CM Punk has brutal reaction to Roman Reigns losing to Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 40
Roman Reigns' remarkable championship reign finally ended at the hands of Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 40. Reacting to the former Undisputed WWE Universal Champion's defeat at The Show of Shows, CM Punk noted that the ''Bloodline Rules'' stipulation may have led to the undoing of The Tribal Chief.
Throughout his reign, which went on for years, Roman Reigns made it a habit to retain the title with the help of his family members. The Bloodline is the biggest reason why Reigns was champion for a long time, but once the playing field was leveled by legends from the past, he could not hold onto the title.
During the post-show with ESPN, CM Punk recalled an old saying wherein a no DQ match inherently works against the heels. In Roman Reigns and The Bloodline's case, John Cena and The Undertaker appeared to assist Cody Rhodes in vanquishing the Tribal Chief.
"Listen, as the old saying goes, and it applies here to Roman, be careful what you wish for. You wanted Bloodline rules? You wanted anything goes? You wanted no rules. Anything goes, and everybody shows up!" CM Punk bluntly stated. [00:36 - 00:50]
The conversation moved on to whether Roman Reigns was in the conversation of being a part of the Mount Rushmore of professional wrestling.
CM Punk claimed he liked to call it the six grandfathers, giving him more picks than the traditional four. The former WWE Champion said that while Reigns was undoubtedly in the "conversation," the debate about all-time greats comes down to individual preferences.
The Voice of The Voiceless named many icons of the business, including Cody Rhodes' dad, Dusty Rhodes, as well as the two legends who returned at WrestleMania, The Undertaker and John Cena.
"He [Roman Reigns] is in the conversation. We were talking about Dusty Rhodes. I'm sitting next to the progeny of Ric Flair, you know. There have been so many greats. We saw The Undertaker. We saw John Cena. It's hard to narrow down who is the greatest of all time. We were talking about Bruno Sammartino, Pedro Morales, Bob Backlund, Bret Hart, Shawn Michales, your dad, and Cody's dad! Who's the GOAT? I don't know. It's a preference at some point, but Roman's in the conversation," Punk added. [From 5:11 onwards]
Charlotte Flair weighs in on if Roman Reigns is in the Mount Rushmore of wrestling
Former Women's World Champion Charlotte Flair agreed with CM Punk's assessment and noted that the discussion over whether Roman Reigns is one of the four greatest of all time would be based on how his characters have made fans feel.
Even Flair believed Reigns was one of the best to have graced the wrestling ring but wasn't sure about the ultimate quartet.
"I really think it boils down to that specific character and how they make you feel, and it's how we feel when we see Roman Reigns; what he has done in the last 12 years, in the last three years, I think yes, he will go down as one of the greatest of all time, but as Punk said, it really is hard to say who is in the top four because every era is different,'' she said. [6:05 - 6:30]
Roman Reigns may have lost the undisputed championship, but Triple H has promised that the Samoan superstar will be involved in a new story that will blow everyone's minds.
It will be interesting to see how The Tribal Chief will revive after the latest setback on The Grandest Stage of Them All.
Please credit ESPN and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.