Just two weeks before WrestleMania XL, Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes finally met face-to-face. The meet was scheduled on the episode of RAW before SmackDown. Paul Heyman offered Rhodes the one-on-one with Reigns if he would come to SmackDown alone. This would also be the first SmackDown episode not to feature Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson. While fans enjoyed the first promo of the WrestleMania opponents alone, critics had something to say about The Tribal Chief’s demeanor throughout the promo.

Reigns teams up with The Rock to face Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins on Night #1 of Mania XL. Following this, on Night #2, he will face Rhodes in a singles match for the WWE Universal title with a stipulation.

Critics believe Roman Reigns was not convincing enough in his promo against Cody Rhodes

With the Road to WrestleMania XL going full steam ahead, fans and critics have analyzed every promo delivered. While there are no complaints against Rhodes and Johnson, hearing Reigns for the first time all by himself ticked some critics off. In every promo leading up to this, The Rock did most of the talking. This also gave birth to the issue where many claimed he overshadowed The Tribal Chief. However, after getting the Head of the Table alone, critics noticed he wasn’t conveying the urgency that a match like this should entail.

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On the Busted Open podcast, Jonathan Hood and Justin LaBar discussed the latest promo by Reigns. They said, “It does feel like Roman’s just kind of just tired or done.” Before this, they noted how Cody Rhodes felt more passionate about the upcoming match. While being the underdog, this is natural for him to showcase. The nonchalant behavior The Tribal Chief demonstrated during the promo didn’t sit well with both hosts. They did argue, “I think some of it’s by design. I think some of it is within character design.” They also added that this felt out of place for someone with his title on the line, and the former AEW star has successfully taken on Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa.

Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson Hails Himself for ‘Raising’ the Bar of WWE Ahead of WrestleMania XL Beating Past Major Roadblocks

From a character standpoint, they noted that Roman Reigns didn’t really have anything to worry about. This is because Johnson was on his side, and he beat Rhodes at Mania 39 last year. However, they did say that Reigns’ appearance on the Pat McAfee show prior to SmackDown was a better promo than the one he gave with the 2024 Royal Rumble winner. Not only was he laid back as usual, but he also felt more aggressive, as he wanted to stay the Champion for longer. This heat was missing in the in-ring promo. What did you think of Reigns and Rhodes in the ring? Did you like the promo? Tell us in the comments.

WrestleMania XL: Dwayne Johnson Continues to Break Character as Papatui Promotions Become a Kayfabe Roadblock