Cody Rhodes Defeats Brock Lesnar at WWE SummerSlam 2023
Cody Rhodes prevailed Saturday night at WWE SummerSlam in a rubber match to decide his rivalry with Brock Lesnar.
Rhodes took a beating en route to victory:
The American Nightmare was victim to F5s and a Kimura Lock, but he would not be defeated. Eventually, he hit Lesnar with three straight CrossRhodes for the win.
Afterward, both men showed mutual respect following the brutal contest:
SummerSlam marked the decisive bout in a feud that began the night after WrestleMania 39 in April.
After Rhodes fell to Roman Reigns in the 'Mania main event due to interference from Solo Sikoa, he challenged them to a tag team match the next night on Raw.
Lesnar stepped up and said he would be Rhodes' partner, but the match never happened, as The Beast Incarnate viciously attacked The American Nightmare.
That incident led to a match between them at Backlash in Puerto Rico, and The American Nightmare prevailed when he caught Lesnar in a pinning predicament while The Beast had him in the Kimura Lock.
A furious Lesnar wanted a rematch, and during the build toward Night of Champions, he attacked Rhodes on numerous occasions and broke his arm in the Kimura Lock.
Rhodes competed at Night of Champions in a cast and used it to his advantage at times, but fighting at far less than 100 percent against a healthy Lesnar proved too much to overcome, as he passed out in the Kimura Lock.
Coming out of Night of Champions, Rhodes desperately wanted a rematch and announced he would take on Lesnar again at any time and place of his choosing.
Lesnar did not appear on WWE programming in the weeks following Night of Champions, which resulted in Rhodes having a brief feud with Dominik Mysterio that saw him beat The Judgment Day member at Money in the Bank.
On the Raw following the event in London, The Beast resurfaced and attacked Rhodes, creating a massive brawl that saw the babyface get the better of Lesnar.
A few weeks later, Rhodes vs. Lesnar was made official for SummerSlam, meaning they would settle their differences once and for all at one of the biggest events of the year.
Rhodes finally vanquished The Beast on Saturday, meaning there may now be a path for him to pursue "finishing the story" in the form of becoming the undisputed WWE universal champion.
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