Cody Rhodes & Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns & The Rock

[9.0] "A long main event for Night 1, but was still ridiculously entertaining. The Rock looked great in his first match in years and the fans were into this match. It had a proper big fight feel and felt like an attitude era style match at points. Brawl into the crowd, a lot of nostalgia of course with the presence of The Rock. Great stuff all round."

[8.0] "This was a very good match. The second half was intense, had great wrestling and the whole thing had an awesome story behind it. However, the main downside here is how much this match dragged. It was almost 45 minutes long and it took almost 25 minutes to hit next gear. Stuff like that really pisses me off. I usually love a long match but not when it takes almost a half hour to get going. Regardless, I did really like this match."

[7.0] "Very fun match with great chemistry and tension, it is LONG however and probably didn't need to be. The Rock looks like a million bucks which I remeber being worried about at the time, excellent finish to set up Night 2"

[10.0] "Seeing the rock in a wrestling ring was just unreal. Even if it wasn't a 5 star classic. This match had one of the greatest builds of all time and it was so stressful with who was going to win. Several near falls and The Rock accidentally getting speared was hilarious."

[8.0] "The match started very slow but it's a recurring theme in Roman Reigns matches, i was involved even in the first 20 minutes, the rhytm grow up in the last 15 minutes making me jumping at the seat several times. I don't think is a 5 star match cause that was way too long but that's somenthing unmissable for me."

[8.0] "I liked this a lot more than I thought I would. Rock's heel work as The Final Boss was on point, threatening to fire the ref if he counted them out and also taunting Cody's mom. The back half of this match was really good after a slow start, and Cody and Dwayne's dynamic was highlighted a lot more than him and Roman's, which I thought was interesting, Roman spearing The Rock was also a huge moment. (8.25/10)"

[9.0] "One of the last great bloodline tag matches before the war games match at survivor series. Your typical slow build before all the actions picks up. But what made this match so great was the way the rock was moving in this match. What he was doing with ref in how he was taking advantage of him and breaking the rules because he's the final boss, to the character work he was doing in regards to Cody's mom, and in the match itself. The dynamic of Cody and the rock was really telling here. Which is why before the match many ppl said it felt like Cody was facing the rock and not Roman. All in all, this match ruled, that set the stage for an emotional night 2 all time main event. They definitely could have made this match shorter by cutting off like 10 minutes but eh what can you do considering the rock was involved lol.This was good shit. ****1/4"

[10.0] "If you told me beforehand that a 40 plus minute WrestleMania main event from the Rock (in 2024) would be one of the best ever, I would have called you insane. That being said they absolutely hit it out the park here and gifted us a wonderfully bonkers match to end off the first night. Having Cody take the pin was interesting, but I do not mind it as it means that I can further lock in Cody for tomorrow's show. Furthermore, kudos to The Rock for what he did here, from his all around aura to the constant great spots he partook in, I was really impressed."

[10.0] "An amazing match set by four of the all time greats, especially considering one was part time and the other hadn't had a match in eight years. Great storytelling, great action, and The Rock's face after Roman speared him was just priceless. It also set the tone perfectly for the next night's main event."

[8.0] "No one is more surprised at me at how much I liked this. My expectations were not high. I've never thought much of The Rock as a worker, the idea of this being an important tag team match is genuinely comedic (I mean, come on, they're just two sets of guys, it's not exactly Jumping Bomb Angels or The Midnight Express, here), and the stakes are pretty low. Having a match with this much preamble, and this long, feels like putting lipstick on a pig. But, you know what? When they started brawling out in the crowd? I kind of got into it. Yeah there's sports entertainment bullshit (constant nearfalls, Seth performing superkicks on a busted leg), but it told a simple story well, and with a lot of gravitas. It's not the most artistic match, but it's never boring, and it does its job in promoting the Sunday bout. Never though I'd say this, but The Rock had a better match on the same card as WALTER."

