Brock Lesnar could still be back in WWE before Christmas despite current creative plans.
At SummerSlam, Cody Rhodes defeated Brock Lesnar to put their long-running feud to bed. The pair had been at each other’s throats since the night after WrestleMania 39 when The Beast turned heel and attacked Rhodes for seemingly no reason. Since then, Rhodes picked up a win at Backlash, before Lesnar got revenge at Night of Champions.
This set up a deciding match at SummerSlam which Rhodes won despite taking the beating of a lifetime. After the match, Lesnar raised Rhodes’ hand as a show of respect and it was reported that he’ll be taking a lengthy break from the ring, although he isn’t retiring.
According to a new report from Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the current plan is for Lesnar to return nearly 2024 for the run-up to the Royal Rumble and then into WrestleMania 40. However, Meltzer notes that Lesnar traditionally appears at WWE’s shows in Suadi Arabia, meaning he could make a brief return in November.
“Lesnar, who was injured early in the match where he put over Cody Rhodes, was at one point advertised for stuff later this year. As of right now, he put Rhodes over clean, shook his hand, turned himself back babyface in doing so, and the plan is for him to return on the television building up the Royal Rumble and from there going to WrestleMania. Although I could see him returning for the November Saudi Arabia show even if today that isn’t the plan, or if there is an injury, he’s always there if they need a program.”
Cody Rhodes Banged Up After Brock Lesnar Match
While The Beast might be nursing an injury following SummerSlam, Cody Rhodes also didn’t escape unscathed. Speaking the days after the match, Rhodes said he was “feeling pretty rough” after being manhandled by Brock Lesnar, adding that their post-match embrace caught him by surprise.