later in the match to escape the guillotine choke. It was a nice addition to Cena's usual shtick and played into the idea of him as more desperate and out-matched than at any point of his career because of his age and ring rust due to going Hollywood. That being said, the rest of the match was very by the book and both guys stuck to their usual big match routines during the closing stretch. Roman's heat segment lasted too long, and it wasn't all that interesting with him doing the usual jaw jacking to the camera. I did like that Reigns was able to win clean; outside interference would have undermined the story they were trying to tell of Reigns, the top guy of the then current era, have grown to clearly outclass Cena, the top guy of the previous era. It also would've been annoyingly repetitive given how many times the Usos had interjected themselves into Reigns' bouts up to this one. The match devolved into a finisher fest by the end, and none of the nearfalls were really all that convincing given Reigns had already kicked out of all of Cena's stuff in their prior match at No Mercy 2017, including the top rope Attitude Adjustment. I will say, the crowd being so hot for everything definitely elevated it for me. Without that crowd heat and the atmosphere it created, everything would have come off as even more old hat and less exciting. Overall, a good match that could have been better had they done something a little less played out and innovative. I wish they played into Cena potentially mixing up his moveset and strategy more, as his use of quick and early roll-ups to throw Roman off of his game was the most interesting aspect of the bout. ***1/2"
[7.0] "This was a really big main event. Roman beats Cena down with Cena fighting from under, John makes an epic comeback and Roman takes the match with a spear. The pacing is slightly off at times, which hinders the match but overall I liked the story of Cena just needing a count of 3 to take the title away."
[7.0] "A very basic match that didn't need to be anything that special. The near falls were good as always in a Roman match and it just felt like a big match overall."
[9.0] "It had a weaker story compared to their No Mercy (2017) feud but in terms of the matches they've had this is better and definitely a bit underrated."
[8.0] "Second time these two faced off with The Tribal Chief version this time. It was a good action led by both men, Cena gave his all to finish Roman off but Reigns ended up sending him to sleep. Roman pinning Cena clean twice just before claiming "Im WWE", this is wild."
[5.0] "There was something missing in this match in my eyes. Cena and Reigns had a better match a few years previous at no mercy 2017. This match didnt have the same spark as the previous due to Romans now solidified place as the top of the card. There was still a hope that Cena would win and there were compelling moments, but the match was somewhat lacking in the in ring department considering the pedigree of Cena at the time due to his resurgence as one of the best in ring wrestlers in WWE"
[3.0] "Roman being such a rote, unimaginative heel kind of makes Cena a compelling babyface by contrast. Cena may have been a crassly commercialized corporate champion with limited in-ring skills who was shoved down our throats for years--but he was very good at that job! Or at least it sure seemed that way watching Roman try over and over to fill those shoes. Sadly, not much of this symbolism was evoked during the match itself, which isn't much different from any of Roman's other title defenses: slow, plodding, predictable, and too long. Furthermore, unlike many of Roman's later defenses as part of The Bloodline, this one had very little heat. The most interesting thing happening here is the groundswell of support for Cena, seemingly even among those who had previously hated him."
[4.0] "Going in this match has so many ideas to explore. But instead we got a the typical version of Cena/Reign main events, with a slow, uninventive match, that felt cheesy instead of competitive. In fact, most of the match was one guy laying on the mat and the other guy playing to the crowd. Just boring stuff overall. 2.25 Stars."
[9.0] "Very big match. Huge SummerSlam main event. Reigns is confident and plays with the crowd, Cena tries to win the match by Roll Up several times. Despite this, the match is great, three AA and only one Spear to end the match. (4*3/4)"
[7.0] "Roman's matches are usually pretty slow, but this one feels really slow. Probably because Cena is not able to bring neither a particular threat to Roman nor a lot of action. The trashtalk feels also quite useless here. Not a bad match, but one that could really have used a time cut. 7/10."
[8.0] "This was a pretty good main event that actually made me think Cena might win at times. I'm not sure if I like this one more than their match at No Mercy 2017, but I did have the pleasure of being there in-person for this match AND the aforementioned one. I'll have to rewatch to be sure, so check back for an update on that at some point. Either way, this was a good main event for the show and it really felt like a big match. Brock Lesnar returning afterwards was crazy as well."
[9.0] "underappreciated match from two underappreciated workers. the 2.9 counts work great, and cena pulls off some great spots for his age. the storytelling going into it works very well in the matches the favor, and really made it believable that cena was gonna really win the title. great match overall and doesnt get enough credit"
[6.0] "I can't lie, Cena's recent matches have just not been hitting for me. There's no fire to them, they're grossly long and it feels like nothing's being done aside from the occasional WWE style big transitional bump through a barricade or announce table. There was nothing egregiously bad here, it's not the worst, but it's just a go through the motions that aren't as mobile as they used to be. *2.75*"
[7.0] "From a pure wrestling point of view, the match was nothing special, despite becoming more engaging in the second part as it often happens, but the greatest advantage of this match was undoubtedly its "real main event" aura and its atmosphere. When it was announced, pretty much everyone knew that it wouldn't have been a stellar match from a technical point of view, also due to John Cena's age, but watching the match I had the feeling of witnessing a real clash of the titans, a match that really deserves the main event, and this was enough for me to appreciate it"
[8.0] "Their No Mercy match was such a bore, so I expected this match to be just as compelling as a piece of paper. Thankfully, it was better than I expected it to be. While it wasn't a clinic of epic moments, it was still a pretty good match."