[4.0] "A lots of people enjoyed this match overall, thanks to forced carryjob from Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins, while Roman Reigns and The Rock just do lame ass aura farming and basic in ring work. The match itself has no right to be this long in any shape of form, and ended with lame and predictable outcome that Bloodline side won. [**]"

[8.0] "Very good match. I thought it was cool how they used the Rock's authority in the company as part of the match. The winner was pretty obvious but the match itself was very, very good."

[3.0] "A terrible, slow match. This felt like it achieved absolutely nothing. You're telling the story that Cody is a danger to the historic reign and now they have the chance to soften him up the night before the title match. So why instead do the heels spend most of the match working over Rollins? Imagine ripping up your Wrestlemania plans so you could chuck these guys in a main event both night and this is the calibre of match you put out into the world. Given that the follow up match was so very good, this had no right to be as disappointing as it was. 1.75 stars."

[10.0] "***** (10/10) A slow burn, but most (if not all) Reigns/Bloodline matches are the slowest of burns that end up burning brightly by the end. I feel like they might have been booked for the actual time of 45 minutes (which is a very long runtime) and had the first third progress gradually before things started to unravel two/thirds of the way in. I know this was one of the most divisive main events in Mania's recent memory, but by no means was it a bad main event, and I believe that those who were not in favor to night-one's main event are not fans of Roman Reigns matches, which is fair because sometimes his matches are of an acquired taste, I suppose, but a style packed with grandeur substance and profound storytelling in it's presentation. I wouldn't call it the greatest main event in Mania's history, but I know there are some who would. But those are probably Rock fans. Yes, the former half of the fight was slow and plodding, but once all hell broke loose, we were watching one of the best Mania Main events in WrestleMania history."

[8.0] "Was a little on the long, self-indulgent side sure, but still match of the night IMO. Was pleasantly surprised Rock was able to keep up and didn't look gassed at any point. Highlight was Rock straight up punched Seth in the balls in front of the ref lmao"

[8.0] "Never watched Wrestlemania 40, so I am watching it after 41. Love this set for 40. THE BIG XL and all the video paneling around the football stadium. Blows 41 away. The entrance of Seth Rollins had the announcers laughing so hard that you could hear them muted when they could not identify what his clothing was. It was maybe the closest to baseball commentary and why people enjoy casually watching baseball that WWE has gotten in a while and it was the main event of Wrestlemania. Later, Vince."

[6.0] "This was too damn long for its own good. There was no good reason for this to have gone nearly three quarters of an hour; the match's pacing felt glacial as a consequence. It only became good during the finishing stretch, especially after Reigns inadvertently speared the Rock (which didn't amount to anything storywise either during this match or the title match the following night). Up until then, the match featured a lot and I mean a lot of Reigns and Rock working over Rollins to isolate him from Cody. That part of the match dragged on for what felt like an eternity and it ultimately didn't really lead anywhere interesting as it was Cody who took the pin rather than the softened up Rollins. That being said, Cody taking the fall wasn't necessarily a bad thing as it really upped the stakes for his title bout with Reigns the following day. I will say though that the decision to have the Rock pin him was questionable given that there has yet to be a singles match between the two and a chance for Cody to get the win back. The other big knock I have against this match is not entirely the fault of the competitors involved and that is the rather lacklustre crowd response toward much of the match. Sure, the Philly crowd popped for the big spots and finishers, but it seemed to me that the crowd wasn't as invested as I expected given how star-studded a tag match this was and the stakes for the following night. Granted, it was apparently really cold in the building and it was the main event of a pretty long and eventful show so I don't entirely blame those involved but it was all the more reason to cut a significant chunk of time from this. Overall, the match did its job in setting up the night two main event but would have benefitted from a quicker pace and about twenty minutes cut out of it. ***"

[4.0] "This was nightmarishly long, and all of the big points could have been hit in half the time. Rock pinning Cody instead of Roman would cause even more issues for next year, as people assumed that Cody would be getting that win back at some point in the REAL money match. Ah well, nevertheless. Roman and Rock stood tall with their titles - Roman with the WWE Title and Rock with his e-fed People's Title - as Cody and Rollins sat looking like losers. **"

[7.0] "This match was fun, but it did go for way too long. I was pissed Rock and Roman won, but it had to happen to enhance the story of Cody......you know, finish the story."

