16 Match Star Ratings For WWE WrestleMania 39
1. Roman Reigns Vs. Cody Rhodes - Undisputed WWE Universal Title Match
There was a point, around seven or eight minutes before the finish, where it felt as though Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes could have wrestled for another two hours and they still would have had complete command over the white-hot audience.
A descriptor like "white-hot" barely comes close. They wrestled in front of a special atmosphere, the likes of which are almost unprecedented. Hogan Vs. Rock, Omega Vs, Okada I, Rock Vs. Austin II: that level. It was a frenzy.
In one sense, before the finish, it was every Tribal Chief title defence you've ever seen. The ref got bumped. The Usos interfered. The pacing was very methodical. Signatures were traded for about 70% of the match, leading to 2.9 kick-outs.
That is a reductive assessment because the written-down recap doesn't capture the magic. The pacing, the timing of those kick-outs, the emoting, the selling, the sheer big match feel that was generated was on the ***** level. This was one of the very best WWE matches ever, and when Cody smacked Roman with the ground and pound, after struggling through the guillotine with his peerless babyface fire, in the magic of the moment, the match was ready to seize Bret Hart and Steve Austin's throne.
And then the finish happened. Cody, the closest New John Cena in a decade, lost.
If WWE generates a hotter atmosphere than this when the story is actually finished, after having increased its business to an unbelievable extent, it will be nothing short of the biggest achievement in its history. Since Triple H is relying on his library-quiet, ultra tedious television programming to accomplish that goal, this was almost certainly a monumentally idiotic decision.
Now was the time. Everybody in the arena felt it other than the people who get to make the decision.
Sound familiar?
The actual story beat that led to the finish was awful as well. The Cody Rhodes character spoke a threat into existence by insulting Solo Sikoa out of nowhere a couple of weeks ago on Raw. Hardly the work of a smart babyface.
The Bloodline saga peaked as an artistic concern one second before Solo Sikoa reemerged to cost Cody the match, but WWE is not interested in artistic achievement. John Cena fell to JBL in a stupid, stupid decision. Stupid isn't the only word; this was cowardly, as if Triple H knows deep down he hasn't got in him to book anything from scratch entirely of his own volition to the level of the Bloodline act.
If this Must Continue, a repeat of the #DIY programme may well be upon us - Triple H got too high on that, too - and look how that turned out.
Star Rating: ★★★★