Cody Rhodes was able to narrowly escape Saturday’s Backlash pay-per-view with a win over Brock Lesnar. “The American Nightmare” launched an attack on “The Beast’ before the bell even rang, raining down shots with the ringside steel steps, the cover for the commentary table and a steel chair. Lesnar took control not long after the bell rang, nailing Rhodes with over a dozen suplexes.ย
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However, one of those suplexes saw Rhodes inadvertently rip a turnbuckle pad off the post. Rhodes would later send Lesnar careening into the exposed metal, busting the former UFC Heavyweight Champion open. Cody would then nail a pair of CrossRhodes for a two count, then escape defeat by kicking out when Lesnar countered with an F5. Lesnar then applied a kimura lock, but Rhodes rolled forward to keep Lesnar down for the three count.
WWE Backlash 2023 Results
- Raw Women’s Championship: Bianca Belair def. Iyo Sky
- Seth Rollins def. Omos
- United States Championship: Austin Theory def. Bobby Lashley & Bronson Reed
- SmackDown Women’s Championship: Rhea Ripley def. Zelina Vega
- Bad Bunny def. Damian Priest (San Juan Street Fight)
- The Bloodline (Solo Sikoa, Jimmy Uso and Jey Uso) def. Matt Riddle, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn
Does Cody Rhodes Want the World Heavyweight Championship?
Now that Rhodes’ program with Lesnar is (supposedly) over, Rhodes is now open to chase WWE’s new World Heavyweight Championship. A tournament to crown the inaugural champion will begin on this week’s Monday Night Raw. Rhodes talked about his potential interest in the title in a recent interview with ComicBook.
“That’s the title that represents Raw. That’s the title that main events for Raw. That’s the title that is the franchise title for the USA network. So I can’t say I don’t want it. I can’t say that that’s not something that would be, if you look and revise your goals and say, ‘Okay, this is the route we have to go.’ Especially particularly with me being drafted to Monday Night Raw, and that might be more of a case of like I just said a story, a different story,” Rhodes said.
“The goal is still the same for me, but by no means am I or should anyone be looking down on the new World Championship because it’s one of those things I think in time people will hopefully come to love and revere,” he added. “It’s being positioned as the lead title for the brand itself and it’ll take a lead individual to do it and handle it, and Raw has a stacked roster, so I definitely want to throw myself in the mix.”
