Mark Henry & Bully Ray Discuss Cody Rhodes vs. Brock Lesnar III At SummerSlam 2023

On the latest edition of the “Busted Open Radio” podcast, WWE Hall of Famers Bully Ray and Mark Henry engaged in a discussion about the conclusion of the Cody Rhodes vs. Brock Lesnar match at SummerSlam.

The event featured a masterclass in storytelling nuance and physical struggle between Lesnar and Rhodes that went over 17 minutes. Following The American Nightmare’s win, The Beast displayed a gesture of respect by shaking Cody’s hand and embracing him, before raising his hand in victory.

Reflecting on the significance of Brock Lesnar’s show of respect, Bully Ray remarked,

“When Brock does what Brock does, it means more than when anybody else does it. After that match, I don’t give a s*** if the handshake was planned or not — I don’t care. It worked. I thought that handshake moment should come when Cody wins the Universal Championship from Roman Reigns. We got it a lot earlier!”

Delving into the symbolism behind Lesnar’s act, Bully Ray further analyzed,

“Brock Lesnar has told the entire WWE Universe, the entire wrestling world [that] this is the guy that is taking WWE into the next couple of years.”

Addressing Lesnar’s likelihood to execute such an act based on external influence, Mark Henry stated,

“[If] WWE Creative asked Brock to do that, he would have been like, ‘No.’ Now, Vince [McMcMahon] can ask him, and Brock would have probably said, ‘How’s that gonna get me paid?’ He’s a businessman first. If it feels right, maybe, but it has to be on his terms.”

Discussing an overlooked element of the match, Henry pointed out,

“The announcers should have said something. Michael Cole could have said, ‘Corey, that should have been a DQ’ and Corey could have said, ‘No, Brock initiated it and grabbed the steps first.’ Now, you cover that. It wasn’t a big enough deal that the fans went off, but that was a great indicator of why I don’t put all the stock in the fans’ analysis of what goes on in a match.”

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