[8.0] "A good match as a whole but the initial moments were underwhelming, mundane and bland. Nevertheless, it picked up in great fashion and in an amazing manner especially the final sequence. Above average level of story narrative presentation. The in-ring psychology felt a bit bloated with Reigns kicking out of 3 AA's (one in the ring, 2nd through the announce table and the final one being the super AA). Cena attempts to get under the skin of Reigns, piss him off and almost has the emotions getting the better of Reigns until he composes himself. Cena did this with the roll-ups and all. Reigns shakes it off and has the mere power advantage over Cena too. They exchanged good shots and the match felt like a momentous one which it was but it did not deliver to the expectations it had set. Cena's defeat was a result of him being cocky which is similar to the loss faced against the rock at WM 28. I find it fitting that he suffered from a similar fate from the cousin of his arch-nemesis of the past. This failed to captivate for majority of the match but the final sequence was fiery which included those AA's but also the top rope maneuver by Cena reversed into a power-bomb. A nice contest overall. I'll give it a ****."
[8.0] "Very cinematic run-of the mill main event that focuses Cena using a slightly more elusive ring style to try to steal a win before falling into the finisher-steal trap, Roman's monologues are fun. Good, could have been more focused. Will add a point because of the crowd."
[7.0] "This felt like a typical big WWE match between two biggest superstars. The first 10 minutes was quite slow with a lot of trash talking from Reigns, which I thought wasn't much interesting. The match was transformed into a WWE epic formula with big moves and kick outs. I think it wasn't overdone and the atmosphere was pretty entertaining and energetic. Reigns kicked out like 3 AAs, which didn't surprise me. Overall a good match but far from a great bout I would expect. The post match was awesome, btw."
[8.0] "This match was better than the no mercy encounter they had in 2017.In the build-up towards the match, Cena said that no matter what Roman did he was just going to need 1 2 3. He did this by going for a lot of roll-ups. Roman kicking out of like 4 AAS and Cena not being able to kick out of one spear was weird tho. Still a good match ****"
[9.0] "This felt like a poor man's version of Rock vs. Hogan. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't half as electrifying and memorable, but it felt very similar. Both guys leaned heavily into their characters in this match as opposed to their work rate, and it lead to some great storytelling work. If you're looking for a mat classic with a lot of moves, this isn't it. But this is two larger-than-life competitors having the crowd eating out of the palm of their hands while not doing too much to elicit that reaction. For me, it lived up to the hype."
[7.0] "Artless WWE style epic but expecting anything else from this particular match up (not implying that Reigns and Cena are lesser wrestlers) is asking too much. Don't expect the impossible and enjoy what you get, because this is one of the better executions of this match genre in recent memory. It isn't as big as Rock vs. Cena but in 2021, it's big enough. Roman is a legit mega star by this point and the arena along with the crowd add alot to the big fight feel. As for the match itself? As I said before, it's popcorn entertainment, guys so there's no real point in dissecting every single of its existence. Good trash talking by Roman, Cena's repeated roll ups were a nice little touch, they don't go crazy long (although Roman does slow down things a tad too much during the second act), and the finishing stretch is particularly great (Reigns is an exceptional kick out artist and the escalation of the kick outs was fantastic). That's it for the actual review because critiquing it any further is pointless."
[6.0] "I really, really wanted to like this more but it never reached the heights one would expect for such a stacked match. It all made sense and wasn't a bad or phoney match, but it never kicked into a second gear or told the masterclass of a wrestling story one might expect. Cena kept going for cheap roll-ups, which fits the narrative of the feud but stopped this from being a typical Cena classic. Reigns has had good matches in the past and his character work now is unparalleled, but in the ring he just seems to disappoint on the big stage. Between this and his Edge match, his matches seem so formulaic, long periods of slow heat, a few babyface bright spots and then a Reigns victory. It was a decently enjoyable match, but I couldn't help but expect more from the names involved"
[5.0] "It was probably unreasonable to expect this to be anything like Cena/Rock in terms of what is meant for fans and signaling a changing of the guard. For one, this match already happened rather unceremoniously before Cena left to make movies. But Reigns wasn't the character he is now, so this time it was a much more interesting prospect, but it still never really felt like as big of a deal as you'd hope or think it would. Reigns, despite his growth since turning heel, seems to be reaching his ceiling already. As far as Cena goes, he's always at his best when he has someone to subvert the WWE tropes and get him off rails. Reigns wins but it doesn't feel like anything progressed from this. Lesnar might have better luck with his feud, as him and Reigns have at least shown some sparks over the years."
[4.0] "Not a very inspired showing for two guys who are supposed to be at the top of the industry. Going by this and their first match at Fastlane, they just don't have much chemistry."
