Cody Rhodes has revisited one of the more chaotic moments surrounding his first WWE WrestleMania main-event season, recalling how Solo Sikoa believed he was preparing to wrestle a full tag-team match involving Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns before plans shifted into a major angle.
The planned confrontation was presented on the April 3, 2023 edition of Raw, one night after WrestleMania 39. Rhodes had just come up short against Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns in the WrestleMania main event, while Lesnar had scored a quick victory over Omos earlier on the card. WWE set the stage for Rhodes and Lesnar to stand together against Reigns and Sikoa in a tag match.
That match, however, was not intended to take place. Before the bell, Lesnar attacked Rhodes, beginning a rivalry between the two that would stretch across much of 2023. In a new appearance on Flagrant, Rhodes shared the behind-the-scenes story of Sikoa preparing for a match that was never going to happen.
Solo Sikoa Was Preparing for a Full Match
Rhodes explained that the tag match graphic and setup were part of the larger presentation, but only a limited group of people knew what was actually planned for the end of the segment. In his view, Sikoa was still relatively new to that level of WWE television production and had not yet learned that certain details can intentionally be withheld until the last possible moment.
For more background on this topic, read Cody Rhodes Says Retirement Timeline Is Unclear as He Weighs WWE Future and Family Priorities.
“Great story where we did a match with me and Brock Lesnar vs. Roman and Solo,” Rhodes said. “The match was never going to happen. We were going to do a big angle at the end, so there wasn’t going to be a match but Solo was new.”
Rhodes said the situation illustrated the different layers involved in putting together a major television angle. Not every producer needs every piece of information in advance, particularly when a surprise is central to the segment. The former WWE Champion noted that there can be times when even people in production are not fully informed because the number of individuals who need to know is deliberately kept small.
While Rhodes initially believed Sikoa may have been aware of the planned direction, Sikoa was instead mapping out how a conventional tag match could work. That presented an especially unusual problem because Lesnar is not a standard opponent to plan around.
“He’s planning to do a full tag match with me and Brock,” Rhodes said. “Brock is a unique animal to approach, he doesn’t even lock up. So, how do you get in there with Brock? What do you do, do you just run up and kick him? Do you run up and let him clothesline you, what do you do?”
Those questions speak to Lesnar’s distinctive presence in WWE. Whether competing as a dominant powerhouse, a former UFC heavyweight champion, or an unpredictable special attraction, Lesnar’s in-ring persona has long been built around immediacy and physical force. A normal feeling-out process or traditional opening exchange does not necessarily fit the way a Lesnar segment is structured. For a performer attempting to formulate a match layout, that creates an entirely different set of considerations.
Rhodes’ Accidental Message
Sikoa was reportedly nervous backstage as he tried to determine what the opening of the tag match would require. Rhodes then walked past him and was asked a direct question about the plan. Rather than offering the explanation Sikoa needed, Rhodes responded with a bark and continued walking.
“He goes, ‘Hey, what are we doing out there?’ I turn around and [bark], then I keep going,” Rhodes recalled.
Rhodes said he did not initially realize the impact of that interaction. The bark was evidently not a clear instruction, and it left Sikoa without the information that Lesnar’s attack on Rhodes was about to eliminate the match entirely. As a result, Sikoa was still preparing to do what he believed was necessary to begin a match against Lesnar and Rhodes: make an aggressive move before Lesnar could take control.
“He, at the beginning of this match that doesn’t happen, is basically getting ready to jump us, not aware of what’s about to happen because he thought that’s the only way you could do it with a guy like this,” Rhodes said. “You jump on him and get what you can and then he’ll take back over.”
Rhodes characterized the moment as a case where his attempted response could have created even more confusion. He joked that the bark nearly sent the message in the wrong direction, while also acknowledging that Sikoa should have received the appropriate details before going through the segment.
“It was a classic case of maybe the bark almost went the other wrong way,” Rhodes said. “He should’ve got the information.”
A Major Post-WrestleMania Shift
The April 3, 2023 episode of Raw was a pivotal night for Rhodes. His WrestleMania 39 loss to Reigns had halted his first attempt to finish the story and capture the championship, but WWE quickly positioned him for another marquee program. Lesnar’s turn transformed what appeared to be an alliance into an immediate conflict between two of the company’s biggest attractions.
The Rhodes-Lesnar rivalry included multiple high-profile matches. Lesnar defeated Rhodes at Backlash in May 2023, Rhodes evened the series at Night of Champions later that month, and their final encounter came at SummerSlam in August. Rhodes won that rubber match, with the conclusion also featuring an apparent gesture of respect from Lesnar after their physically demanding battle.
From a storyline perspective, the attack was designed to create a new obstacle for Rhodes after his defeat to Reigns. In practical terms, it also made the announced tag match a vehicle for an angle rather than an actual bout. Sikoa’s backstage uncertainty was therefore rooted in the difference between what was being shown to viewers and what was set to unfold once the performers reached the ring.
Sikoa’s Growth Since 2023
Rhodes’ story also offered a notable reflection on Sikoa’s development. At that point in 2023, Sikoa had only been on WWE’s main roster for several months. He arrived in September 2022 and rapidly became a crucial force in The Bloodline, operating as Reigns’ feared enforcer alongside The Usos.
Since then, Sikoa has spent years working in prominent positions and navigating the pressure that comes with Bloodline-related stories. Rhodes remarked that Sikoa is no longer the nervous performer from the backstage anecdote, describing him as someone who has assumed a locker-room role.
That is a meaningful observation given the path Sikoa has taken on WWE programming. His early main-roster identity centered on silence, intimidation and explosive interference. As his responsibilities and television profile grew, he became more accustomed to major segments, evolving storylines and the complicated logistics that can surround WWE’s top acts.
Rhodes’ recollection does not change the on-screen outcome of that April 2023 segment: Lesnar attacked Rhodes, and the advertised tag match never began. It does, however, provide a humorous perspective on how carefully managed surprises can look from the position of a newer performer trying to be prepared.
For Sikoa, the instinct was understandable. If he truly expected to share the ring with Lesnar, getting ahead of the former world champion may have seemed like the only realistic strategy. For Rhodes, the episode became a memorable example of a backstage misunderstanding, an ill-timed bark, and a performer unknowingly preparing for a fight that WWE had no intention of letting happen.
Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.