MID-Tier Match Reviews: The Rock vs. John Cena – WWE WrestleMania XXVIII

These days many people react to guys like John Cena and The Rock with overwhelming happiness and hype. Those same people must have either short memories or selective ones because those overwhelmingly positive reactions don’t take into account just how…artificial…things were when these guys first faced off.

When Cena and Rock had their big feud at WrestleMania XXVIII it was promoted as a once-in-a-lifetime happening on par with Rock versus Hogan from WrestleMania X8. But truth be told, while the match was hyped as the greatest thing since sliced bread when, in actuality, the final product was nowhere close to living up to that marketing.

As a result, this match makes for an interesting case study. It’s a terrific example of what happens when complacency and pattern leads to false promises. I’ve noted before that WWE, when unchallenged, had this mentality to deliver less than optimal matches after receiving the fans’ money. This match serves as a prime example of that, and a reminder of what the company could possibly fall back to if they get too comfortable in their dominance in the market.

The Story

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson had been away for WWE for about eight years, aside from the odd cameo here and there and his hall of Fame induction. He came back in early 2011 and announced himself as the host of WrestleMania XXVII, which was met with a deafening response. Within minutes of his return Rock set his sights on Cena and mocked him as the childish knockoff that apparently had become Rock’s replacement within the WWE machine. Cena returned fire with some serious barbs that bordered on shoot comments, about how Rock came and went at his leisure and treated WWE like a revolving door for him to use at his will.

(I remember when this feud first happened I, like many people, was overwhelmingly pro-Rock because I was sick and tired of Cena’s tired and stale material, and a less-PG part-timer was a much-needed change of pace to the usual sterile material the company churned out. And yet, Cena’s comments about being there all day every day and Rock’s enormous ego making him walk to the front of the line ahead of everyone else that works hard day in and day out resonates as well in its own way. So now, even after all this time, neither man was entirely right or wrong in his worldview here.)

Anyways, Cena’s feud with Rock completely overshadowed The Miz, who was WWE Champion at the time (that is STILL and odd phrase to write) and also the other guy in the WrestleMania main-event. Miz’s match with Cena initially ended in a count-out but Rock used his power as guest host (a full twelve years before he discovered he had Final Boss powers) and restarted the match, only to intervene and cost Cena the title, which gave The Miz the win in the most forgotten factoid in modern WWE history.

From there Rock disappeared to once again return to his Hollywood commitments and appear only when his schedule allowed. Meanwhile, John Cena did what he did best: run people over without breaking a sweat. The closest he came to any real opposition came at Money In The Bank 2011, which only happened because CM Punk was volcanic and basically forced his way into the main event scene despite backstage machinations working against him. But Punk’s time in the main event was but a temporary measure while Cena was still orbiting nearby, constantly protected so that he’d remain strong going into this match.

Rock eventually came back and cut more scathing promos on Cena and his child-focused promotion while Cena lambasted Rock for only appearing sporadically, and on some of the occasions he appeared on he appeared via satellite. The promos grew harder and more personal, until both guys were eye to eye, nose-to-nose, looking to destroy each other. Rock showed that he was still in tremendous shape, but he hadn’t wrestled in over eight years. So would he be able to win with muscle memory and previous experience alone, or would Cena wrestling everyday be enough for him to beat the most charismatic wrestler from the past four decades?

The Match

This took place on April 1, 2012. It was rated ***3/4 out of five by the Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer.

The bell rings and the crowd’s already hot. They lock-up and Cena shoves Rock back which gets boos and dueling pro/anti-Cena chants. The next lock-up ends in Rock’s favor. We get some chain grappling (yes, chain grappling) from these guys and a pair of armdrags from Rock plus an Olkahoma roll from Rock for a two-count. A “you still got it” chant emerges. Another dropdown sequence ensues and Cena takes Rock down with a hiptoss and a headlock takeover. Rock fights to his feet, eats a kick, and knocks Cena down with a right hand.

Cena bails to ringside for a second and goes for a through-the-ropes shoulder check but Rock dodges and kicks Cena hard. Cena retaliates and powers Rock into a corner with shoulder thrusts. A clothesline gets Cena a one-count so Cena applies a grounded bearhug. Rock escapes to Cena sends him to the floor. Cena drops Rock chest-first on thw barricade and then again on one of the ringside commentarhy tables. Rock stalls for a bit but then Cena covers for a two-count. A belly-to-belly from Cena gets two as well. Rock blocks a punch and tries to fire back but Cena counters and traps him in another bearhug. This goes on for a while and gives fans the time to start another pro/anti Cena chant.

Rock escapes the bearhug with a DDT and gets two. Cena hits back with punches but Rock fires back and drops him with a flying forearm. Rock follows with a spinebuster and teases The People’s Elbow. Cena counters with an STF attempt. Rock kicks out but Cena lands his comeback sequence. Cena teases an AA but Rock escapes and a double clothesline spot sends both men down.

