After losing the Undisputed WWE Championship to Cody Rhodes at SummerSlam last Sunday, John Cena was attacked by a returning Brock Lesnar. The Beast hit the Leader of the Cenation with an F5, setting the stage for what should be a huge battle somewhere down the line.
Last night's SmackDown opened with Cena addressing what happened, admitting that despite being scared of Lesnar, he won't back down from his old foe (or anyone else brave enough to face him down). Before he could go any further, Logan Paul interupted and proposed a match with the Greatest of All Time at the upcoming Clash in Paris PLE.
Drew McIntyre blindsided Cena before he could respond, prompting Cody Rhodes to hit the ring and make the save. With that, a huge tag team match was set for later that evening.
Shortly before the main event, Cena and Ron Killings ran into each other backstage, with the latter showing flashes of his R-Truth persona after the two old friends finally made things right.
In the match, Rhodes and Cena were awarded the win by disqualification after Paul hit the former Undisputed WWE Champion with a low blow. A fight ensued, with Cena and Paul brawling backstage as McIntyre brutalised Rhodes with the title and a Claymore Kick.
It appears Rhodes is being briefly written off television so he can shoot his role in the upcoming Street Fighter movie. However, the stage has been set for McIntyre to be the American Nightmare's first challenger for the title.
Check out some highlights from SmackDown in the X posts below.