Booking Cody Rhodes Through WWE SummerSlam 2023 Amid Brock Lesnar Feud

All signs seemed to point to Cody Rhodes fulfilling his destiny at WrestleMania 39 by dethroning Roman Reigns as undisputed WWE universal champion, but it was not to be.

Instead, WWE went in a different direction by booking The Tribal Chief to retain, keeping his historic reign of nearly 1,000 days intact.

Many fans were left shocked and disappointed when WrestleMania went off the air. During the post-show press conference, Triple H indicated that the story is in fact not finished and encouraged the audience to let it play out.

It can be argued that WWE dropped the ball and missed its chance to create a massive babyface with Rhodes. Although it's possible that same 'Mania moment can be replicated at another point, the company is running a real risk by holding off on it.

Now it's all about how WWE Creative chooses to follow up with The American Nightmare after The Show of Shows. All it takes is another injury or an up-and-comer catching fire for his storyline to get sidetracked, so staying the course will be crucial.

His newfound feud with Brock Lesnar heading into Backlash should set the stage for what his road to SummerSlam will look like and beyond.

Taking Brock Lesnar to the Limit at Backlash

Lesnar being Rhodes' first challenger as undisputed WWE universal champion coming out of WrestleMania would have made much more sense had The American Nightmare beaten Reigns.

However, The Beast Incarnate will need a strong explanation for why he targeted Rhodes now that it's a non-title feud.

Nonetheless, having the All Elite Wrestling co-founder work with Lesnar can't be seen as anything but an endorsement of The American Nightmare by WWE. He's transitioning from one high-profile program to another, though it's imperative he comes out of it looking strong.

As confirmed on Monday's Raw, the two will collide at Backlash in Puerto Rico on May 6. With it being their first-ever one-on-one encounter, it would be asinine to wrap up their rivalry after only one pay-per-view.

Lesnar beating Rhodes to sell the story that the latter is dealing with adversity is the most likely outcome, albeit not ideal. It would be silly for Rhodes to suffer a second straight loss on back-to-back PPVs, so a non-finish is the route needed to keep the feud alive.

Rhodes can take an obscene amount of punishment at the hands of Lesnar before brawling with him to a no-contest, or perhaps the referee calls for the bell after witnessing too much carnage.

Either way, it must be executed in a way in which Rhodes is protected in defeat while also creating the need for a rematch.

Overcoming Lesnar at King and Queen of the Ring

Rhodes beating Lesnar to culminate their feud is the only appropriate endgame.

The Beast taking the first win in their series to prolong it can be rectified, but the whole purpose of the program should be to make Rhodes a bigger star than he was when it started.

This is how his chase for the championship continues. Coming up short against Lesnar on multiple occasions could well damage his momentum as well as his standing with the fans, earning him the reputation of someone who can't win when it matters most.

Lesnar has worked every event WWE has run in Saudi Arabia, and King and Queen of the Ring on May 27 is bound to be no exception. That should be where The Beast vs. Rhodes reaches its apex and the latter emerges victorious in clean fashion.

A competitive match would be preferable, but Lesnar's bouts have become so formulaic that it's foolish to expect anything else.

King and Queen of the Ring, the same show that saw Lesnar launched into superstardom over two decades ago, is the perfect PPV to host such a hotly contested clash with the win getting Rhodes one step closer to championship contention once again.

Winning the Men's Money in the Bank Ladder Match

Interestingly, Rhodes was all over the advertising for last year's installment of Money in the Bank. He even vowed to win the men's match to guarantee himself a world title opportunity before he was attacked by Seth Rollins and put on the shelf for several months.

Of course, the 37-year-old was already injured by the time that angle occurred, but the belief in storyline was that he could have still competed had Rollins not exaggerated the injury. Regardless, he has unfinished business with the briefcase.

No one has ever won the Royal Rumble and a Money in the Bank ladder match in the same calendar year. The American Nightmare would make history by doing so.

WWE would need to tread carefully with this, though, as booking Rhodes to reign supreme in yet another gimmick match that could easily be won by a fresher face who hasn't hit the main event scene yet could wind up backfiring.

The idea behind this would be for Rhodes to earn himself another shot at the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship and announce it ahead of time for SummerSlam.

With the briefcase, Reigns would simply deny him the rematch, so this would provide a backdoor into the bout while also furthering the story of Rhodes working his way up the proverbial and literal ladder.

Rematch with Roman Reigns at SummerSlam

The Reigns vs. Rhodes rivalry must be revisited, as there isn't a single Superstar on the WWE roster currently who is a better candidate to take the titles from The Tribal Chief than Rhodes.

SummerSlam is the proper place for it to happen as well. WrestleMania is obviously a bigger and better stage, but that would mean keeping both belts on the part-time Reigns for another year, not to mention that the Rhodes story could cool off considerably by then.

By early August, The Bloodline should be significantly weaker than they are now. Rhodes will need additional allies to ensure he doesn't fall victim to the numbers game again and to thwart any potential outside interference.

On that show, Rhodes must right his 'Mania wrong and definitively defeat Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. A second straight loss would be booking malpractice and ruin The American Nightmare's chances of ever being accepted as a top babyface.

The Rhodes era should have gotten underway at WrestleMania, but because WWE decided to delay the inevitable, SummerSlam on August 5 becomes the next best place to crown him as the new champion and pay off a story that deserves a satisfying conclusion.

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Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.