[9.0] "First time watching this back, after being at WM XL live, and I have to give it to the production crew and commentary. They made this match MUCH more alive than witnessing it in Philly. I vividly recall, being bored around the 20 minute mark of the match, based off of the fact that quite literally nothing was happening, and it was colder than a polar bear's toenails. It hindered my enjoyment of the match. Thought it was good nonetheless, but knew it had to be rewatched. I finally got to that point, and this is in my opinion, one of the best main events WWE have done not just for WrestleMania, but in general. The chemistry between all four of these guys were great, and the match did not feel as long this time around. It is a wonderful love letter to both the Attitude Era car crash style main events, combined with the unadulterated star-power tag matches from the Ruthless Agression era, to finally go along with the spotfest-adjacent modern tag match. The only complaint I really have is, the brawl near the stage and the crowd should've happened a little later in the match, to help set up the many shenanigans we would see past the 30 minute mark. Other than that, phenomenal. ****1/2"

[9.0] "Codyvator! I know we wrestling fans are divided when it comes to long main events but I am a sucker for them. One of the biggest pros in wrestling for me is long ppvs too, means for wrestling for me to give my undivided attention to. This match was one of those example. Just a spectacle from start to the end. If I'm not mistaken this was 1 hour and 20 minutes long from the promo package to the credits. Love it. The entrances were showcases themselves. The amount of aura all four carried was insane to feel. It must be sureal for Roman Cody and Seth to be in the ring with The Rock and vice versa, especially at Wrestlemania of all places. Just insane man, we fans are very special."

[5.0] "The most offensive matches are ones that are put together via a basic checklist. This felt so mundane because they had already decided they're going super long but the combinations of people involved and the fact they had to hold back for future matches made this match listless and so boring."

[8.0] "[4.0*] There are matches you like more and matches you like less. Seth Rollins vs Drew McIntyre has a higher rating than this one and I will give it a low-ass rating because I hated it. This match, however, I loved. For the first 20 minutes, nothing happened, but I was so into it, that I liked this part. I was engaged with the Final Boss heel work spitting water on Rollins and etc. The second half however was fucking nuts, with Cody applying a Rock Bottom on Rocky on the announcers table, Seth doing a reverse Stomp, a double Pedigree nearfall and a phenomenal ending with Rock pinning Cody and still being the Final Boss. This hyped up the Night 2 in a fantastic way and the match itself was one I enjoyed a fucking lot. Loved it."

[8.0] "A good and well booked match. The two big flaws I can find are obviously its length but also the fact that there are quite a few slow moments, especially in the first half. A lively audience and an intensity that can be felt. Better than in my memories of when I saw it live. (4*)"

[6.0] "I'm sorry, but this match dragged! The final 10 minutes are incredible! But the 35 minute build to get up to that part was a slog. Not horrible, but just long. Maybe if Night One had more quality matches on it would have felt a bit more in place but after the build up to this I can't help but feel a bit flat. Night Two however makes up for it!"

[8.0] "Started out pretty slow like a lot of Bloodline matches but really picked up as it went on. Even though it was 45 minutes it never felt like it dragged on past the beginning which is impressive for a match with a 50 year old Rock in it"

[4.0] "I think this match was incredibly boring, the entrances took up way too much time, and outside the brawl outside the ring, there were no memorable moments in this match. The worst part is, that the ending was predictable, the Rock and Roman needed to win in order to increase the stakes and intensity of the second night's main event. Overall, I don't think this match was good, at all, and the main event of night 2 was much, much better."

[10.0] "This match started really slow, but gradually it improved. It was a good for The Rock's first proper match in 11 years (that match against Erick Rowan doesn't count). This match filled with some dramas including Roman accidentally hit The Rock with a Spear and Cody hit The Rock Bottom on the announcer table."

