Cody Rhodes thought Brock Lesnar was done with WWE for good. Turns out, he may have spoken too soon.
Following Lesnar’s shocking return on the May 18 episode of WWE Raw, Rhodes opened up during an appearance on ESPN Unsportsmanlike and admitted the comeback has everyone in WWE paying attention — including him.
Lesnar blindsided Oba Femi during Raw, setting up a major WrestleMania 42 rematch at Clash in Italy on May 31. Before that attack, many fans believed Lesnar had quietly retired after removing his gear in the middle of the ring following his WrestleMania loss to Femi. Rhodes admitted he bought into that belief himself. Even with all the praise for Lesnar, Rhodes still believes Femi is about to pull it off again.
“I was set that Brock had retired, and that’s good for me, because I got two victories on Brock. So, the idea that he retired, I can say I got those two victories. Now that I’m not sure really anymore. It concerns me. Brock concerns the entire locker room because he is such a presence. He’s so difficult to beat in any aspect of our game, and just an absolutely genius businessman and unbelievable, unbelievable athlete.”
“But if you saw WrestleMania, I think Oba has got him again.”
Femi defeating Lesnar at WrestleMania 42 instantly changed the perception of the rising WWE powerhouse. Beating Lesnar on that stage pushed him into WWE’s top tier almost overnight, and a second straight win at Clash in Italy would cement him even further as one of the company’s future centerpieces. Rhodes also touched on Lesnar’s possible retirement status and joked that wrestling may need to go back to the old-school approach where nobody ever truly stays retired for long.
“I want to get back to 90 style retirements, anyways, where we just say we’re retired and then we’re not. Brock has kind of started that out. Terry Funk was retired for 20 years, I think. Flair retired a bunch, Savage kept retiring. So I’m good with it if we’re not doing big, absolute definitive retirements anymore. Just say I’m taking a break.”
The timing of Lesnar’s return has also fueled speculation about WWE’s bigger plans for him heading into SummerSlam 2026 in Minneapolis. The event takes place August 1 and 2 at the Target Center, right in the middle of Lesnar’s longtime home wrestling territory after his legendary NCAA run at the University of Minnesota.
For now, though, all eyes are on Clash in Italy. If Femi defeats Lesnar a second time, WWE may officially be looking at the moment a new monster fully took over Brock’s spot near the top of the card. But if Lesnar bounces back, the entire WWE landscape changes again instantly.
Do you think Oba Femi will defeat Brock Lesnar again at Clash in Italy, or is The Beast Incarnate about to remind everyone who he is? Let us know in the comments.