WWE WrestleMania XL PLE Results: 4-6-24 (Night #1)
(7) THE ROCK & ROMAN REIGNS (w/ Paul Heyman) vs. CODY RHODES & SETH ROLLINS
All four men stood stoically in the center of the ring as the bell rang. They let the crowd work themselves in several different chants. The Rock broke the stare down nearly 90 seconds in. He turned to his cousin and gave him a fist bump before taking his place on the apron. Seth Rollins elected to begin the match with Reigns. The crowd sang his song. Rollins and Reigns locked up. Seth shot the champion off the ropes. Reigns dropped him with a shoulder tackle and threw a finger to the sky. Rock did the same. They shared a quick laugh. Rollins returned to his feet and he and Roman circled one another again.
Both men hit the ropes. Seth leap-frogged Roman and reached to Cody Rhodes for a tag. Roman pulled him back initially, causing Seth to stop and consider. Cody accepted the tag. Roman regrouped in his own corner with Rock, but didn’t tag out. Reigns and Rhodes locked up. Cody worked over Roman’s arm. He whipped the champion toward the corner, but Reigns turned it around and delivered a clothesline. Cole said tonight is about finishing the story, but is meant to “prolong it.” Cody and Roman traded rope runs. Cody cut Roman off with a knee to the gut. He hooked Reigns over with a headlock. Roman shot to his feet and another stalemate ensued.
Cody and Roman engaged in a test of strength as the match approached 6:00. Cody led Reigns into the ropes, allowing Seth to tag himself in. Cody and Seth tried to double team Roman, but he caught himself on the ropes and backed away. The Rock offered his hand for a tag. Roman slapped it. The crowd popped big. The Rock stepped through the ropes, officially in a match for the first time in eight years. He circled Rollins. The two locked up. Rock shoved Rollins across the ring. Seth shook out his wrist and smiled. McAfee said Rollins got tossed around like a bag. Seth rose to his feet and grabbed a waist lock. He shoved Rock in the back and posed for the crowd. Rollins got some boos, but most of the stadium sang his song.
A large “Rocky” chant eventually drowned out the pro-Seth audience. Cole said it’s a city that “loves nostalgia.” Rock worked Rollins into the corner and gave him a punch to the gut. “You shut your mouth!” Rock said. He and Seth traded punches. Seth whipped Rock to the corner. Rock exploded out with a big clothesline. He turned to Cody Rhodes and gave him his signature “bring it” taunt. Cody reached his hand out for a tag. Seth obliged.
Rhodes and Rock stood opposite each other for the first time. “Cody!” chants were quickly drowned out in favor of “Rocky!” Rhodes worked Rock into the Bloodline corner, but Rock passed up a chance to tag out. He kicked Cody in the gut on the comeback. Cody dropped to the mat and caught Rock with an uppercut. He worked Rock into the corner, talking trash and firing off right hands. Cody worked Rock into the babyface corner and tagged in Rollins. They stomped Rock together to a mixed reaction. Roman entered the ring and ate a right from Rhodes. Seth gave him a Slingblade. All four men rose to their feet and returned to center as the match crossed 11:45. Right back to where things began.
Seth and Cody attacked first, knocking their opponents to the outside. Rollins paired off with Rock. They fought into the beverage cart again. Rollins took a sip of Prime and spit it in Rock’s face. The referee began counting. Rock told him if he counts, he’s fired. Meanwhile, Rhodes and Reigns battled on the ramp. Rock tossed Rollins over the barricade and into the crowd at Lincoln Financial Field. They walked and brawled toward the scaffolding above the ring, and eventually toward the extended lower bowl. On top of the stage, Rhodes delivered a Suplex to Reigns. Rock tossed a big green trash can at Rollins. Seth fought back, causing Rock to try to escape back toward the ring. He grabbed a bottle of water, took a sip, poured some over his head, then spit some into Seth’s face. They brawled around the scaffolding and back toward the barrier.
