Cody Rhodes Says Brock Lesnar 'Fits Right In' With WWE's Direction After Return

WWE champion Cody Rhodes commented Wednesday on the return of Brock Lesnar following the shocking events of SummerSlam.

During an appearance on ESPN's SportsCenter (h/t Wrestle Ops), Rhodes expressed his belief that Lesnar checks all the boxes for the type of product WWE likes to present, saying, "Brock's an NCAA champion, UFC heavyweight champion, he fits right in with the direction that WWE is going, in terms of sport meeting entertainment."

On Night 2 of SummerSlam on Sunday, Rhodes challenged John Cena for the WWE Championship in the main event. Rhodes was victorious, thus gaining retribution for his loss to Cena at WrestleMania 41.

Fans showed their love for Cena after the match, only for Lesnar to interrupt and spoil the moment by decimating Cena with an F-5.

Lesnar had not appeared on WWE programming since SummerSlam 2023, but it now appears the 48-year-old is going to be a key figure in the stretch run of Cena's retirement tour, which ends at the conclusion of 2025.

During his absence, Lesnar was named in a sex trafficking lawsuit filed by former WWE employee Janel Grant against WWE and former WWE chairman Vince McMahon.

While the wrestler is not a defendant, Grant's 2024 lawsuit was amended in February 2025 to name Lesnar multiple times. It alleges that McMahon offered Lesnar sexual favors from Grant as part of contract negotiations with Lesnar.

Grant noted that while planned sexual encounters with Lesnar never happened due to cancellations, she was reportedly forced by McMahon to create "personalized sexual content" for Lesnar.

Despite the potential pitfalls of bringing Lesnar back, WWE is seemingly of the belief that he will have a positive impact on business.

WWE's business has been trending upward for quite some time even without Lesnar thanks to record gates and billions of dollars in television and streaming deals.

On Wednesday, WWE struck another massive agreement, partnering with ESPN to make it the exclusive domestic home of WWE premium live events starting in 2026.