Ranking The Rock's WWE WrestleMania Matches From Worst To Best
7. Vs. John Cena (WrestleMania 29)
They tried to make this one feel like a big deal, they really did. Cole et al on commentary tried to put this rematch over as an even grander spectacle than the monumental Icon vs. Icon clash at ‘Mania 28, but for myriad reasons, it wasn’t.
It starts with the build. Whereas last year’s match saw electric promos that skirted with a worked shoot style, this year saw, in one fell swoop, Cena win the Rumble and The Rock take the WWE Championship from CM Punk. From that moment on, it was all too predictable, too clinical.
Worse, the fans just aren’t that interested. They’re still excited to boo and harrass Cena, but The Rock’s no longer a novelty, he’s just a guy who wrestles infrequently. He’s pretty gassed from early on, and they’re never able to whip up the arena sufficiently to cover the match’s flaws.
As for in-ring work, it’s formulaic stuff. The pitch is that the men know each other so well that they can counter anything - a strange choice for a marquee match, and before long they’re spamming finishers and rushing to an unsatisfying conclusion. Twice in a lifetime, once too many.