[10.0] "Heavily overshadowed by the following night's main event but, i genuinely think that this one is just as good as the latter maybe a bit more. Certainly did not feel like 45 minute. Non-stop action with good in ring storytelling, your oldschool WrestleMania match from current bests in the bussiness."

[7.0] "First 20 minutes of this match were very very slow and boring but in the last 25 minutes it picked up dramatically and was an insane match at the end. Love that The Rock is still able to go as well."

[7.0] "45 minutes and i did feel like for the first half, very slow. rock was so much better than expected, that sell of the spear was brilliant as was him threatening the ref's career. it did feel like the first half an hour didn't need to be there, the whole match could have been the last 15 mins. ***3/4"

[1.0] "Maybe the worst Mania event I've ever seen. I found this so profoundly depressing. After the best build to a Mania match in years, with blood, hatred and intensity coating every second of the lead-up, these four men went out there for almost 45 minutes and delivered a snooze fest. After weeks of Cody and Rock being the most heated aspect of the build, they barely interacted for most of the match. With Cody as the most significant force to take care of for the Bloodline since Cody and Roman would be wrestling tomorrow, they instead targeted Rollins' leg methodically for such a huge portion of the match. All of the big spots felt unearned. They didn't add anything with the empty space, no expert pacing or struggle, it was just crushingly slow. I was so bored and so depressed and by the end where Rock totally big leagued Cody, I was just grateful for it to be over. It did the opposite of making me excited for tomorrow night's main event, in fact, I'm not sure I even want to see this feud continue in any fashion. Give me back Gunther and change this main event scene. Awful, awful, awful match that's practically irredeemable, structurally incompetent and embarrassing for all four men to have been a part of. What a waste."

[10.0] "Probably my favorite match of all time. The double pedigree spot might be one my favorite near falls off all time, especially since it came after ROMAN SPEARING THE ROCK. Did not feel like 45 minutes, it went by fast. Couldn't believe the runtime when I heard it because I thought it only went around 20."

[5.0] "40 minutes is way too long for a 52 year old Dwayne to be wrestling and it is really really felt. There's some cool stuff like Rock yelling at the ref that he'll fire him but this is mostly an acceptable brawl that goes on for way longer than it had any right to."

[7.0] "This was an amazing match that I enjoyed, however I do not believe it should have been 40 Minutes. Still a really fun match with everyone showing out but just kinda long and over played out."

[8.0] "I can tell this one is underrated and received mixed reactions. Fans expected an explosive, fast-paced match, but it felt overly drawn out and lacked the intensity needed for a WrestleMania-caliber showdown. The Rocks return was a highlight, but it couldn't save the match from feeling like a missed opportunity. But we can't deny that the greatness of the second night's match took away from that match and made people forget about it, but I don't think it deserves all this criticism. It was good to some extent and useful for what will happen on the second night. Too good to be a first part."

[7.0] "Despite great talent and a real Star Power worthy of a first Main Event for the fortieth edition of Wrestlemania, and despite a gripping build, I was a little disappointed with the match and found it hard to fully immerse myself in it. Despite this, it was obviously the first step towards a heroic sequel, and was merely the premise of an even bigger match, bringing to a close a very entertaining and magical show."

[7.0] "This is a difficult one to rate, and I expected the inmates rating would be like that, very divisive, looking like an age pyramid of a developed country. After the match I had people saying to me this was certainly a 5 star match, and people saying it was disgusting, it's normal to provoke these reactions, but I always try to be the most rational and balanced as I can, and although this match had incredible moments, it had some flaws, specially the beginning, very slow and boring, and the crowd contributed for that, they were dead silent the whole match, at least in the streaming, I don't know how it was live, but those early staredowns and interactions deserved a "holy shit" chant or something like that, but they were incredibly silent. This match probably had the most remarkable moments of the night, and the ones people will remember the most... hell, it's my longest rating by far, because it's those kind of matches that make people react, but I can't ignore how bad those early moments were, so I think I'm giving a fair rating here, recognizing the flaws and the amazing moments of this long experience. Great and expected ending, added a lot to the night 2 match. PS: The Rock is awesome - {***1/2}"

[8.0] "This was cool. It was REALLY dragging for a while, but the second half or so of this was so much fun. I completely understand Rock not taking a bunch of offense since you kind of want to protect him a bit, but I think that ended up being handled well. Either way, this ended up being a pretty good time, and I especially enjoyed one of the ending camera shots repeating one from last year's show after Reigns beat Rhodes."