A yay/boo punch exchange ensues, and just when it looks like Rock will land a big right hand Cena hits first with a successful AA for another near-fall. Cena tries another but Rock lands a Rock Bottom for another near-fall. Rock lands some corner strikes but Cena counters with a sidewalk slam for two once more. Top-rope diving leg drop to the back of the neck. Two-count. Rock blocks a charge with a head-butt to the stomach and applies a sharpshooter. Cena gets a ropebreak so Rock lands mounted punches. Another sharpshooter and another ropebreak. The action spills to ringside as Rock sends Cena shoulder-first into some steps. Rock sends Cena back into the ring but Cena hits first with a sudden sunset flip into an STF. Rock crawls to the ropes but Cena pulls him back and reapplies his submission hold. Rock’s arm goes down once…twice…and – no, Rock still has fight in him. With all his strength Rock pulls himself to the ropes and gets a break.

Cena rushes Rock but eats a Samoan drop for his efforts. Another strike exchange ends with a blocked Rock Bottom. Rock blocks another AA and lands a spinebuster followed by The People’s Elbow. One, two, Cena kicks out. Rock goes to capitalize but Cena catches him in a small package for two. Cena catapults Rock into a corner and rolls him up for another near-fall. Rock blocks a superplex and dives off the top rope with a crossbody…which Cena counters with the Mark Henry spot and powers Rock onto his shoulder. Another AA…and another kick-out. Cena decides it’s time for open mockery and goes for The People’s Elbow…which Rock counters with a Rock Bottom out of nowhere. One, two, three! Rock pins Cena clean as a sheet.

Winner after 30:35: The Rock

Review

Normally each wrestling match can be reviewed on its own and in a vacuum…but not this one. This match is inextricably tied to another match to which it is inevitably compared, that being Rock versus Hogan from WrestleMania X8. That earlier match is something like a template that Rock and Cena sought to replicate here. They came fairly close but in the end they couldn’t match it, much less surpass it. As it stands this match is a passable main-event that had excellent marketing and drawing power but the final product didn’t meet the hype.

There are a few good reasons for this. First and foremost is the length: this one went over half an hour while Rock/Hogan went was slightly half the length. This match had almost the same pacing and flow between big spots, but because it was stretched out so much longer there was so much stalling, dead air, and artificial padding disguised as selling of big moves. There was so much inaction and standing around that the match started dragging in spite of the electric atmosphere. This could’ve been cut in half and the flow from spot to spot would’ve been the same. Going so long for its own sake is a perpetual problem in wrestling and even the most entertainment-driven storytellers and animated cartoon characters are susceptible to falling for the same traps.

Then there’s the selling. Cena in particular was notoriously inconsistent when on defense, barely registering Rock’s biggest moves and not showing any sense that he was actually hurt. I get that this was part of his character – i.e. to not show vulnerability or weakness in any way – but it’s not like he could’ve changed his pacing and flow to make it look like Rock’s offense was actually registering.

Then there’s the in-ring story, which, all things considered, was actually quite boring. The spots were repetitive, the action was fairly generic, and the sense of progress was minimal. There was hardly any sense of meaning or collective damage from either man. This left most of the match coming across as meaningless: since both guys sold everything with nearly identical levels of energy and speed there was no real tension or drama outside of the opening bravado exchanges and the finisher near-falls. In other words, well over half of the wrestling action was inconsequential and therefore not worth watching so attentively.

What we were left with was a match that encapsulated the old adage about Vince McMahon: that he was always more concerned with selling the sizzle and not the steak. Those who paid for tickets to the venue were left with a rather plodding match that had an interesting atmosphere that burned hot at times but never reached anywhere near the same level as Rock/Hogan. Those who watched on PPV got a good match that lacked the same heat, passion, and intensity as the promos and angles leading up to it contained. It was almost a tired bait-and-switch: as I’ve noted before, WWE under Vince McMahon had a tendency for promising fans the world in hype promos and pre-match videos, only for the final product to fail to live to the hype.

Final Rating: **3/4

You as a viewer don’t want to feel cheated or robbed of your money, but that’s kind of what happened here. Though Rock and Cena tried to have a dramatic and compelling match worthy of A YEAR’S WORTH OF BUILD, the final product simply was not up to snuff. It wasn’t necessarily bad per se, just incredibly underwhelming. I know pro-wrestling is a medium filled with hyperbole and exaggeration but there have been such things as honest promoters or those that market their products in ways that don’t insult the audience’s intelligence or blast them with what amounts to false advertising. And to make matters worse, the match’s tagline – ONCE IN A LIFETIME – proved to be a complete lie/work since Rock and Cena would wrestle again a year later.

Both Rock and Cena were capable of much better but didn’t show it when paired with each other. Rock was significantly better against Triple H (as shown with their matches at SummerSlam 1998 and Judgment Day 2000) and Stone Cold Steve Austin (as shown with their WrestleMania X-Seven and XIX matches, among others). As for Cena, his best matches were against Umaga at the 2007 Royal Rumble, against CM Punk at MITB 2011, against Daniel Bryan at SummerSlam 2013, and against AJ Styles at the 2017 Royal Rumble. Any of these matches here are much more worth your time than this underwhelming main event from twelve years ago.

Thanks for reading.