WWE Raw results, recap, grades: Brock Lesnar attacks Cody Rhodes, accepts SummerSlam challenge

Rhodes took a beating, but got his wish for a rubber match with Lesnar at SummerSlam

With SummerSlam set for Aug. 5, WWE needed to start getting some matches officially booked for the show. They did that in a big way during Raw on Monday night in Atlanta.

The show kicked off with a promo from Cody Rhodes, calling out Brock Lesnar for a match at SummerSlam. That move backfired as Lesnar brutally attacked Rhodes, locking him in a kimura twice in front of Rhodes' mother. Rhodes did ultimately get his wish, however, with Lesnar accepting the challenge and a rubber match between the two being made official for the pay-per-view.

Two other matches were made official for SummerSlam, with Seth Rollins defending his world heavyweight championship in a rematch against Finn Balor and Ronda Rousey squaring off with former friend and tag team partner Shayna Baszler.

CBS Sports was with you all night with recaps and highlights of all the action from State Farm Arena in Atlanta.

Brock Lesnar attacks Cody Rhodes, accepts SummerSlam challenge

Cody Rhodes came to the ring to open a show. Upon taking the microphone, Rhodes said that Brock Lesnar's shadow hangs over WWE all the time and there's no need to talk about him and instead Lesnar should come to the ring to answer the challenge for a match at SummerSlam. Lesnar did not answer the call to the ring, leading Rhodes to say it didn't matter how long it took, he would be in the ring waiting.

After acknowledging his mother at ringside, Rhodes ended his promo only for Lesnar's music to hit before he could leave. Lesnar did not appear, however, and Rhodes again began to leave, only for Lesnar's music to hit again. This time Rhodes tried to storm to the back, but Lesnar met him with several chair shots. After roughing Rhodes up, Lesnar hit an F5 on the floor in front of Rhodes' mother and then locked in a kimura. Lesnar threw Rhodes into the ring, locked in the kimura again and finally yelled, "Challenge accepted. I'll see you at SummerSlam, bitch."

It's about time we got some matches set as official for SummerSlam. There wasn't much fresh here, we've seen Rhodes' fired-up promos -- though they nearly always deliver -- and we've seen Lesnar brutalize him and go after the arm with kumras. Still, there's a built-in sort of intensity to these two men and it's easy to get fired up about seeing them go one-on-one again. Hard to complain just because it's a rehash of what they did for their previous matches. Grade: B+

What else happened on WWE Raw?

• Gunther def. Matt Riddle via pinfall after a powerbomb. Imperium were banned from ringside, which did not matter as Gunther managed to overpower Riddle and score the win.
• Women's Tag Team Championship – Sonya Deville & Chelsea Green def. Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez (c) via pinfall to win the titles after Deville hit Morgan with a running knee. Rodriguez had her knee injured by Rhea Ripley in a backstage segment earlier in the show, allowing the challengers to take her out of the match early.
• Finn Balor interrupted an interview with Seth Rollins. Balor demanded a match with Rollins for the world heavyweight championship at SummerSlam. Rollins said they didn't need a match to settle their issues and could instead handle things there and then. Balor appeared to back down but charged back in and laid Rollins out to end the segment. A match between the two was later announced as official for SummerSlam.
• The Viking Raiders def. Alpha Academy via pinfall after Ragnarok on Otis. Valhalla slammed Maxxine Dupri through a table and later hit Otis with a cheap shot to set up the finish.
• Shayna Baszler def. Nikki Cross via submission with a Kirifuda Clutch. After the extremely short match, Ronda Rousey appeared in the crowd, calling out Baszler and talking about how fast she eclipsed Baszler in both MMA and wrestling. They exchanged words until Rousey said she would "finally" get Baszler booked on SummerSlam. That match was made official later in the show.
• Trish Stratus and Zoey Stark interrupted Becky Lynch on Miz TV. Lynch demanded Stratus give her a rematch, which Stratus refused, saying she already beat Lynch, as did Stark and they were "done." Lynch insulted Stratus until Stratus agreed to face Lynch, but said Lynch would need to go through Stark first. Stratus also said if Lynch loses that match, she will have to get on her knees and say "thank you, Trish" as well as get it tattooed on her chest. Lynch agreed to the terms before Stark and Stratus jumped her, though Lynch ran the pair off.
• Bronson Reed def. Shinsuke Nakamura via disqualification after interference by Tommaso Ciampa. Nakamura kicked Ciampa after the result was announced.
• Undisputed Tag Team Championship -- Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn def. The Judgment Day (Dominik Mysterio & Damian Priest) via pinfall when Zayn hit Mysterio with a Helluva Kick. Early in the show, The Judgment Day goaded Owens and Zayn to put their tag titles on the line in the main event. Balor was ran off from ringside when Rollins attacked him prior to the start of the match. Ripley interfered late, sending Owens into the ring steps but she was then attacked by Liv Morgan. That distraction allowed Owens and Zayn to score the win.