3 possible reasons why Cody Rhodes lost to Brock Lesnar at WWE Night Of Champions

Cody Rhodes suffered his third loss since returning to WWE at Night Of Champions 2023. After a valiant effort with a broken arm against Brock Lesnar, The American Nightmare passed out in the Kimura lock to level the feud at one win apiece. It also extended The Beast's incredible record in Saudi events, where he has only lost once in eight matches.

Rhodes has only lost once in singles competition since returning: against Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39. The American Nightmare has unfinished business with The Tribal Chief, and seems to be working his way back to a rematch. Thus, many fans are wondering why he lost in Jeddah, and what it means for his future.

Here are three possible reasons why Cody Rhodes lost to Brock Lesnar at Night Of Champions

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#3. Cody Rhodes lost to Brock Lesnar to set up a third match

Cody Rhodes defeated Brock Lesnar in flukish circumstances in their first encounter at WWE Backlash 2023. The Beast was left incensed in Puerto Rico after losing to a reversal pin while he had the Kimura locked in. He thus challenged Rhodes to a rematch, which he won, albeit with his opponent competing with a broken arm.

Neither match brought a decisive victory for each man, so a tie-breaking third match could be in the works. It could be a Hell In A Cell match at Money In The Bank. It could be a Summerslam street fight. Either way, the bad blood between these two megastars has to be settled with a decisive victory for one of them

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#2. WWE had to protect Brock Lesnar after his Backlash loss to Cody Rhodes

The Beast always gets his win back

Brock Lesnar is arguably the baddest man to ever compete in a WWE ring. Even at 45 years of age, he is still a top star and "The Alpha Male of Our Species." It is thus very rare for him to lose twice in a row, let alone to the same opponent. The likes of John Cena, Goldberg, Roman Reigns, and The Undertaker have all defeated the Conqueror, but also subsequently lost to him.

There is no shame for Cody in losing to Lesnar, that too with a broken arm. One could argue that the loss elevated The American Nightmare more than a win would have. In order to preserve the precious resource that is The Beast's ability to elevate stars just by being in the ring with him, the company needed to keep him strong. This is why the ten-time world champion had to get a win back against The American Nightmare.

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#1. Losing elevated Cody Rhodes more than winning would have

For a top babyface in WWE, sometimes a loss is more valuable than a win. Sometimes fighting with all you have against a monster and being slain nonetheless earns you a lot more sympathy than simply winning against all odds. That is why matches like Austin vs. Hart at WrestleMania 13 live longer in the memory than most dominant babyface victories.

Cody Rhodes simply defeating Brock Lesnar to go 2-0 up in their feud could potentially have exposed him to fan backlash. This was seen in the past with John Cena and Roman Reigns when fans believed that they were booked too strong as babyfaces, leading to polarizing reactions. Instead, Cody's valiant loss with a never-say-die attitude won him sympathy with the fans and made them want to see him succeed.

This reaction could be what WWE was going for by having him lose to Brock Lesnar.