Cody Rhodes thought Brock Lesnar had something else in mind when he took his gloves off at WWE SummerSlam.
Rhodes defeated Lesnar in a hard-fought match at WWE SummerSlam. After the bell, Lesnar took his gloves off and shook Cody's hand. He then hugged Rhodes and raised his arm in a surprising show of sportsmanship.
Speaking with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated, Rhodes reflected on the match.
“Brock hits like a Mack truck. I feel pretty rough. There was one point where I shot a double leg, and the next thing I knew, I was up in the air. Getting thrown around by Brock is like going for a ride on a roller coaster. There is no one like him. He’s a rare athlete. Plenty is gifted by God, but I know he had his strength and conditioning coach with him. He’s back home farming, but he was also preparing. This is what he loves. I don’t talk to him, and we don’t know each other like that, but I get a sense that’s the type of passion he has. He makes this a heavyweight company, but he’s also agile. It gives me even more motivation to go to the gym every day," Rhodes said.
Rhodes continued by noting how his WWE run continues to surprise him. He stated that he can't get used to the special moments he keeps having. "The American Nightmare" then called SummerSlam a top moment in his career and his life.
“I have been so consistently surprised that I can’t get used to these moments. First I won the Royal Rumble. Now I beat Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam? They’re once-in-a-lifetime moments in a once-in-a-lifetime run. This is my mega run, and the journey has been incredible. This is a top moment in my career, and it’s also a top moment in my life," Rhodes said.
As for the memorable post-match moment where Lesnar shook his hand, Rhodes admitted that he thought it was going to go much differently. He recalled how he sincerely thought Lesnar was going to start swinging as the former champion took his gloves off.
“As I saw him taking his gloves off, I sincerely thought he was going to start swinging. Then we went head-to-head, and it felt like we were a millisecond away from starting up again. So I didn’t anticipate that handshake coming. When I saw his hand, I was grateful. That’s not something he does. Again, this run has consistently surprised me. The torch isn’t passed. You have to take it," Rhodes said.
While they shared a moment in the ring, Rhodes noted that Lesnar was gone by the time he got backstage. He stated that "The Beast" left it all in the ring, and that was fine by him. Rhodes also recalled how got a nice ovation when he came through the curtain.
“I came to the back, there was a nice ovation in the Gorilla Position, but Brock was nowhere to be found.I didn’t see him the rest of the night. The way I see it, we didn’t need to speak. Brock left it all in the ring," Rhodes said.
Rhodes and Triple H discussed Cody's post-match moment with Lesnar at the SummerSlam press conference. Check out their comments here.
Cody recently described how he's thinking about himself more in WWE. Check out his comments here.
In an interview with Fightful, Rhodes looked back on his Hell in a Cell match against Seth Rollins. Click here to see what he had to say.
