Brock Lesnar Stuns John Cena After Cody Rhodes Instant Classic at SummerSlam 2025
By Ali Hammad August 05, 2025 14:12
At WWE SummerSlam 2025, held at MetLife Stadium before a staggering crowd of over 113,000 fans, the wrestling world witnessed a night of unforgettable moments punctuated by a blockbuster return and an epic title bout. Cody Rhodes and John Cena delivered an instant classic in a relentlessly physical “street fight” that saw Rhodes reclaim the Undisputed WWE Championship from Cena, only for the night to end with an earth-shattering shock: Brock Lesnar’s explosive return to WWE, immediately following with a stunning F-5 on Cena that left the audience reeling.
The Rhodes vs. Cena match was the centerpiece of Night 2, representing one of John Cena’s last stops on his retirement tour. The 17-time World Champion put everything on the line, battling Rhodes in a high-octane, brutal contest. The two icons exchanged vicious finishing maneuvers and weapon shots over the marathon encounter, thrilling the passionate New Jersey crowd. After a particularly grueling sequence involving a piledriver executed on Cena, it was Rhodes who ultimately secured the victory and the championship pinfall, avenging his WrestleMania loss from earlier in the year.
Post-match, Cena—who had recently returned to his beloved babyface persona showed immense sportsmanship and respect, embracing Rhodes in a poignant “pass-the-torch” moment. Cena told Rhodes, “That was the best I have,” capturing both the intensity of the encounter and the honor between the two warriors. The crowd responded with thunderous applause, fully appreciating the depth and quality of the match that many fans already call a classic of the modern era.
However, the jubilation was abruptly disrupted when Brock Lesnar’s theme music hit, shocking the WWE Universe and shifting the atmosphere from celebration to chaos. Lesnar, absent from WWE for two years, entered the ring with a fierce glare, locking eyes with Cena in a tense staredown. Without warning, Lesnar hoisted Cena onto his shoulders and delivered a devastating F-5, leaving the legendary Cena sprawled in the middle of the ring as SummerSlam went off the air to stunned silence and disbelief. This marked a seismic moment in Cena’s retirement saga, injecting a new layer of unpredictability and setting the stage for a potential final chapter between two of WWE’s biggest icons.
Throughout the event, other highlight matches included title defenses by Naomi, Becky Lynch, Solo Sikoa, and Dominik Mysterio, but none matched the intensity or drama of the Rhodes-Cena main event and Lesnar’s bombshell return. Experts noted the Rhodes vs. Cena bout followed a sharply structured formula reminiscent of Cena’s best mid-2010s matches, blending high-impact moves with precise storytelling, crowd engagement, and near-falls that heightened suspense to the final pin.
From a statistical and narrative perspective, SummerSlam 2025 marked an apex in WWE history: Rhodes regained the title in front of one of the largest crowds in recent history, Cena’s farewell tour reached its emotional crescendo, and Lesnar’s return reminded everyone of the beast he embodies, capable of altering the landscape with a single shock moment. As ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski summarized, “After a marathon street fight, Rhodes won back the championship, but Lesnar’s stunning F-5 on Cena stole the show, leaving fans to question what’s next in this saga”.
SummerSlam Night 2 succeeded in blending nostalgia, athletic excellence, and surprise elements, delivering an entertainment spectacle befitting major sports media coverage from ESPN and The Athletic. The night not only met but exceeded expectations, combining long-term storytelling with explosive immediacy, ensuring that Brock Lesnar’s return and Cody Rhodes’ championship victory will remain etched in WWE history for years to come. The path forward for Cena’s retirement tour is now shrouded in mystery and anticipation, promising electrifying possibilities for the months ahead.
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