Brock Lesnar hugs Cody Rhodes and 3 other times WWE stars left fans stunned with their unexpected actions

During his WWE career, Brock Lesnar has shown very little empathy or care for his opponents, with The Beast usually beating down his foes even after the bell has rung. However, this past Saturday at SummerSlam, fans saw a side to him that they have rarely ever seen before.

Since the night after WrestleMania 39 this past April, Brock Lesnar has been hell-bent on destroying Cody Rhodes. The two stars first battled it out at Backlash in May, where The American Nightmare won. They then faced off at Night of Champions later that month with The Beast defeating an already injured Rhodes.

Their encounter at SummerSlam saw Cody win their trilogy. After the matchup, Brock shocked many as he shook Rhodes' hand and hugged him in the ring, signaling a symbolic passing of the torch between the two.

Over the years, many other moments, like Lesnar and Rhodes' embrace, have stunned the fans. Join us as we look back at three unforgettable moments.

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#3. Dominik Mysterio turns his back on the WWE fans, and his father

When he made his in-ring debut for the company at SummerSlam 2020, Dominik Mysterio was proud to fight in honor of his hall of fame father, Rey Mysterio. Their connection was an inspiration for families to see. The pair would also go on to become the first-ever father-son duo to win the tag team championships.

However, in 2022 their undying bond was tested by the villainous faction, The Judgment Day. Consisting of Rhea Ripley, Damian Priest, and Finn Balor, the trio looked to make the life of the Mysterios and their former leader Edge a living hell.

While Dom wanted to fight by his father's side against the group, Rey chose to team up with the Rated R Superstar Edge against Balor and Priest instead at Clash at the Castle in Cardiff last September.

Given their Hall-of-Fame credentials, the pairing stood the best chance at ending The Judgment Day's reign of terror. While Rey and Edge would go on to win in Wales, the post-match angle caught all the headlines.

After beating The Judgment Day, Edge and Rey looked to celebrate with Dom. However, a seemingly jealous young Mysterio shocked the fans as he delivered a low blow to The Rated R Superstar and then hit his own father with a vicious clothesline. Since this act, Dominik has gone on to become the most hated character working in WWE today.

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#2. The Architect burns down The Shield

At Survivor Series 2012, three young stars burst onto the scene and changed the landscape of the WWE. The performers were Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, and Dean Ambrose (a.k.a. Jon Moxley).

Known as The Shield, the hard-hitting group dominated the business for almost two years, and during their time together, they won gold as well as defeating the iconic group, Evolution, not once but twice.

However, on the RAW after they defeated Triple H, Randy Orton, and Batista at Payback, Seth Rollins turned his back on his brothers as he delivered a vicious steel chair shot to Reigns. This move stunned not only Ambrose but every single WWE fan in attendance that night.

Since then, the trio went on to become the three biggest stars in the wrestling industry, with Reigns, Rollins, and Ambrose winning a combined 15 world championships.

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#1. The Franchise returns to the company

In 2020, World Wrestling Entertainment and the rest of the planet were heavily impacted by the Coronavirus pandemic. With ordinary life having to adapt, so did the wrestling industry, with no crowds in the arenas. Various top stars chose not to appear until fans returned, as they didn't want to put their bodies on the line in front of nobody.

However, in 2021 after 17 months of wrestling in both the performance center and the Thunderdome, the WWE Universe returned with loud and passionate responses from the audience bigger than ever.

The first major WWE Premium Live Event to take place in front of crowds with the fans back full-time was Money In The Bank. The main event saw The Tribal Chief Roman Reigns take on The Rated R Superstar Edge, with the Universal Championship on the line.

The match would result in Reigns retaining the belt, much to the chagrin of the wrestling fanbase.

However, they would not remain downtrodden for long as after the match. Fans were shocked when for the first time in over a year, the theme song of John Cena echoed throughout the arena.

The leader of Cenation made his first appearance in front of fans since February 2020, marking not only his return but the true comeback of the WWE Universe's reactions as well.