A lot of people expected CM Punk and Cody Rhodes to close out SummerSlam, but Brock Lesnar apparently had other ideas. The Beast Incarnate ended up headlining Night One alongside Oba Femi in one of the most brutal matches of the weekend, and according to a new backstage report, that wasn’t just WWE’s decision: It was what Lesnar wanted.
Speaking during a Q&A session, PWInsider’s Mike Johnson was asked why Lesnar closed the show when he’s long been known for preferring earlier match slots so he can get in, get out and head home. This time, the situation was different.
“He’s pretty much in his home market when he’s in Minneapolis, so not as far to travel. The belief among those we spoke to yesterday is Lesnar pushed to close the show.”
That one detail suddenly makes SummerSlam’s match order look a little different. Instead of Punk and Rhodes getting the final match, WWE handed the closing spot to Lesnar and Oba Femi, who proceeded to destroy the ring in a Hell in a Cell war that ended with Lesnar embracing Femi and publicly declaring him “the future of WWE.“
Triple H didn’t sound surprised by any of it. During the post-show press conference, WWE’s Chief Content Officer praised Lesnar for returning, delivering at 49 years old and doing what very few legends are willing to do—walk away while making sure the next guy leaves looking like a superstar.
Whether that was Lesnar’s final SummerSlam main event is still anyone’s guess. But if this report is accurate, he wasn’t interested in quietly working the middle of the card before heading back to Saskatchewan. He wanted to close the show, put Oba Femi over on the biggest stage possible and leave SummerSlam with everyone talking about what happened in that ring. Safe to say, mission accomplished.
What did you think of WWE choosing Brock Lesnar and Oba Femi to close Night One instead of Cody Rhodes and CM Punk? Let us know in the comments below.