[5.0] "Okay that was really boring for most of the given time. They spent a lot of minutes outside the ring without doing anything interesting. The Rock looked better than I thought but still the whole match was only decent. Cody eating the pinfall was mostly good call."

[9.0] "This tag match had no business being 45 minutes long, but it's still a really amazing tag match that set the stakes for Cody Vs Roman 2 at WrestleMania 40 Day 2, The Rock had aged perfectly in the ring and played as the "Final Boss" heel to perfection."

[9.0] "Felt like watching a big time NBA Finals type game if we could see Shaq and Kobe take on Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. Awesome spectacle and fun brawl"

[8.0] "The match was good. It never felt like a 45-minute marathon, they managed to break it up with some brawling to eliminate any down periods. While I will likely never go back and watch this match again, it was way better than I expected and Dwayne didn't turn to dust so that can be seen as nothing but a positive."

[8.0] "This was a really good tag match. The Rock is awesome, didn't look out of place in the ring at all. And obviously Cody and Roman are great, and Seth is an actual MVP that glued together the whole match. Match started out slow at first but the last 15 minutes were outstanding action and drama. Awesome Mania main event."

[7.0] "Conflicting thoughts on this match. It was way way too long but at the same time the first view of this match didnt give that impression as it was a spectacle to see all four of these men in the same ring in 2024. The Rock performed about as good as anyone couldve expected with his age and the other three are elite talent so the moves they did looked good. The crowd brawling was a nice touch to bring a little bit of the attitude out of The Rock. With the build up this match had, especially with the infamous Mama Rhodes beat down from The Rock, I really expected a little more violence from the Bloodline. It doesnt feel right that the most gruesome moment wasnt actually in the match. Its also worth noting that Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns, the only two champions in this match, were wildly cast aside by Rhodes & The Rock. This match was not meant to platform the champions at all which was a problem. It was nothing special aside from the Aura and a couple weird creative decisions but it was fun."

[7.0] "I didn't go into this match expecting much as 3 of the men in it had to work the next night and the other hadn't wrestled a proper match in over a decade. But nevertheless i quite enjoyed it despite it going way too long. The right people won and Cody being pinned gave me way more faith that he was going to win the title the next night as there was no way anyone of these guys were getting pinned twice in 2 days and the Rock sure as shit wasn't coming back after years away just to lose."

[9.0] "I didn't have high expectations for the Main event at first, it started off slow, but once it picked up, it got really good. Now I'm just looking forward to night 2, hoping Cody will finish The story. It was obvious that The Rock wasn't in his best shape, but he still pulled off something really impressive. Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins have had great chemistry since their days in The Shield, and Cody Rhodes has his own unique charm in the ring."

[7.0] "While the match is long and slow in the beginning, once it starts, this match doesn't stop. An incredibly fun main event match filled with great action and character work. The Rock telling the referee that he'll fire him if he gets DQ'd is great. The right winners setting up the perfect main event for Night 2 of Wrestlemania 40. 4.25 Stars"

[10.0] "The very definition of a WrestleMania main event, in my opinion. Sure, it is quite long, but I never felt like it overstayed its welcome. The Rock took way more bumps than I thought he would and did way better than expected, considering he'd been out of the ring for ten years and is 52 years old. Seth doing all he did with a torn meniscus is honestly pretty crazy, and he was great here. Roman Reigns was great as well, of course. Cody Rhodes selling the ending of the match was great and really sold it like he was done for come Sunday. Truly a great WrestleMania main event."

[8.0] "Unexpectedly great match and didn't feel that long at all. The Rock had a good perfromance for his age and the entrances were great. Cody's face at the end of the match and Rollins' selling were great. Great set-up for night 2."