Nick Tylwalk
April 6, 2024 11:12 pm ET
Cody Rhodes rises from the floor to start his ring walk and plenty of pyro to boot. As befitting his role as WWE’s top face, he gives a fist bump to a young fan along the ramp.
Seth Rollins manages to outdo himself with his entrance gear, which is hard if you’ve been following his career.
The graphics for The Rock are unreal, playing off his Final Boss moniker more than ever before. He stands in a flaming version of the Brahma Bull tattoo and holds up the People’s Championship he was given by Muhammad Ali’s widow at the Hall of Fame ceremony.
Pat McAfee enthusiastically discusses Roman Reigns while he makes his usual deliberate walk down the ramp. Samantha Irvin does the intros for each of the four combatants one by one.
After the bell rings, there’s plenty of discussion among the two duos before we end up with Reigns and Rollins starting out. Seth gets an early taste of Roman’s power, and the Tribal Chief laughs about it with The Rock.
Rhodes tags in and gives us the first preview of tomorrow night’s main event. Roman gets the first shots in, backing Cody into the corner with a clothesline and right hands. Michael Cole puts the idea forward that everyone but The Rock is risking injury for their Night 2 matches.
The Rock reaches out and enters the WWE ring for the first time in eight years. He circles with Rollins before locking up, tossing Seth backwards with ease. The first shot from Rollins gets the fans to sing, to which The Rock only gives a little nod — and fans start chanting “Rocky” in response.
The famous “just bring it” gesture is done toward Rhodes, who asks for and gets a tag from Rollins. The noise really gets loud as dueling chants break out for Cody and Rock, with Rhodes getting in a series of offensive moves in the corner. A tag is made to Rollins for some double team offense, and Reigns gets a Sling Blade from Rollins when he attempts to lend a hand.
The ref tries to settle things down with all four men in the ring, so the battle simply moves outside. Rollins drinks some Prime and spits in Rock’s face right in front of The Rock’s mom. The beep-out guy is asleep at the wheel as The Rock drops an f-bomb on the ref.
Rhodes suplexes Reigns on the stage as The Rock continues battling Rollins elsewhere in the crowd. The Rock gets some water and spits some in Seth’s face for some payback.
Rollins comes off the barricade and hits The Rock with a double axhandle. They fight back into the ring, where the Final Boss has the upper hand. He wraps Rollins’ left leg around the post more than once. Are we going to get back to a real tag team match? Maybe as Reigns tags in.
Continuing the assault on Seth’s left knee, Reigns grabs a half crab. Roman smacks him with strikes, but he takes a moment to knock Rhodes off the apron and gets sent to the floor.
Roman pauses to throw one finger in the air for acknowledgement. The Rock is back in now, and Rollins is still getting ragdolled. He finally hits a neckbreaker on Roman when the Head of the Table is once again legal, but The Rock tags himself back in and drags Seth to the enemy corner. Rock hits a blatant low blow on Seth, and the ref apologizes to Cody claiming there’s nothing he can do about it.
Unable to get a tag, Seth ends up in a Sharpshooter from The Rock. Rhodes wanders in and smacks The Rock, and the good guys double team until Rollins hits the Stomp on the Final Boss.
Rollins finally makes the hot tag to Rhodes, who opens up for a flurry on the Tribal Chief that ends with a powerslam. A Disaster Kick and Cody Cutter land, but Reigns kicks out at two.
Reigns gets a near fall of his own with a Superman punch. Roman rushes in for a spear but gets countered by a springboard shoulder tackle, and Rollins tags in and hits a top rope splash for a near fall. Paul Heyman complains about the fans singing for Seth, and Reigns recovers to powerbomb his old Shield teammate.
The faces hit a series of superkicks, a Stomp and Cross Rhodes in quick succession, but The Rock pulls the ref out of the ring when Cody looks like he’s got it won. Michael Cole is especially disgusted now.
Reigns locks Rhodes in a guillotine choke, and when The Rock flaunts his immunity to the rules by pulling on Cody’s leg from the floor, Seth hits a Stomp on Roman to break the hold.
The Rock gets his weight belt and starts yelling at Mama Rhodes, who gives it back to him. Cody gets the belt shortly and the ref disposes of it. Rhodes hammers Rock with punches and a Bionic Elbow, but The Rock responds with a spinebuster on the Prime bottle.
A People’s Elbow is countered by a Cody Cutter, and Reigns returns to the fray as well. Reigns has a spear lined up, but Rhodes moves and The Rock takes the move. Cody and Seth hit stereo Pedigrees, then both go to cover, but Reigns and The Rock kick out at the same time.
Rollins comes off the top and takes out Reigns on the floor while The Rock clears the Spanish announce table. Rhodes ends up giving The Rock a Rock Bottom from one announce table through the other, and Reigns spears Rhodes through the barricade right after that.
Reigns and Rhodes are legal once again, and Cody is getting peppered with right hands. Now they stand and trade, with the fans responding on each shot. Rhodes has his super finisher charged, but when he goes for the third Cross Rhodes, The Rock slams Cody with his weight belt from the floor.
Roman spears Cody before tagging his cousin back in. Rock Bottom drops Rhodes, and The Rock makes a throat slash and The Bloodline ‘1’ before hitting The People’s Elbow. “Cody is screwed,” says Cole as the ref gets to three.
