Cody Rhodes Beats Roman Reigns with Undertaker, John Cena to Win WWE Universal Title

At long last, Cody Rhodes finished his story in the main event of Night 2 of WrestleMania 40 on Sunday, beating Roman Reigns to win the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship and ending The Tribal Chief's 1,300-plus-day run as world champion.

However, The American Nightmare received significant help to overcome Bloodline interference before claiming victory.

Jey Uso saw off the challenge of his brother, Jimmy, while John Cena arrived to thwart Solo Sikoa's attempts to influence the result.

The Rock then came face-to-face with Cena in a throwback to the Attitude Era, but The Great One was removed from the ring by a chokeslam from The Undertaker.

Rhodes then won after hitting Reigns with three consecutive Cross Rhodes.

The clash between Rhodes and Reigns, which was a rematch of last year's WrestleMania main event, marked the second match in as many days for both combatants.

On Night 1, Rhodes teamed with Rollins against Reigns and The Rock in a tag team bout with major implications. A win for Rhodes and Rollins would have rendered The Bloodline banned from ringside for the Night 2 main event, while a Reigns and Rock win would have made Sunday's match anything goes.

Reigns and The Rock won on Night 1, which seemingly put The American Nightmare at a significant disadvantage on Night 2.

Despite most expecting him to prevail, Rhodes fell short against Reigns in the main event of WrestleMania 39 due largely to interference from Sikoa.

Over the next year, Rhodes made it his stated goal to get another shot at Reigns, and he seemingly cemented his opportunity by winning the men's Royal Rumble match for a second year in a row.

However, on the ensuing episode of SmackDown, The Rock made his surprise return, and Rhodes appeared to step aside in order to allow The Great One to face Reigns at 'Mania instead.

In the days that followed, WWE fans voiced their displeasure regarding The Rock taking Rhodes' spot, and it led to The American Nightmare reversing course and declaring that he would indeed face The Tribal Chief at The Showcase of the Immortals during the WrestleMania Kickoff press conference in Las Vegas.

The Rock slapped Rhodes across the face during the press conference, solidifying a heel turn and resulting in him joining The Bloodline alongside Reigns.

While the odds seemed to be stacking up against Rhodes leading up to WrestleMania, he received support from an unexpected source in the form of his former rival in Rollins.

Rhodes wanted to win the title that his late Hall of Fame father, Dusty Rhodes, fell just short of winning during his career, and Rollins wanted to put a stop to The Bloodline's stranglehold on WWE.

Taking the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship away from Reigns was the only way to truly weaken The Bloodline, and Rhodes did precisely that at WrestleMania 40, ending one of the most dominant title runs of all time in the process.

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