If you create the ultimate fighter in a lab, it’ll probably come out looking like Brock Lesnar. The Beast Incarnate, as he’s been called for years, has dominated in every combat sport that he’s participated in. He’s someone who, as they say in the streets, you don’t want to mess with. But, Lesnar is also not the sort of wrestler that you’d think would be willing to put another over – except that’s exactly what he just did at this year’s SummerSlam.
Far from the squash matches that most have come accustomed to seeing from Brock Lesnar, the 46-year-old gave the much-deserved respect to Cody Rhodes following their match at the Hottest Party of the Summer.
Despite suffering a relatively clean loss at the hands of its most recent rival, Lesnar shook the hands of Rhodes, hugged and celebrated him as the winner – a sequence of events that Triple H says wasn’t scripted.
Now, we don’t know what’s more special – seeing Lesnar lose or him elevating the status of another wrestler, personally.
With his actions, Lesnar stole the headlines. He might not have said anything but the former UFC superstar effectively announced to the rest of the WWE and its fans that the second-generation star is well-deserving of being the face of the company – a status that many previously felt like was immediately handed to him.
One can’t help but wonder if this was the original plan for Rhodes following his return to the WWE last year.
It’s worth noting that Lesnar’s feud with Bobby Lashley, although quite the spectacle in its own right, felt forced and out of place. Around the same time, Rhodes suffered a real-life injury that took him out for months until this year’s Royal Rumble. It’s certainly possible that the WWE had wanted to see Rhodes go up against Lesnar after Seth Rollins, perhaps with a different angle. Instead of the unexplained rivalry between the two that started immediately after Rhodes’ loss to Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39, the WWE might have wanted Lesnar to lash out at a returning Rhodes for getting a chance at the unified title belts.
Keep in mind that Lesnar technically isn’t allowed to challenge Reigns in any match until the championship belts are on a new wrestler – a storyline that could’ve played a factor in this hypothetical scenario.
Regardless of whatever the truth is, things might have turned out for the better anyway.
Cody Rhodes, after all the trials and tribulations, is now as hot as he’s ever been. The best part? He has the approval of one of the WWE’s most massive stars. Now, there’s little doubt that Rhodes is one of the biggest stars in the WWE if not with Roman Reigns atop the totem pole.
All that’s left for now is for the WWE to creatively book Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns until their eventual showdown at WrestleMania 40.
Speaking of Roman Reigns, the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion eeked out a win at SummerSlam thanks to Jimmy Uso. Jey Uso was primed to take the W after taking care of business against Reigns and even his younger brother, Solo Sikoa, who interefered mid-match. But, out of nowhere, a supposedly injured and sidelined Jimmy, Jey’s twin, appeared and shocked the world by turning on Jey. This final beating was the straw that broke Jey’s back as Reigns punctuated it with a spear to a table before pinning Jey for the win.
