After securing the rubber match victory over Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam, Cody Rhodes and Brock Lesnar locked eyes.
What would happen? Would Lesnar take the loss poorly, snap, and beat the you-know-what out of the “American Nightmare,” as he has a tendency to do? Or would he instead simply walk out of the ring and go off to vacation?
Neither of the above. No, Lesnar acknowledged Rhodes, gave him a handshake, a head nod, and ultimately raised his hand into the air as the match's winner, fair and square.
Asked about what happened after what many consider the best match of SummerSlam during the show's press conference, Rhodes admitted he really didn't know, but he appreciates it nonetheless as Lesnar may go down as the Harley Race of his career.
“I got asked a question right after it was over, we were just filming some behind-the-scenes content, and I don't think it's dawned on me what a moment like that really means. I don't think it's dawned on me what a moment like that really means. This run, since I came back to WWE, has been consistently surprising to me in every way, and I think that's why I'm so touched by it all. It's real, it's as real as it could get in this world, and that will be something that I look at, and I have a very deep, deep appreciation,” Cody Rhodes said.
“I mean, the guy also hocked a loogie on me in the middle of the match, he's given me more German Suplexes, more F5s, F5s through tables, absolutely eviscerated me on many levels, and somehow someway, I felt like there was maybe just this bond by battle there in that final moment and I am very grateful for what's happened; I don't want to wrestle Brock Lesnar again, but I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to compete at his level because I said this last night, when he's gone, and I don't know when that will be because he can go, when he's gone, I think the world will realize what we've got; he's a freakin' unicorn, you know, that's just a very unique, once-in-a-lifetime individual and to have that moment at the end… I thought a lot about Brock looking at him tonight, and it reminded me of how my dad looked at Harley Race. And I thought, you know, maybe I've got my Harley Race, maybe just because there's nobody tougher than Brock Lesnar, and again, it was a special moment, and I'll know what it really means in the days to come.”
Are Rhodes and Lesnar done done? Will the only connection between the duo moving forward be Rhodes maybe using the Kimura as part of his repetiteur? Or will Rhodes now have Lesnar in his back pocket should he ever need help a la the RAW after WrestleMania but for real? Either way, it's clear no one will forget this pairing any time soon, as they delivered one of the better trios of its kind in recent memory.
Cody Rhodes reveals how he's coming into his own as the “American Nightmare.”
Elsewhere in the post-SummerSlam press conference, Rhodes was asked about his “American Nightmare” character and if he feels he's fully come into his own as one of the top stars within the WWE Universe. Harkening back to his documentary, Rhodes noted that after years in the proverbial wilderness, he feels he's finally found “his” character.
“I feel like I just stepped into the role right now of the ‘American Nightmare.' No, the ‘American Nightmare,' and I mention this in the documentary, it's a collection of all these things that I've been and was, but here, it has caught on in a way that I want to just continue what we're going. I've never seen so many signs with this, which went from being what wrestling and sports entertainment fans thought was the worst tattoo in the history of the industry to now this, and it's on every sign out there, and you've got all these wonderful young fans and just jumping onboard. I just want to continue to go down that road. And I think I've found to say this, I could be completely wrong, I think I've found my final form. And it took me a while, some folks get it right out of the gate, they know they're supposed to be, and that's special, I don't begrudge them, but me? Slow learner, and I think I found my final form, so it's really just polishing up the best of the ‘American Nightmare,' but I still, I mean, I look at everything, I watch everything, and the speed of the game I see what's happening and I see where the puck is going.”
Could fans see a new evolution to the “American Nightmare” in the future? Is there a world where Rhodes leans more heel, maybe in a feud with someone like Edge on his way out the door? Either way, it's safe to say Rhodes won't be removing his neck tattoo any time soon, as he's found his thing, and he's committed to it moving forward.
"I think I've found my final form." – @CodyRhodes#SummerSlam pic.twitter.com/q08G2FMZs3
— WWE (@WWE) August 6, 2023
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