Cody Rhodes Thought He Was About To Fight Brock Lesnar After Their SummerSlam 2023 Match

Cody Rhodes managed to defeat Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam this past weekend inside Detroit's Ford Field stadium. "The American Nightmare" brought down "The Beast Incarnate" after hitting his Cross Rhodes finisher three consecutive times. But Lesnar quickly made his way back to his feet after the match and dropped his MMA gloves, eventually embracing Rhodes and raising his hand in victory for the fans in attendance. But while this wound up being a touching moment, Rhodes thought for a second that he was about to be in a real fight with the former UFC Heavyweight Champion.

"As I saw him taking his gloves off, I sincerely thought he was going to start swinging," Rhodes said in an interview with Sports Illustrated. "Then we went head-to-head, and it felt like we were a millisecond away from starting up again. So I didn't anticipate that handshake coming. When I saw his hand, I was grateful. That's not something he does. Again, this run has consistently surprised me. The torch isn't passed. You have to take it," 

"I came to the back, there was a nice ovation in the Gorilla Position, but Brock was nowhere to be found," he later added. "I didn't see him the rest of the night. The way I see it, we didn't need to speak. Brock left it all in the ring."

Paul "Triple H" Levesque on the Brock Lesnar/Cody Rhodes Moment

Levesque revealed in the post-show press conference that the moment between Lesnar and Rhodes was completely unplanned. "The Game" admitted Lesnar's display of sportsmanship even shocked him.

"Name the amount of people that Brock Lesnar has gotten up after going through a match like that, shook their hand pulled them in to hug them before walking out. I know Brock, I work with him all the time. That was a holy s— moment for me," Levesque said. 

"That's a moment. And if that doesn't state to you where Cody is at, where this journey has taken him from what many people questioned at WrestleMania to where he is right now, that rise just continues to be phenomenal. And he delivers at all turns, so it's awesome" he continued. 

WWE SummerSlam 2023 Results

• Logan Paul def. Ricochet
• Cody Rhodes def. Brock Lesnar
• LA Knight wins the SummerSlam Battle Royal
• Shayna Baszler def. Ronda Rousey (MMA Rules)
• Intercontinental Championship: Gunther def. Drew McIntyre
• World Heavyweight Championship: Seth Rollins def. Finn Balor
• WWE Women's Championship: Bianca Belair def. Asuka & Charlotte Flair
• WWE Women's Championship: Iyo Sky def. Bianca Belair
• Undisputed WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns def. Jey Uso (Tribal Combat Rules)