After taking an absolute beating at the hands of Brock Lesnar on the previous edition of RAW, Cody Rhodes decided to address the WWE Universe once more, this time knowing that the “Beast Incarnate” won't be charging the ring to make another meme at his expense.

With his match at the biggest show of the summer secured and no fear of retaliation from an angry former Heavyweight Champion, Rhodes decided to cut one of his patented promos in order to lay out his plans for quite possibly the final SummerSlam match of the 46-year-old's career.

“So, Tampa Bay, what do you wanna talk about? My friends at home, forgive me for the briefest moment, I’m gonna turn my back on you because I wanna see everybody here tonight,” Cody Rhodes said. “So we’ve all seen the clip. Brock Lesnar beating me up. Brock Lesnar beating me up with a chair. Brock Lesnar beating me up with a chair in front of my mother. Admittedly, didn’t have that on my bucket list for 2023, but am I surprised? No. Color me impressed, I stand impressed. Remember, we’re talking about Brock Lesnar. Brock Lesnar hadn’t even had five professional fights and won the UFC Heavyweight Championship. Brock Lesnar, who had never played football before, and somehow made it onto an NFL team. Brock Lesnar, who if you look at the list, is synonymous with and might as well be called ‘Mr. SummerSlam.’ So surprised? No. Impressed? Yes.”

After giving Lesnar his due, Rhodes decided to get down to the task at hand and explain why, at this stage of their respective careers, he knows he can secure the win at SummerSlam and finally end the reign of “Mr. SummerSlam” once and for all.

Cody Rhodes promises to close the book on Brock Lesnar.

Explaining what drives him heading into arguably the most important SummerSlam match of his WWE career, of which he has wrestled in three, Cody Rhodes noted that his mother didn't raise a quitter and after getting embarrassed on RAW by Brock Lesnar more times than he can count, he was going to return the favor in Detroit.

“You wanna know who wasn’t impressed? My mother, Michelle Runnels. She wasn’t impressed. You gotta remember, this is the same lady who watched Terry Funk throw fireballs at my dad’s face. The same lady who down the street in Namor City, was drinking with Gordon Solie at the Columbia. If anything, Brock Lesnar knew, my mother, she knew what I’m about to tell you, and that’s Brock, you made a mistake. And the mistake was that beating me up in front of my loved ones, taunting me in front of my family, the mistake was you left me breathing. So now, Brock Lesnar, I don’t wanna go to SummerSlam just to win the rubber match. I wanna go to SummerSlam to embarrass you, Brock Lesnar. And I know there’s a whole bunch of people backstage freaking out because I said I’m gonna embarrass Brock Lesnar, ‘oh here he is. Cody’s poking the bear. He’s poking the bear.’ I am not poking the bear. I’m slapping the bear across the face, and saying ‘come and get it!'” Rhodes said.

“Brock Lesnar, I don’t wanna just beat you at SummerSlam because of the positive ramifications it would have on my career and my livelihood. I don’t wanna just beat you at SummerSlam because you made it personal when you broke my arm. I want to beat you at SummerSlam because it’s what you deserve. And when I’m old, and I’m gray, and I’m sitting back smoking a Fuente 58, and I look at the chapter that says ‘Brock Lesnar,’ I will know it wasn’t pretty, but I pinned the final paragraph to that chapter at SummerSlam, Brock. I end this.”

Well, there it is, folks; Cody Rhodes and Brock Lesnar have booed one-way tickets to Detroit for a match at SummerSlam, and this isn't just a rubber match for their feud, but a rubber match for the latter's SummerSlam career should he fail to go up 2-1 on the “American Nightmare” in their third singles match this year. While fans still don't know if the bout will feature a stipulation or if there will be some other interesting angle added to the proceedings to really take it over the top, Rhodes clearly feels as though this is the match that could really place him in a completely different stratosphere in terms of his WWE career potential and if his goal remains to beat Roman Reigns to bring the WWE Championship back to his wrestling royal family, then that's an important stepping stone to take.