[4.0] "This was not very good. This was 20% actually wrestling, and 80% of Roman doing cheesy monologues to the camera or crowd, with the quality of a bad high school theatre class. It picked up a little bit after the AA through a table spot, but doesn't excuse how they spent 18+ minutes doing absolutely NOTHING before then. Truely, a cure for insomnia. 2 stars - and that's quite generous."
[7.0] "Say what you want about WWE, but when they bring their A Game to their Main Events, they rarely drop the ball. This was a clash of the past against the present, with Cena reminding everyone why he is one of the finest storytellers the company has produced in the last decades. Going for a constant school boy to play up to the story they told on Smackdown was just a way to bamboozle Roman into getting his defenses down and maybe sneaking a AA for a quick steal. All these little things both men did really helped my immersion into the match."
[5.0] "I don't think this really delivered on what was supposed to be a passing of the guard, regardless even if they had already tried it once before. The problem might've been that both of these guys are heavily dependent on their opponent to make real magic happen, and as such, they pretty much stuck to the WWE playbook."
[5.0] "Very lame match. Neither wrestler was inspired, it was formulaic, it lacked wrestling artistry, and was just an ode to a very bland WWE style that I its what makes it hard to watch."
[5.0] "This was fine, but nothing special. A very stereotypical modern WWE main event of big move followed by a minute or so of selling, then another big move, then more selling, etc. It picked up towards the end, but the first half of the match was boring."
[8.0] "A very good match and main event. The starting was clever with Cena going for quick pins before being mauled down. Going into the match, I was afraid that there would be too many kickouts and Reigns did just that. He kickout of two huge AA (The first One through a table and the second from the middle Rope). I think it would have been better had Reigns kick out of a normal AA after going through the table. But I loved the ending : The way the match finished with Roman screaming to the camera , ' I AM WWE' before delivering a huge spear to Cena and getting a decisive pinfall victory. Very good main event and a great way to cement Reigns' epic Title Reign. ****"
[5.0] "5. 5 - Did too much dining off the 'epic' encounter. Too much Reigns jaw-jacking with the crowd. He doesn't have that natural ability. Only a few moments of good action down the stretch."
[7.0] "Good main event match with good old John Cena and Brock Lesnar's return at the end. I had goosebumps when The Next Big Thing hit the arena. Too bad, John Cena was basically destroyed by Roman Reigns."
[5.0] "Such a disappointing match. The build was fine, but the match was so weird. Cena just kept rolling up Roman, like stop. Plus every time someone did a move there was like 5 minutes of posing. So slow."
[7.0] "Decent match. But this overall feud was disappointing. Cena just said 1 2 3 a bunch of times. I? m more excited for this Lesnar feud bc of the Heyman dynamic."
[6.0] "Disappointing. The first match between them wasn't good either but this was Roman at his most acclaimed and Cena at his most popular now that he's a movie star and they just don't have good chemistry. Lots of stalling only for it to get around to the usual kickouts and table spots."
[0.0] "This was a boring, by the numbers and overly long main event. There was very little heat on the build, despite WWE? s best efforts and intentions. They wanted this to be an epic, but lacked anything compelling to do so. This was one of the worse Reigns main events, up there with his infamous similar clash with Triple H. Match Rating: DUD"
[7.0] "A little too plodding and it never really kicked into a second gear. It felt a bit flat but Cena and Reigns both looked good regardless. The right guy won, and the surprise Lesnar return was a great ending. Heyman being in between both Lesnar and Reigns has potential to be real fun, with Lesnar sporting both a new look and a new fan alignment (babyface Brock is something we haven't seen in a while). A fine main event but nothing spectacular other than the post-match angle."
[9.0] "Incredible. John Cena was given the nickname of Big Match John and this is yet another example of why. I understand that these may be the two most divisive wrestlers of the past 30 years, but when they step up and deliver... They deserve that credit. John Cena stuck to a gameplan early that was consistent with the build of the match: All I need is three. Roman Reigns responded in the exact way he was expected to, with the raw physicality and athleticism that makes him The Head of the Table. It was a slow build, but as a fan of that style and this rivalry, I was drawn in and hooked from beginning to end. Cena was surprisingly accurate with his covers, as well as magnificent in his comeback moments. It may have been the same old Cena in some regards, but again: That was a key point of the feud. Simply put: The storytelling was Grade A. Cena kept the crowd on the edge of its seat with his flurries of offense, while Reigns did everything in his power to prove why he is THE guy. And with a closing sequence that saw Cena fall victim to the arrogance that stems from his disbelief in Reigns, and Reigns not resorting to his new dastardly tactics but instead the more pure aspect of his persona... I must reiterate the word incredible. A Match of the Year candidate for WWE and one of the best main events in SummerSlam history. 4. 5 stars, 9 out of 10."
[9.0] "it was a really great match: an excellent show of strength for Reigns who further elevated his now huge and exponential status. In addition, I think the return of Brock Lesnar was one of the best of recent times. John Cena remains and is, the best wrestler in history"
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