Write It In The Ring

All Rhodes End At Wrestlemania 40

A winding road driven by twists, turns, and pivots reached its final destination at Wrestlemania 40. A litany of new champions were crowned on a two-night show dedicated to the start of a new era in the WWE, helmed by Paul “Triple H” Levesque. Stories culminated at the Showcase of the Immortals, capped off by a spectacle of a main-event that hearkened back to wrestling’s past while paving the way for the future. In so many ways, “Finish The Story” became a tagline not just for “The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes, but for the main-event at large.

The previous night saw Seth Rollins and Cody Rhodes fall to Roman Reigns and The Rock in the main-event of Night 1, turning the main-event of Night 2 in a no-holds barred, anything goes, “Bloodline Rules” match. While such a stipulation would play to the benefit of the eponymous faction, this advantage can be turned against them with a proper plan, a point that Seth Rollins made clear at the start of this winding road. When the time came to execute, the pieces came together in a culmination and convergence of many paths.

Upwards of 20 minutes into the main-event saw the first interference as Jimmy Uso came in to save Roman Reigns from Cody Rhodes’ Cross Rhodes trifecta, protecting his Tribal Chief from a certain demise. Carrying on their battle from the previous night, his twin brother Jey came to Cody’s aid. The man that Cody Rhodes helped escape the Bloodline by pulling some strings to get him traded to Monday Night Raw, Jey Uso had been alongside Rhodes through it all, even winning the WWE Undisputed Tag Team Championships against the Judgment Day. Aiming his animosity toward the brother he defeated the previous night was a no-brainer, brawling up the ramp and Spearing him clean off the stage to keep him out of play.

After Jimmy came Solo Sikoa, the Prizefighter with a Samoan Spike and, later, a Spike/Spear combination in an attempt to put down Cody Rhodes. Rhodes survived, and just as Sikoa motioned for one last blow, John Cena sent Lincoln Financial Field in a frenzy with a surprise appearance. John Cena’s last appearance in the WWE was in battle with the Bloodline, having been taken out at the 2023 Crown Jewel event after a barrage of Samoan Spikes. In his first appearance since the brutal match that left Cena out of action, he went straight for Sikoa, taking him out of action by putting him through the announcer’s table with an Attitude Adjustment. Just as Cena had unfinished business with Sikoa, however, the Final Boss had unfinished business with John Cena.

As the final line of defense for Roman Reigns, the Rock made his way to the ring, confronting the returning John Cena in a revisit of their own rivalry that main-evented Wrestlemania 28 and 29 more than a decade prior. This time, it was the Rock getting retribution, having lost to John Cena in their last encounter, planting Cena down with a Rock Bottom before turning his focus to Cody Rhodes. It was at this moment where the most important piece of this story made itself known as the familiar anthem of the Shield blared across the stadium.

As the music hit, Seth Rollins, garbed in full Shield gear, would hit the ring, only to be taken out by Roman Reigns immediately, leaving a chair in the ring as the Rock turned to Cody once again before the gong of the Undertaker resounded, signaling the appearance of the Deadman. The Undertaker’s second loss at Wrestlemania came at the hands of Roman Reigns, showcasing the first signs of the megalomaniac behind the Big Dog with his declaration of the WWE being “his yard now”. The man proclaimed to be the “locker room leader” and, at times, the very heart and soul of the WWE, the Undertaker stood defiant against the Rock, the self-appointed Final Boss, chokeslamming him for his transgressions and corruption of power before fading into the night once more, bringing it back to where it all started.

Roman Reigns stood, chair in hand, his opponent on the ropes with the chance to deal the finishing blow. However, Reigns looked to his left and saw Seth Rollins, his former brother in the Shield donned in the garb representing their own brotherhood. It had been a decade since Rollins’ struck Reigns with a steel chair, disintegrating the unstoppable unit, a moment that even Reigns has admitted that he had never truly, fully forgiven Rollins for. It was that moment that became the catalyst for everything Roman Reigns would eventually become, and in a moment of fury, Reigns struck down Rollins just as Rollins did a decade prior, getting one last shot of retribution in a moment that may haunt Roman Reigns.

That brief moment of righteous vengeance. That flash of fury. It was enough for Cody Rhodes to recover, countering the Spear attempt and finally landing the Cross Rhodes trifecta for the victory. Roman Reigns’ own inability to let go of the past, something that he had chastised Cody Rhodes for, had come back to haunt him. Seth Rollins declared that he was the “only man equipped enough” to be Cody’s “Shield” against the Bloodline. In the most literal way possible, Rollins had done just that, taking the assault for Cody Rhodes and getting in the head of Roman Reigns so thoroughly, Roman Reigns lost focus for Rhodes to capitalize, ending the 1,316 day reign of the champion, closing the book on the historic reign once and for all.

Wrestlemania 40 rang in a new era for the WWE by turning the page on the previous era. The main-event told a tale of retribution and vengeance from both sides, resulting in many chronicles coming to a head. John Cena vs. Solo Sikoa. Cena vs. the Rock. The Final Boss of WWE vs. The Final Boss of Wrestlemania. Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins. Finally, Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes. In a spectacle that can only be described as an ode to a bygone era making way for the new, Wrestlemania 40 was capped off by truly finishing the story.

~Fin