On the ramp, Reigns tossed Rhodes into the barricade. Seth threw Rock back to ringside. Graves mentioned that it takes a while to get your “ring lungs” back. McAfee mentioned his 12 week training camp. Rollins tossed Rock back in the ring. Rock grabbed the shirt of the referee, distracting him. Roman took Seth’s knee out from behind. Rollins pounded the mat repeatedly in frustration. Rock leapt to the outside and kicked Rollins in the knee. Cole said it doesn’t bode well for Seth’s title defense against Drew McIntyre tomorrow. Rock rolled Seth back in the ring. Rollins tried to stand, but quickly collapsed on the injured leg. Rock wrapped the leg around the northeast ring post and slammed it against it repeatedly.
Rock tagged in the Undisputed Universal Champion at 18:05. Graves said he’s “fresh as a daisy.” Reigns worked Seth into the corner and hyper-extended his knee around the middle rope. Cole commiserated with Seth, noting that the referee can’t do anything to break the hold because of The Rock’s threat. Reigns ripped Seth to mat and applied a single leg crap. Seth was left to scream in pain, but eventually managed to turn the hold over and kick Roman away. Reigns sucker punched Cody off the apron. He turned around and ate a clothesline from Rollins, falling to the floor. Rollins leapt outside to continue to his attack, but Rock attacked him from behind. Cody tried to intervene, but the referee held him back at instruction of The Rock.
Paul Heyman held a finger to the sky, acknowledging his tribal chief. Rock did the same. Roman tagged in Rock. The Final Boss whipped Rollins into the corner. Seth collapsed to the mat, exhausted. Rock tagged in his cousin and they worked together to whip Rollins into the corner again. Cole noted Seth’s history of back problems, in addition to the re-aggravated knee injury. Reigns cocked his fist to a chorus of boos. He charged, but Seth ducked it. He turned Reigns over into a Neckbreaker. The World Champion writhed on the mat, crawling toward Cody Rhodes. Roman reached Rock first. Rock dragged Seth out of reach of his partner.
The People’s Champ delivered a low blow to Seth Rollins in clear view of referee Chad Patton. Cole again explained that there’s nothing Patton could do. Patton turned to Rhodes and apologized, selling that Rock had threatened his job. Rock continued his assault. Seth eventually managed to kick himself free of Rock’s grasp to create some separation. Rock tagged in Roman. Reigns shoved Seth against the ropes and charged. Rollins ducked, sending Reigns flying to the outside. Seth dove toward Cody, but Roman managed to pull him off the apron just before the tag was made. Rock turned Seth over into a Sharpshooter. Rollins screamed in agony. Rhodes leapt in the ring and slapped Rock right in the face. Rock broke the hold. Rollins kicked Rock in the face, then caught him with the Stomp.
Both men were down. The crowd willed Rollins to life. He dove to Cody and made the tag. Rock tagged Reigns. Cody dropped Reigns with a clothesline. He sent him to the corner. Reigns exploded out, but Cody caught him with a snap Powerslam. Cody flexed. He dropped Reigns with a Disaster Kick, then a Cody Cutter. He hooked Reigns’ leg for a two count at 27:25. Reigns and Rhodes were alone. Cody set up for Cross Rhodes, but Roman slid free. Cody went for another Disaster Kick. Roman picked him clean out of the air with a Superman Punch. He hooked the leg for a very close near fall.
Reigns checked his nose, finding blood. He snarled, turning to Rhodes to size him up. Reigns threw his arms back. The crowd yelled in unison. Cody leapt over the Spear attempt, catching Roman in a sunset pin for a two count. Cody leapt onto the ropes, tagging in Rollins in one swift move. He leapt at Roman and hit another cutter. Rollins immediately left off the top with a massive splash for a cover and near fall at 29:45. Outside, Heyman remarked that he “hates that damn song” as the crowd began to sing to Seth again. In the ring, Reigns recovered and caught Seth with a Powerbomb. He called for a Spear again. Rollins blocked it with a kick to the face. He tagged in Rhodes. Cody kicked him, too. Seth delivered a Stomp to Reigns. Rhodes hit Cross Rhodes. He hooked the leg. The Rock pulled Patton out at two and dropped him.
