The main event of WWE Backlash saw Cody Rhodes defeat Brock Lesnar in front of a rabid crowd in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Animosity between the two men began on the April 3rd edition of WWE Raw, where Lesnar agreed to team with Rhodes to take on Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa in the main event. Paul Heyman declared that whoever agreed to team with Rhodes would never be able to challenge Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship, but Lesnar is already ineligible to challenge Reigns again following his loss to the Tribal Chief at SummerSlam.
However, before the tag team main event could begin, Brock Lesnar shockingly launched an attack on Rhodes, turning heel in the process. The two men brawled multiple times in the following weeks, and at Backlash, they finally came face to face inside the squared circle.
Early on in the match, Lesnar hit his head on an exposed turnbuckle, causing a cascade of blood from his forehead. The referee in the bout grabbed a towel to help clean Lesnar up, but quickly kicked the towel out of the ring when it became clear that Lesnar didn’t have any plans to slow down despite being cut open.
In the end, Lesnar had Rhodes’ arm trapped in a Kimura, but Rhodes was able to roll up Lesnar for a pinfall victory. Rhodes quickly escaped, knowing that an enraged Lesnar was likely to attack after suffering a loss.
Brock Lesnar Not Scheduled For WWE Raw
According to a new report from PWInsider Elite, the use of blood in the Rhodes vs. Lesnar bout was “100% planned,” but fans shouldn’t expect to see significant use of blood going forward on WWE programming.
As a free agent following the WWE Draft, Lesnar is eligible to appear on either Raw or SmackDown. An initial report stated that Lesnar was not scheduled to be used this week, but in a new update, PWInsider Elite now reports that plans have changed and Lesnar is now planned to appear and is in Jacksonville, FL ahead of the show.