WWE Reportedly Booking Brock Lesnar Vs. Cody Rhodes III At SummerSlam

WWE is going to find a way to extend the feud between Brock Lesnar and Cody Rhodes all the way to SummerSlam, and it won’t be just an ordinary match.

According to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t F4WOnline), Rhodes vs. Lesnar III is planned for WWE’s “Big Four” pay-per-view, which will emanate from Ford Field in Detroit on August 5. In addition, the Observer’s Bryan Alvarez noted that WWE is planning a big gimmick match for the two top stars: “It’s not just going to be a straight match. They’ve got some sort of stip that allegedly we have not seen in a while. That to me, means not Hell in a Cell.”

Rhodes vs. Lesnar are currently tied at one win each, with Rhodes winning at Backlash last month and Lesnar picking up a victory at Night of Champions a few weeks later. Neither star won in particularly clean fashion, however, so it became clear at Night of Champions that a third match would be on the way.

Why not at Money in the Bank? Well, Rhodes is sidelined with a storyline broken arm, and Lesnar appears to be off the card altogether.

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Money in the Bank doesn’t necessarily need Lesnar or Rhodes, either. While the Money in the Bank pay-per-view in the O2 Arena in London sold out in just one minute, WWE has a much bigger challenge with SummerSlam in Detroit.

SummerSlam will have a crowd that’s twice as big, with a reported 40,000 tickets already sold for a show expected to have around 44,000 fans in attendance. WWE had “skyrocketing” ticket sales for its live events in Q1 2023, and that remained true regardless of the matches set for those events.

Unless you’re John Cena or Rhodes for that matter, chances are—if you’re a WWE star—your impact on ticket sales will be minimal. But WWE has no real reason to rush into Lesnar vs. Rhodes III at Money in the Bank given how quickly the show sold out and how infrequent Lesnar’s appearances are.

Instead, Lesnar vs. Rhodes is shaping up to be one of the top attractions at SummerSlam. This year, WWE has done a good job of giving storylines some room and time to breathe, and though the Lesnar vs. Rhodes feud has been far from epic, it’s a star-studded rivalry that should culminate at WWE’s summertime version of WrestleMania.

Money in the Bank already likely has its main event match in Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa vs. The Usos. Throw in two Money in the Bank matches, and there will be numerous talking points coming out of that show. WWE tends to hit the reset around SummerSlam, however, and the biggest talking point after that show should be Rhodes getting rid of Lesnar once and for all.

WWE has, after all, hit a few speed bumps with its booking of Rhodes. Arguably the top babyface in all of WWE, Rhodes failed to defeat Reigns at WrestleMania 39, barely squeaked out a win against Lesnar at Backlash and then lost to Lesnar at Night of Champions. He’s really due for a big—and clean—win, and as a noble good guy, he’s not the best choice to win the MITB briefcase. That explains why he’s not in the match, at least not yet.

Rhodes would, however, benefit from a decisive victory over Lesnar at SummerSlam in what will reportedly be a big gimmick match. Hell in a Cell? TLC? Street Fight? That isn’t clear, but Lesnar is at his best when not in a traditional match. Rhodes, meanwhile, shines in matches that tell a story.

Rhodes vs. Lesnar should culminate at SummerSlam in a vicious brawl, with Rhodes emerging victorious as WWE builds him back up for a potential rekindled rivalry with Reigns.