Rhodes yelled at Rock for attacking the referee. Rock tossed Rollins into the timekeeper’s area. In the ring,. Reigns caught Rhodes with a low blow. He followed up with a Spear. Reigns covered just as Rock tossed Patton back in the ring. Cody kicked out at the last moment. Reigns and Rock were livid. Reigns stomped away at his biggest foe. He pulled Cody into the Guillotine. Rhodes began to fade. The referee checked the hand, but Cody kept it raised. Rock grabbed Cody’s ankle and pulled him to the mat, allowing Reigns to sink deeper into the hold. Rollins returned and gave Reigns the Stomp to break it up. Rock tossed Rollins back to the floor.
“It’s a pretty wild set of rules here,” McAfee said. Cole laughed, saying it might as well be Bloodline rules tonight. Rock tagged himself in. He thought better of getting in the ring. Instead, he fetched the blood covered weight belt from ringside. He turned to Cody’s mother at ringside. “This is your son’s blood, now it’s about to have your tears,” he told her. He slid in the ring. Cody ripped the belt from his hands. Rock caught him with a pair of rights. Cody fought back with a Bionic Elbow. He sized Rock up, but the Final Boss delivered his signature Spinebuster. He sauntered to Cody’s head. The crowd popped big. Rock removed the elbow pad and tossed it into the crowd. He ran the ropes. Rhodes leapt to his feet, leapt off the middle rope and dropped Rock with a Cody Cutter.
The American Nightmare pulled Rock to his feet, pulling him in for a Cross Rhodes. Reigns appeared and delivered a Superman Punch to break it up. The match ticked toward 37:00. Rock and Cody used each other to stand. Roman threw his arms back again, calling for another Spear. He charged. Seth shoved Cody out of the way. Reigns speared Rock. Rock sold it like he’d been shot by a cannon. Rollins and Rhodes pulled Rock and Reigns in and delivered stereo Pedigrees. They both covered their man for last moment kick outs.
Cody and Seth helped each other to their feet. They shook hands and took to opposite sides of the ring. Rollins dove onto Reigns near the ramp. Cody came after Rock near the announcers desks. Rock cut Rhodes off and cleared the Spanish announce desk. He spit some water in Cody’s face. Rock bounced Cody’s head off the desk. He scooped him into Powerslam position, then turned to Cody’s mother. “Mama Rhodes! You look at your son!” he said before dumping Cody onto the desk. He climbed up to meet him. Rock pulled Cody into position for a table-busting Rock Bottom. Seth grabbed Rock’s leg. The distraction was enough to allow Cody to switch position. He gave Rock a Rock Bottom off the Spanish announce desk through the main commentary table. Seconds later, Reigns speared Rollins through the timekeeper’s barricade.
“There are bodies everywhere!” Cole exclaimed as the match ticked beyond 40:00. A weathered Rhodes tossed Rock back into the ring, but was dropped by a drive-by from Roman Reigns. Rock tagged in the Tribal Chief. Roman stumbled in the ring and stomped his challenger. “He don’t belong here!” he told the crowd. Cody slumped against Reigns’ legs. Graves said there’s no quit in the heart of the American Nightmare. He and Reigns began trading punches. Reigns knocked Cody toward the ropes with an uppercut. Rhodes fell toward the ropes, bounced back and caught Roman with Cross Rhodes. He pulled him up and hit a second one. He turned him over for a third, but Rock cracked Cody in the back with the weight belt. Cody crumbled. Reigns dropped him with a Spear. Roman rose triumphantly and tagged his cousin.
The Rock stalked Cody Rhodes, hands on hips. He pulled him in and delivered a Rock Bottom. Rock walked to Cody’s head and threw a finger to the sky, looking down at Cody’s family. He delivered the People’s Elbow and hooked the leg for a three count.
“Cody is screwed.” Cole said with immense disappointment. Graves said it’s time for Cody to find a new story and a new dream. Cole said The Rock burned the book, and we’re not finishing a story. The crowd, who had largely backed The Rock throughout, now booed loudly.
The Rock and Roman Reigns sauntered up the ramp slowly. Reigns waved his title in the face of booing fans. In the ring, Seth rejoined Cody. The sat opposite each other, disappointment plastered on their faces. They showed a close-up of Cody’s face with the Bloodline standing tall in the background, mimicking prior year’s shots. Seth let out an exasperated sigh. Cole bid the audience goodnight, saying he’d see everyone tomorrow night.
WINNERS: The Rock & Roman Reigns in 44:31
